Literacy Together

Literacy Together

WE ARE

The mission of Literacy Together is to transform lives and communities through the power of literacy. Our vision is for a just and equitable community in which literacy is accessible and achievable by all. The Youth Literacy program provides an intensive reading component to two after-school and summer programs, managed by Youth Transformed for Life (YTL) and Christine W. Avery Learning Center (CWA) serving children in Grades K to 5. The students are primarily youth of color from low-income homes, many of whom struggle with reading and have fallen behind in school during COVID.

WHY UNITED FOR YOUTH

The success of Literacy Together depends on collaboration with partner organizations and volunteers. We are excited to see how the United for Youth Network will leverage the work of multiple organizations and initiatives to build a more vibrant and inclusive community.

Find us online at https://lit-together.org

OUR COMMITMENT

As a member of the United for Youth Network, we commit to:

Literacy Together commits to the core values of lifelong learning; individual dignity; equity and justice; and leadership and innovation. We believe access to lifelong quality education is the cornerstone of a more just and equitable society. The success of the United for Youth Partnership will be dependent on engaging both youth and their parents in opportunities to further their educational and personal goals.

  • The Youth Literacy Program will prioritize youth of color in K to 5th-grade to address the current opportunity gap between Black and white students who read at grade-level proficiency. Tutors are trained in the methodology of phonetic awareness and a multi-sensory approach to teaching reading and currently work with students at two after-school program sites: Christine W. Avery Learning Center and Youth Transformed for Life (YTL). A strategic initiative is underway to recruit more tutors of color. Instructional materials complement those used in Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools to facilitate coordination with classroom teachers and Title I reading specialists. Through an MOU with the after-school programs and with parental permission, results of tests conducted by the schools and skills assessments by the tutors will be shared.
     
  • The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)  program will continue a contract with the YMCA Horizons program to provide ESL small group classes for parents of students in Erwin and Reynolds Middle Schools. Parents from all schools and from the community are welcome to register for ESL volunteer tutors through Literacy Together. We have a  waiting list so cannot respond as quickly as we hope to be able to do in the future. Pre-and post-testing is conducted to measure progress using federally recognized assessment tools.
     
  • The Adult Literacy Program will provide volunteer tutors to parents/adults interested in working on either basic literacy skills or assistance with working on an HSE/GED certification. Tutors are trained in phonemic awareness and a multi-sensory approach to literacy instruction. Tutors for assistance with GED certification have additional backgrounds in the specific subject matter. Pre-and post-testing is conducted to measure progress using federally recognized assessment tools.
     
  • The Dolly PartonImagination Library (DPIL) program will continue to register families for free monthly age-appropriate books mailed directly to the home of children from birth until age 5. Literacy Together is the Buncombe County affiliate for the program.

 

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