FAQ: New Mission, Vision & Scope of Work
Is Kindergarten thru 3rd-grade tutoring going away? 😳
No way! The foundation R2S has laid with K-3 work in both Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools over the past 10 years has impacted hundreds of children in our area. We are definitely continuing this important work–and what’s more, we’re expanding one-to-one tutoring efforts with K-3rd graders outside of the classroom and into afterschool programs, summer camps, PODS, and more!
Why are we including work with children birth to 5-years-old now? 👶🏾
90% of all brain development happens in the first five years of a child’s life. One of the key predictors of literacy achievement by the end of 3rd grade is kindergarten readiness. If a child is already behind when they begin school, they’ll play catch-up for years. Our mission to close the race-based opportunity gap through community-powered literacy programming requires us to address early literacy (0-5 years old) and kindergarten readiness in alignment with the K-3rd grade work we are already doing.
How will we work with younger children during COVID? 😷
We know it’s downright impossible to Zoom effectively with a 3-year-old! R2S will continue to collaborate with community partners and think outside of the box when it comes to engaging young children and their families with literacy support. Over the holidays, for example, R2S distributed 40 “Book Bundles” to PreK families in our community with age-appropriate and culturally-relevant books as well as learning supplies (letters, colors, and shapes flashcards) to support literacy in the home. We are actively developing the early literacy program for R2S and will incorporate flexibility, creativity, and research-based methods to adapt to COVID and be prepared to support families in person when we are able.
Why are we focusing our work to primarily support Black children and their families? 👩🏾 👦🏿
Asheville has one of the worst race-based opportunity gaps in NC, and we rank fifth-worst in the nation. The far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 and the closure of schools has only widened this disparity. R2S was founded by Isaac Coleman and a group of community activists specifically to close this gap, and ten years later, we are refocusing our work on that original mandate. We will not exclude children from our program; however, we are going to concentrate our efforts working in and with the Black communities in Asheville and Buncombe County.
Will we continue serving all students who were in our program last school year? 📚
Due to a multitude of factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of schools, we have only been able to re-enroll 30 students this 2020-2021 school year of the 228 we served during the 2019-2020 school year. All students who were previously enrolled with R2S, no matter their race, school, grade, etc., will have an opportunity to continue receiving services from R2S, and our staff will continue to reach out this school year to their families to get permission forms signed and tutoring sessions scheduled.
Who is supporting active reading tutors until we fill new staff positions? 🧐
R2S staff members Julie Claywell and Jess McLean are coordinating with tutors, student families, and teachers, specifically in regards to weekly tutoring sessions. For literacy support, lesson planning guidance, and continuing education, Carley Stein, M.Ed. will be available to tutors for group and 1:1 support. Carley is an awesome literacy specialist who worked with Buncombe County Schools for a number of years and actively consults with reading programs around the area. In addition to monthly “Tutor Huddles” on Zoom, active reading tutors can also reach out to Carley to schedule 1:1 time to ask questions and find support.
How can we do this work with a predominantly white organization? 🤔
Simply put, we can’t. We need to intentionally enrich our volunteer base, staff, and board with people from different backgrounds who bring a unique perspective, life experience, and skill set to the work. We also need to approach the services we offer through an equity lens and incorporate more relevant and culturally-competent materials into the tutoring and literacy programming we offer. By diversifying as an organization and better reflecting the communities we serve, our organization only becomes stronger and more effective.
How does this work align with other organizations in our community? 🤝
Read to Succeed has engaged in strategic conversations over the past several months with nonprofits dedicated to literacy and early childhood education throughout Buncombe County. Through these intentional partnerships, children in our community will receive literacy support from cradle to career; R2S will continue to focus on K-3 and expand to the 0-5 space, Literacy Together (formerly Literacy Council of Buncombe County) is concentrating on struggling readers in 4th - 6th grade and OpenDoors of Asheville supports student and families in middle and high school and beyond. This is a true community action network coming together to close the literacy achievement gap and support children and their families.
