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NASHVILLEREAD
America Reads Contact: Carol G. Thigpin
1701 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
E-mail: NashREAD@aol.com
Telephone: 615/255-4982 Fax: 615/255-4783
Participation: NashvilleREAD is a local, nonprofit literacy community-based organization. Our mission is Lifelong Learning for Everyone. Although not exclusively, our customers are often the underserved in the community. NashvilleREAD has a strong family literacy initiative, as well as workplace programs. We work with parents to improve basic skills and parenting skills and we work with young children helping them learn to read. Our partners include Head Start, public schools, libraries, community centers, and businesses.
Tutoring: NashvilleREAD's active tutor roll is over 100 volunteers. We have a LVA tutor training program that places tutors with other community organizations as well as with adults learners as one-to-one or small groups. We also work in 15 Title I public schools in Davidson County, Tennessee, with AmeriCorps Members tutoring children in grades K-3. Our FWS program adds to this by placing work study students in the schools working with the children and in the family literacy sites working with the parents. NashvilleREAD's active tutor roll is over 100 volunteers. We have a LVA tutor training program that places tutors with other community organizations as well as with adults learners as one-to-one or small groups. We also work in 15 Title I public schools in Davidson County, Tennessee, with AmeriCorps Members tutoring children in grades K-3. Our FWS program adds to this by placing work study students in the schools working with the children and in the family literacy sites working with the parents.
Resources: NashvilleREAD has one full-time staff member who coordinates all volunteer activities as well as all Federal Work Study activities. The AmeriCorps Members are directed by another full-time staff person. The safe havens for tutors and children and libraries, Head Start Centers, and public schools. All of our fundraising activities support literacy in the community.NashvilleREAD has one full-time staff member who coordinates all volunteer activities as well as all Federal Work Study activities. The AmeriCorps Members are directed by another full-time staff person. The safe havens for tutors and children and libraries, Head Start Centers, and public schools. All of our fundraising activities support literacy in the community.
Research: As well as responding to official evaluation requests, NashvilleREAD continually self-monitors all programs as part of a Total Quality Management system. This helps us know where to adjust, modify, and/or change in order to make the program more effective for our customers.As well as responding to official evaluation requests, NashvilleREAD continually self-monitors all programs as part of a Total Quality Management system. This helps us know where to adjust, modify, and/or change in order to make the program more effective for our customers.
Relations: We both actively work to build coalitions as well as support existing efforts. Everything we do, we do with another organization. This collaboration works as synergy providing additional leverage to do more with less.We both actively work to build coalitions as well as support existing efforts. Everything we do, we do with another organization. This collaboration works as synergy providing additional leverage to do more with less.
TUSCULUM COLLEGE ARTS OUTREACH/W.O.W. ( Wonder Of Words)
America Reads Contact: Sara Alenduff
Address: P.O. Box 5024
Greeneville, TN
E-mail: salenduf@tusculum.edu
URL: http://www.tusculum.edu
Telephone: (423)798-1620
Fax: (423)638-7166
Particiption: W.O.W.(Wonder Of Words) is in its' 10th year. It is a program of Tusculum College Arts Outreach and coordinated through that office. Our funding and support comes from Tusculum College, Service-Learning Center, Learn & Serve America:Higher Education, City and County Schools, Partners in Education, Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tutoring: This program serves four Greeneville city elementary schools and eleven Greene County elementary schools. Our number of volunteers varies from 50 to nearly 100 in any given year, and those volunteers work with one to four children (on a one-to-one basis) at thirty minutes per week. Volunteers used are FWS students, seniors, parents, local employed persons on their lunch hours.
Resources: The Director of the program is also the coordinator and trainer. Formal training workshops are held at the beginning of the school year in the fall, then, as new volunteers come on-board, they are given small group or individual training. Additional training and reflection sessions are monthly thereafter.
Research: Most of our materials have come from America Reads or other America Reads groups nationwide. Our volunteers are asked to do a brief assessment on the child when they first begin working with them. We plan to repeat this assessment at the end of the year. We ask our volunteers to keep a timesheet, and we have teachers fill out evaluations at the end of the school year. We are always on the lookout for ideas and ways in which to improve our program.
Relations: We are very supportive of all literacy efforts locally and nationwide. Our local paper provides support, as well as the director speaking to local organizations for their supply of volunteers. The W.O.W. program received one of the local JCPenney Golden Rule Awards for education last spring here in Greeneville.
Other Comments: WOW is a program that matches able volunteers with Kindergarten through Third grad students who have been identified as needing additional assistance with words and reading. Each WOW volunteer works to build a year long, one-on-one relationship with a child by devoting 30 minutes each week to share the joys of reading and thus enhance the student's reading skills.
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