OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Super Stars Literacy, Inc. (SSL), the leading organization building critical literacy skills for primary grade children in East Bay communities with limited resources, has been selected by the East Bay Community Foundation as one of its Community Partners because of its effective programs, strong management, and demonstrated leadership in the community, and within the Foundation’s focus areas of “advancing economic security and the education that leads to it.”
SSL’s daily, comprehensive program builds early literacy and social/emotional development skills for Kindergarten through 2nd grade students in urban communities. The East Bay Community Foundation grant will help fuel the expansion of the highly-successful SSL program at nine under-resourced elementary schools in Oakland and Hayward, CA.
Children from poor families enter school having been exposed, on average, to over 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers, and thus exhibit significant delays in reading skills development. Without intervention from a program like Super Stars Literacy, such students will likely remain poor readers and are at serious risk of school failure.
Super Stars Literacy has succeeded in changing the academic trajectory for these students. A case in point is Dominic:
Dominic began the school year far behind his peers in reading, which contributed to his shyness, insecurity, and lack of effort. However, Dominic was fortunate to have a champion in his SSL instructor, Sam Petty. Sam read with Dominic and built his self confidence by using games and activities that Dominic was likely to succeed in.
As Dominic’s confidence improved, so did his reading ability and class participation. According to Sam, “I saw Dominic excelling on an advanced game I made up where the student has to identify what part of a sentence (noun, verb, or adjective) a certain word is. He loves the game and has been volunteering a lot more in class.”
Sam attributes his success with Dominic to the intensive training he receives from SSL – “My training taught me to 'level' my exercises so it is possible for students like Dominic to succeed.”
According to Mike Mowery, SSL’s Executive Director, “Super Stars Literacy and the East Bay Community Foundation share a commitment to the proposition that early literacy is a right worth fighting for. This past school year, 90% of SSL students improved by one of more levels in their development of critical reading and literacy skills. We look forward to partnering with the Foundation as we expand our early literacy and social/emotional development program to serve thousands of additional East Bay kindergarten through second grade students over the next three years.”
Nicole Taylor, President and CEO of the Foundation, added that, “During the past three years, we have emphasized the importance of collaboration and what comes out of it — the power of many. By establishing partnerships with organizations, such as Super Stars Literacy, we are now consolidating the power of many into a network of change agents for the vibrancy of the East Bay and its communities.”
About East Bay Community Foundation
The East Bay Community Foundation (www.eastbaycf.org) connects community needs in Alameda and Contra Costa counties with individuals, families and organizations interested in charitable giving -- and promotes change through leading initiatives, through advocacy, and through partnerships with business, government, and private foundations. Formed in 1928, the Foundation is a leading resource on charitable giving and community needs, stewarding more than 500 charitable funds and endowments.
About Super Stars Literacy
Super Stars Literacy is an early literacy and social/emotional development program for Kindergarten through 2nd grade students in communities with limited resources, dedicated to giving every child the foundation for lifelong learning and achievement. This year, Super Stars Literacy will serve 420 students at nine under-resourced elementary schools in Oakland and Hayward, CA. The program was originally founded in 2002 as a program of the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, Inc., and earned independent non-profit 501(c)(3) status in 2008. For more information, please visit the organization’s Web site www.superstarsliteracy.org.