In 2023, New Haven Reads was chosen as the Lead Literacy organization as part of the Mayor’s Tutoring Initiative (NHTI). The NHTI mission is to empower every student to reach their full potential in reading and math. In this citywide effort, New Haven Reads supports 10 afterschool organizations to help them learn a version of our tutoring program that they may teach their own students. Literacy Instructors visit and support all of these partners as they implement these programs. The NHTI now reaches over 600 students every week! The organizations using the literacy tutoring model based on NHR are LEAP, Boys and Girls Club, IRIS, Inspired Communities, Upon This Rock, and NHR. Four programs participate in the infusion model which is an adapted group learning model; Auntie Rose Day Care and Preschool, Solar Youth, and CPEN!
Name: Lizz Ladd Hometown: West Hartford, CT College and Major: Loyola Marymount University, BA Recording Arts Tutor Site: Willow Clubs: Math Club, Performing Arts Club Favorite Childhood Book: Good Dog, Carl
I first learned about New Haven Reads during a gap year serving with AmeriCorps. I came to the book bank to get books for the school I was serving at and I fell in love with the work of New Haven Reads. When I heard about the internship program, I knew that I wanted to be involved.
Interning this summer has taught me about youth and education through a nonprofit lens. I’ve learned about the many ways that New Haven Reads supports the community and shares the joy and power of reading. I love how New Haven Reads is student-centered and that each staff member is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that the kids receive an excellent literacy education and receive the support that they need to be successful readers. It’s incredible how dedicated they are to serving the New Haven community.
One program that I’ve become involved in is the math club. A staff member was telling me that a few summers ago, parents were asking for math support for their kids in addition to literacy support. Since New Haven Reads is always looking for ways to better serve families, the interns were asked to facilitate summer math programing. Twice a week, my volunteer helpers and I meet with students ranging from 2nd grade to 7th grade and work with them on different math skills. It has been a great experience to help students feel confident solving math problems and a great way to reinforce our students’ math skills before they return to school in the fall.
I’ll never forget the first student I tutored here. When my student, a little first grader, arrived at Willow, I learned that it was her first time here. She was a little shy at first, but once we got into our tutoring hour she began to loosen up more. About halfway through our session, she turned to me and said, “I love this place!” My heart melted!
I’m so grateful to KeyBank for the opportunity to be a part of New Haven Reads this summer and work with such incredible students. Thanks to this opportunity, I have been offered the position of Assistant Site Director at Willow following the end of the internship program. I’m so excited that this internship brought me to New Haven Reads and that I have the opportunity to continue supporting this wonderful organization and their students moving forward.
Bonding Through Books is a new partnership with Department of Children and Families (DCF) Milford Area Office and New Haven Reads! Together, we are creating a library of children’s books in the DCF office for their clients. The office already had a small underutilized book collection that was in need of an update and lots of new books.
Before the makeover! DCF Milford AO Library
Today – the Bonding Through Books Book Bank
Randy, a social worker in the Milford office, contacted NHR about creating a book bank that would allow children and families to take books to help create home libraries, be given to children who were awaiting placement, and to be used to help parents and children bond during visits. Once he contacted our Book Bank Director Victoria, the idea took form. Victoria even suggested using the same bookshelves that we also use at our NHR Book Bank. Once the area was set up, New Haven Reads supplied 600 books to set up the new library!
Randy said of new book bank “One of the goals of visits here in the office is to maintain and grow the child and parent bond. What better way to do that than to look for and read books together?” Randy told us the other reason the book bank is so important is “when a child is removed from their home, they sometimes have to spend time at our office before being placed in foster care. This book bank will be a place to pick something out that is theirs and they can take with them.” Randy has witnessed families reading together, specifically a grandfather and his 6 month old grandson sharing a book on colors. “It proved why this book bank was so important. Watching them read together was amazing!”
Delivering books to a family
New Haven Reads is excited to be partnering with the DCF Milford Area Office for this initiative and will be sending over another book order to top up the shelves soon. We hope to be able to grow this initiative with other offices!
Every week comes with certain tasks that must be done without fail. First thing I do in the morning is read and reply to my emails, usually 15-30 emails each day. Every Monday calls for approving intern timesheets and emailing them to their designated University program supervisor. Right now we have a total of 28 interns from various universities and high schools in New Haven, many working with us as tutors. Early in the week, I have a few weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly meetings scheduled, with the Education team, Communications team, Outreach team and the Executive Director. Collaboration between the departments is crucial to my work, to make sure the volunteer experience is smooth as they move through intake, training, tutoring and program evaluation.
A sizable part of my position is to bring on new volunteers. This requires 5 steps: recruitment, interviews, onboarding, training and assignments. This part of my job feels like juggling, because volunteers are all at different stages in the process. In one of my interviews this week a new volunteer asked “What is the best part about New Haven Reads?” I didn’t have to think before replying: “Getting to know someone who might be totally different from you, and helping each other to be better people.”
I am motivated by this kind of work, and have been involved with volunteers for years. My previous role was as a California State Parks Foundation Field Consultant, leading large scale volunteer habitat restoration projects in the California State Parks. I love to work to make the volunteer experience positive and rewarding. At New Haven Reads our volunteers are giving so much of themselves, and our priority is to make sure that they have all the tools they need to support our students and feel supported in return.
One way I do this is through training sessions. Taking input from volunteers and staff helps form topic-specific training sessions with experts. Our most recent training was about the effects of Covid-19 on students, led by Nakesha Alleyne, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Another part of my position is building community partnerships. We do this through our robust internship program, organizations which send employees for service days, lecture series and community collaboration projects. Some examples of the groups we work with are Design for America and Teach for America, who did two important projects for us and helped provide invaluable materials and content for our programs. Some of the big projects I am working on this week include developing a Volunteer Ambassador Team, setting up our Distance Learning: Mission Possible Meetings, our second annual Lecture Series (coming this summer!), an annual volunteer survey, and collaborating on creative ways to thank our wonderful volunteers.
Many of my Thursdays mornings are spent in monthly staff meetings or Site Director meetings. This is the time when we all come together to discuss big picture plans and everyday best practices. Thursday’s are also busy with tutor training sessions in the evenings. By Friday evening I have wrapped up the week feeling accomplished and prepared for the following Monday.
