20 Years of Succeeding in Reading (Seed)
This year a core community program celebrates 20 years of success! In 1995, The Reading Seed Children’s Literacy program was started by a group of volunteers who wanted to positively impact children’s literacy in Pima County. In the first year, 21 volunteers trained by a UA literacy expert worked with 42 children. By 2004, Reading […]
Intensive English Class A Huge Success!
Anyone who has attempted to learn another language as an adult knows how difficult it can be. The success of a new, five-week intensive English class offered this summer at Literacy Connects shows that our adult students are up for the challenge! Literacy Connects, like other literacy programs, typically offers English language classes two days […]
Year 2: A Prototype for Learning
The Literacy Connects Infusion Project completed a successful second year of programming in the Sunnyside School District, expanding from its initial school site, Mission Manor Elementary, to include Los Niños Elementary. Funded primarily by the Helios Education Foundation, the Infusion Project has become a prototype for learning how to effectively integrate Literacy Connects’ programs within […]
A Celebration of Imagination
The 2014-15 Best of Stories that Soar! was the place to be this past Sunday, May 17. The Captain and his cactus sailed in on a cruise ship, the Monkey arrived by way of an asteroid, stars fell from the sky, and children and their families drove in from across Southern Arizona for the celebratory […]
Students and their tutors are partners in learning
Adult Basic Literacy tutor Harriet Kronman and learner Winifred Doerue are starting their fourth year working together. It’s hard to say who feels luckier they found each other. “Harriet is not only my tutor but she is like a mother to me,” Winifred says. “She cares about me and my whole family.” Harriet is equally […]
New training for tutors of refugees
The United States, a world leader in refugee resettlement, welcomes tens of thousands of refugees into its borders each year. Of these, thousands make Arizona home. Many refugees have lived through the traumas of war, extended time in refugee camps and family separation, and all face the enormous challenge of quickly learning a new language […]
More than a book festival
The seventh annual Tucson Festival of Books is coming up 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. March 14 and 15! This two-day festival is expected to attract more than 135,000 book lovers to the University of Arizona Mall and nearby venues for exhibits, hands-on literacy activities and presentations by more than 400 authors. The event is […]
Help collect 10,000 books for kids
Literacy Connects is partnering with local businesses and education-focused organizations to collect more than 10,000 books for high-risk children as part of a monthlong “Love of Reading” celebration in Tucson. The group hopes this community-wide celebration of reading will help create a new conversation about education in Pima County and encourage community engagement in children’s […]
Magic that’s accessible for all
Our Stories that Soar! ensemble is known for bringing children’s original stories to life onstage through performances full of color, music, sound and spectacle. But how do they capture the power and beauty of children’s stories when both the young authors and the audience are visually and/or hearing impaired? For the fifth year, Stories that […]
‘You know somebody who can’t read’
People all around you struggle with literacy in many ways and for many reasons. While the effects on each person are profound, these challenges taken together keep our entire community from reaching its full potential. When our neighbors struggle, we all lose. Our whole community benefits when students like George improve their literacy skills. Once […]
