A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

VIRGINIA

ARISE COMMUNITY OUTREACH
America Reads Contact: Patrice Hall
306 Pendleton Street
Alexandria, VA
E-mail: hisglory
Internet Address:
Telephone: 703-739-9197 Fax: 703-739-8869

Comments: Arise community Outreach has started an after-school program for at-risk youth in the low income community known as the "Berg" in Alexandria Virginia, we are in the process of filing for our 501(c)3 status and we very badly need space to continue the program. Right now we are using space in the Boy's and Girl's Club in Alexandria, there are only two volunteer's, we desperately need transportation, a building for space and tutors, these children are completely left out. Right now we only serve twenty to twenty five, but there are countless others in the low income community that wish to participate. Many of the parents or guardians of these children are unable to assist the children with homework due to literacy problems or drug/alcohol abuse. We need support that will help to provide quality after-school programs for these children.

COLLINS MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, INC.
America Reads Contact: Ray Collins, Ph.D.
301 Maple Avenue West, Suite 602
Vienna, VA 22180
E-mail: rcollins@acf.dhhs.gov
Internet Address: http://ericps.crc.uiuc.edu/nccic/nccichome.html
Telephone: (703) 938-6555 Fax: (703) 255-6859

Participation: Collins Management Consulting, Inc. (CMC) administers two projects that support the America Reads Challenge. First, the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTAC) has developed several publications as joint projects of the Department of Education, the Corporation for National Service, and the Child Care Bureau at the Department of Health and Human Services. These include "Ready*Set*Read for Families" and "Ready*Set*Read for Caregivers" (both booklets are focused on birth through age five); and "On the Road to Reading: A Guide for Community Partners" (focused on birth through grade three). Second, CMC administers the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) funded by the Child Care Bureau. An Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for Child, NCCIC is a major source of information about child care in the United States. In cooperation with the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, NCCIC administers the Internet Web site noted above, that links to a number of organizations and activities related to reading and literacy development in young children.

Resources: Ray Collins is currently writing (under funding support of the Corporation for National Service for the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center) "Reading Helpers: A Training Handbook for Tutors" which is being developed as a companion volume to "On the Road to Reading."

DEPARTMENT OF ARMY
America Reads Contact: Susan Conkllin
4700 King Street 3rd Floor
Alexandria, VA 22302
E-mail: conklins@hoffman-cfsc.army.mil
Telephone: (703) 681-7257 Fax: (703) 681-7349

Participation: We are the largest defense organization with over a million family members on over 100 posts world-wide. Soldiers volunteer in schools helping improve academics and meet school needs. School/Army partnerships involve over 50,000 soldiers volunteering over 500,000 hours.

Tutoring: A key element of the Army/School partnerships is adopt-a-school which includes tutoring and mentoring.

Research: All posts report annually on status of programs and number of volunteers and hours.

Relations: An initiative for the future

WOLF TRAP INSTUTUTE FOR EARLY LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS
America Reads Contact: Miriam Flaherty
1624 Trap Rd.
Vienna, VA 22182
E-mail: mimif@wolftrap.org Internet Address: www.wolf-trap.org/institute
Telephone: 703-255-1933 Fax: 703-255-1924

Participation: Early Childhood Literacy Readiness Project is a performing arts-based program to help parents and teachers improve reading readiness among at-risk preschool and kindergarten children. A major goal of this project will be to provide parents/caregivers with the appropriate techniques and skills to enhance their child's learning outside of the classroom. Baltimore City Head Start, Prince George's County Public Schools and Washinton D.C. Public Schools have agreed to be pilot sites. Other Wolf Trap regional sites have expressed interest in initiating "Pages" and will begin to do so by the spring and fall of 1998. Baltimore City Head Start is beyond the initiation stage for this project and is viewed as the leader.

Major Components:
Performing Arts/Literacy Demonstrations - an interactive demonstration designed to build enthusiasm for the project and to elicit parent and teacher recommendations for the final design.
Books for Children - each participating child receives a book
Summer Institute - an intensive one-week program where participating Wolf Trap Artists and teachers will plan for their fall residencies --select books, identify appropriate approaches for parents, etc.
Seven Week Residency - the Wolf Trap Plus residency program with the language and literature emphasis designed during the Summer Institute.
Workshops or Meetings With Parents/Caregivers - activities to implement and encourage language and literature activities outside of the classroom.
Field Trip - an age-appropriate performance for early childhood age children incorporating music, dance, puppetry, and drama. The performance will be based on a book to be selected.
Wolf Trap Story Bags - a bag for home use, containing a book; a handout suggesting possible activities; a cassette tape; simple props and costumes; and a journal for observations and comments.

Comments: The initiative grew out of work done over the last year with Baltimore City Head Start (BCHS), which has its own language and literature project in progress. Very familiar with and a strong advocate of the Wolf Trap program, BCHS requested that Wolf Trap Artists foucus their attention in this area for all current work with their teachers. The Wolf Trap Plus seven-week residency model will be supplemented with a Summer Institute for teachers, workshops and a new Field Trip production.

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