Read Fort Worth Newsletter – June 2019
June 2019 Newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE
- Message from Executive Director Anel Mercado
- Reading Volunteers
- Expanded Learning
- Child Wellness
- Story Time with Mayor Price
- ELA Corner: Early Learning Showcase
- FWISD Pre-K Registration
- Event Highlights: Tough Stars Give Back
- In the News
Executive Director's Message
Summer is officially here! Things are really heating up at Read Fort Worth. The 2019 Summer Scholars Collaborative is well underway, serving more than 3,000 children across the city this summer. Together with our community partners, we are tackling summer slide.
In addition, Read Fort Worth and partners are gearing up to recruit 1,000 reading volunteers to support students across the District this upcoming school year. And we need your help! Find out how you can get involved now.
Also, there’s still time to participate in the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge. We challenge you to share what you’re reading this summer. Post a photo of your reading material to our Facebook page and use the hashtag #FortWorthReads on social media.
In our June newsletter, you’ll find updates from our Collaborative Action Networks, a feature on Early Learning Showcase and FWISD Pre-K registration information. Dive in and find out what’s going on! As always, feel free to reach out to me at anel.mercado@readfortworth.org or the phone numbers below.
Anel Mercado
817-258-8130 (o), 602-614-2044 (c)
Reading Volunteers: Sign Up Today!
Can you spare an hour per week to make a huge impact in our community? We need you!
Read Fort Worth is coordinating a bold reading initiative to support Fort Worth ISD and our community partners, Read2Win and Reading Partners. We need 1,000 reading volunteers who can commit one hour a week on campuses across the District this coming school year.
Why get involved? Not only is it rewarding, but you will make a positive impact for kids who are struggling to read.
How do I get involved? Visit the Reading Volunteers page to sign up and learn more.
Expanded Learning: Summer Scholars Collaborative
More than 3,000 students participating in the 2019 Summer Scholars Collaborative will receive more than 15,000 books from Read Fort Worth in conjunction with the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge.
Read Fort Worth delivered the first batch of more than 100 books Tuesday to students taking part in Read2Win, Inc.’s summer program at Westcliff Elementary and West Handley Elementary. Read2Win is one of 12 programs making up the Collaborative, which is working with kids at more than 60 sites across the city.
Read Fort Worth has encouraged the 12 programs to promote the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge as another avenue to curb “summer slide” and combat the loss of literacy levels over the summer. The Challenge encourages readers of all ages to earn rewards this summer by reading.
“Bringing together the resources of the Summer Scholars Collaborative and the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge is a natural fit that builds on the significant literacy work being done by the Collaborative program partners,” Read Fort Worth Executive Director Anel Mercado said. “Putting more books in the hands of students is a win-win as we tackle summer slide.”
The Read2Win students at Westcliff and West Handley received five books each. Read Forth Worth will continue to donate books to Collaborative programs throughout the summer.
“Having a library at home gives every child an advantage,” Read2Win Executive Director and CEO Sultan Cole said. “Reading at home prevents summer slide, but also consistently stimulates a child’s mind during the most critical and formidable years of their lives. I am convinced that the commitment towards eradicating illiteracy is not a moment, it’s a movement.”
For a complete list of our current programs, please click here.
Child Wellness: Planning Phase
The Child Wellness Collaborative Action Network is in a planning phase with a focus on the physical and social emotional well-being of students, with the ultimate goal to increase attendance and ensure the holistic needs of each child are met so that they are ready to learn.
The Child Wellness CAN is working on narrowing its focus and beginning to identify strategies to implement, partner and scale.
Story Time with Mayor Price
As the summer heats up, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price will participate in two cool story times as part of the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge! Children are encouraged to dress in outer-space-themed costumes to enjoy stories, songs and make a special craft. Families are welcome to attend for the story times, which are geared for preschool-age children.
Upcoming Library Story Times:
- 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 10 at Fort Worth Public Library-Central, 500 W. 3rd
- 4 p.m. Thursday, July 18 at Diamond Hill/Jarvis Branch, 1300 NE 35th
The Challenge aims to encourage residents of all ages to visit a Fort Worth Public Library, find great books, read this summer, track the minutes they read and earn rewards. Learn more about the challenge and download a reading log at FortWorthLibrary.org/SummerReading.
Are you taking the challenge? Share it on social media using the hashtag #FortWorthReads and be sure to tag us.
ELA Corner: Early Learning Showcase
The Early Learning Alliance (ELA) convened its CLASS Professional Learning Community in June for an Early Learning Showcase. It brought together early childhood coaches and mentors from Camp Fire, Educational First Steps, Child Care Associates, Tarrant County Child Care Management Services, Center for Transforming Lives, Rainwater Foundation, Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County and the Early Learning Alliance to share and reflect on Year 2 of our CLASS Coaching Professional Learning Community.
The Showcase provided an opportunity for agencies to share and reflect on the initial goals set by each agency and highlight accomplishments or improvements in practice as a result of the coaching support. This day long Showcase was a wonderful opportunity for early childhood professionals to get together and share successes and challenges in increasing professional quality across programs.
Fort Worth ISD: Pre-K Registration
Fort Worth ISD’s Pre-K program is free of charge, and there’s enough room for every child. Children attend school from 7:50 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. each day in classrooms that are nurturing, safe spaces that inspire discovery and learning.
Research shows young children who have positive early learning experiences are better equipped to develop the cognitive, social, physical, and emotional skills they will need throughout elementary and secondary school. Pre-K registration is available online.
Tough Stars Raises $10,000 for Read Fort Worth
Thank you to Tough Stars Give Back and the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for helping us raise $10,000 to support our goal of ensuring that 100 percent of Fort Worth ISD third-graders are reading on grade level by 2025. Eleven-year-old Gabriel Starling hosted the Tough Kids/Read Fort Worth event at The Capital Grille earlier this month. Gabriel is so passionate about reading that he has his mom chauffeur him around to donate books at little libraries across town.
In The News: Summer Slide
NBC5 draws attention to summer slide. When students fail to read during summer months, it can greatly impact their learning when they return to school in the fall. It's called "summer slide."