One of the joys of working in a program that runs on the school year’s schedule is having an annual opportunity to reflect and “begin again.” Each June, we celebrate the amazing accomplishments of the past year. Then we quickly turn our attention to preparing for the next school year: the detailed work of […]
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Blog
Five Reasons Why Illiteracy is Scary
If you can’t read, life can be pretty scary. Here are five reasons why everyone deserves to learn to read. 5. You can’t play Bananagrams™. Or Wheel of Fortune™. Or Boggle™. Or Scrabble™. Or nearly any board games. And if you can’t play board games, how are you supposed to survive the holidays with your […]
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Still Figuring It Out: My AmeriCorps Gap Year
Literacy First is perfect for those seeking a “gap year” experience: that year after you get your bachelor’s degree but aren’t quite sure what you’re supposed to do with it yet. Many AmeriCorps members arrive to our program knowing they want to gain one-on-one experience teaching public school children in a low-income, urban community before […]
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Hidden Gem at UT Not So Hidden Anymore
A childhood literacy program at the Charles A. Dana Center is no longer the best-kept secret among outreach programs at The University of Texas at Austin. Literacy First, a program that sends over 100 full-time AmeriCorps tutors into public elementary schools every year to teach Austin’s youngest children how to read, has recently been recognized at […]
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Creating a Successful Social with the Literacy First Champions at Benchmark Bank
Literacy First (formerly ACE) is so grateful to count Benchmark Bank among our corporate supporters for the past three years, especially as a founding supporter of our Study Social event. That includes our recent event on August 26, which raised over $20,000 for our tutoring program! This year we had two Benchmark Bank employees, Claire […]
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First Lady of Texas Shows Support for UT Literacy Program Rebrand
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9/2/16 Contact: Mary Ellen Isaacs Tel. 512-232-2286 Email: meisaacs@austin.utexas.edu FIRST LADY OF TEXAS SHOWS SUPPORT FOR UT LITERACY PROGRAM REBRAND Cecilia Abbott was the guest of honor Thursday morning at an unveiling of the new name and logo for ACE: A Community for Education, an early literacy program based at […]
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ACE Reveals Our New Name and Logo
ACE: A Community for Education, based at The University of Texas at Austin, unveiled a brand new name and logo today. The new name, Literacy First, positions the organization as a regional leader in early literacy tutoring. “We have over 20 years of experience helping young children become successful readers, yet very few people […]
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Learning and Leadership: Meet Henry Jaeger
Introducing Henry Jaeger, who is returning for a second year of service as a bilingual literacy tutor. Why did you choose to serve with Literacy First? When I moved back to the States after teaching in China for six years, I knew I wanted to do AmeriCorps, but I wasn’t sure what program […]
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The Unbreakable Hope of Meghan Robinson
Meghan Robinson’s relationship with community service began long before she served as a Literacy First tutor. As early as middle school, Meghan was already an active volunteer, giving her time to organizations like Head Start and Big Brothers Big Sisters. In college, she continued to volunteer her time as a bilingual Spanish tutor, little […]
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Congratulations, Your Daughter’s Been Hired to Work for AmeriCorps! … Now What?
Incoming tutors are often full of questions and a little nervous about moving to Austin to serve with AmeriCorps…and sometimes their parents are a little nervous too! We asked Allen Ray Marks, Sr., father of second-year ACE tutor Mary Elizabeth Marks, to share a little about his experiences as a parent of an ACE AmeriCorps […]
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