No way! The foundation R2S has laid with K-3 work in both Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools over the past 10 years has impacted hundreds of children in our area. We are definitely continuing this important work–and what’s more, we’re expanding one-to-one tutoring efforts with K-3rd graders outside of the classroom and into afterschool programs, summer camps, PODS, and more!
Why are we including work with children birth to 5-years-old now? 👶🏾
90% of all brain development happens in the first five years of a child’s life. One of the key predictors of literacy achievement by the end of 3rd grade is kindergarten readiness. If a child is already behind when they begin school, they’ll play catch-up for years. Our mission to close the race-based opportunity gap through community-powered literacy programming requires us to address early literacy (0-5 years old) and kindergarten readiness in alignment with the K-3rd grade work we are already doing.
How will we work with younger children during COVID? 😷
We know it’s downright impossible to Zoom effectively with a 3-year-old! R2S will continue to collaborate with community partners and think outside of the box when it comes to engaging young children and their families with literacy support. Over the holidays, for example, R2S distributed 40 “Book Bundles” to PreK families in our community with age-appropriate and culturally-relevant books as well as learning supplies (letters, colors, and shapes flashcards) to support literacy in the home. We are actively developing the early literacy program for R2S and will incorporate flexibility, creativity, and research-based methods to adapt to COVID and be prepared to support families in person when we are able.
Why are we focusing our work to primarily support Black children and their families? 👩🏾 👦🏿
Asheville has one of the worst race-based opportunity gaps in NC, and we rank fifth-worst in the nation. The far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 and the closure of schools has only widened this disparity. R2S was founded by Isaac Coleman and a group of community activists specifically to close this gap, and ten years later, we are refocusing our work on that original mandate. We will not exclude children from our program; however, we are going to concentrate our efforts working in and with the Black communities in Asheville and Buncombe County.
Will we continue serving all students who were in our program last school year? 📚
Due to a multitude of factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of schools, we have only been able to re-enroll 30 students this 2020-2021 school year of the 228 we served during the 2019-2020 school year. All students who were previously enrolled with R2S, no matter their race, school, grade, etc., will have an opportunity to continue receiving services from R2S, and our staff will continue to reach out this school year to their families to get permission forms signed and tutoring sessions scheduled.
Who is supporting active reading tutors until we fill new staff positions? 🧐
R2S staff members Julie Claywell and Jess McLean are coordinating with tutors, student families, and teachers, specifically in regards to weekly tutoring sessions. For literacy support, lesson planning guidance, and continuing education, Carley Stein, M.Ed. will be available to tutors for group and 1:1 support. Carley is an awesome literacy specialist who worked with Buncombe County Schools for a number of years and actively consults with reading programs around the area. In addition to monthly “Tutor Huddles” on Zoom, active reading tutors can also reach out to Carley to schedule 1:1 time to ask questions and find support.
How can we do this work with a predominantly white organization? 🤔
Simply put, we can’t. We need to intentionally enrich our volunteer base, staff, and board with people from different backgrounds who bring a unique perspective, life experience, and skill set to the work. We also need to approach the services we offer through an equity lens and incorporate more relevant and culturally-competent materials into the tutoring and literacy programming we offer. By diversifying as an organization and better reflecting the communities we serve, our organization only becomes stronger and more effective.
How does this work align with other organizations in our community? 🤝
Read to Succeed has engaged in strategic conversations over the past several months with nonprofits dedicated to literacy and early childhood education throughout Buncombe County. Through these intentional partnerships, children in our community will receive literacy support from cradle to career; R2S will continue to focus on K-3 and expand to the 0-5 space, Literacy Together (formerly Literacy Council of Buncombe County) is concentrating on struggling readers in 4th - 6th grade and OpenDoors of Asheville supports student and families in middle and high school and beyond. This is a true community action network coming together to close the literacy achievement gap and support children and their families.
