Learning to read should be exciting, opening new worlds and laying a solid foundation for future learning and success. But for children who struggle with reading, the present and future are fraught with challenges.
Thanks to a $20,000 grant from the Los Angeles Times Family Fund, a fund of the McCormick Foundation, LMU psychology professor Judith Foy’s Bookworm Project is receiving support to provide literacy intervention to local kindergartners. Created and directed by Foy, Bookworm provides identified children with one-on-one tutoring, literacy materials and individualized learning experiences. LMU students serve as tutors under the close supervision of Foy and the classroom teachers. They conduct 40 minutes of one-on-one or small-group instruction three times a week for 20 weeks, learning about teaching and literacy, as well as experiencing first-hand issues related to educational inequity.
One tutor said, “It’s amazing how much of a difference one-on-one tutoring can make in a child’s progress with reading. I feel the most significant impact I’ve made is assisting my students in finding the joy in words and reading, and sparking confidence within them when tackling difficult tasks, giving them the extra push they need to succeed.”
In addition, Bookworm provides teachers and parents with assessments and reports; furnishes referrals to speech therapists and psychologists; educates parents in how to support their children’s literacy development; and donates educational supplies and books to schools, parents and children.
The Los Angeles Times Family Fund, a fund of the McCormick Foundation, is committed to improving the community by supporting nonprofit agencies with education and literacy programs that serve disadvantaged children and youth in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Since 2000, nearly $30 million has been granted through the Family Fund, supporting vital education and literacy programs for youth and families.
