Johnathan Salinas was studying Music Performance at Texas State before joining Literacy First. He’s now a first-grade teacher. In this Alumni Q&A, he talks about how the program gave him the “strong foundation” he needed to begin a career in education. What were you doing before joining Literacy First?Before joining Literacy First, I was finishing […]
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Blog
Celebrating Uniqueness with Author Jennifer Lynch
When asked to give a synopsis of her new children’s book, Livi & Grace, in one sentence, author Jennifer Lynch pauses thoughtfully. After a few moments of reflection, she relays what she writes when signing a copy – “Love your uniqueness.” It’s clear that Jennifer’s brief hesitation is due to her deep, personal connection with […]
Read MorePartnering with BookSpring to Prevent the Summer Reading “Slide”
Literacy First tutors dedicate thousands of hours each year teaching students to read. However, research has shown that during summer vacation, 80 percent of students from economically disadvantaged communities lose reading skills. Literacy First is proud to partner with BookSpring to help mitigate that loss through the Summer Success program. Summer Success includes STEAM-themed teacher lesson plans and books, parent […]
Read MoreLittle Humans of Literacy First
A portrait series by 2018-2019 Literacy First Tutor Maya Gordon.
Read MoreAlumni Spotlight: Johanna (Bolado) Guerrero
Many Literacy First tutors go on to become teachers and educators after their year(s) of service. Former tutor Johanna credits her experience in the program with helping her realize she would be one of them.
Read MoreAlumni Spotlight: Codi Tranel
Meet Codi, a former Literacy First tutor whose most memorable student began unable to write his name. His progress with the program helped influence Codi’s career path.
Read MoreA Diploma, a Lot of Hope, and Other Random Things I Could Fit in a Duffle Bag
Literacy First tutors come from many different backgrounds, hometowns and life stages, and each of their paths to AmeriCorps service is unique. One of the utmost priorities of Literacy First is making sure every single one of our tutors finds community and a strong system of support, both leading up to and during their service […]
Read MoreWork Hard, Play Smart!
by Audrey Dolan, 2018 – 2019 Literacy First tutor Whenever you move somewhere new, you always want to go out and explore to see what your new city has to offer. In Austin, that’s especially true because there are so many cool, fun, unique, and even “weird” things to do here! However, you’ll soon come to find that the […]
Read MoreEat Like an AmeriCorps Member
By Elizabeth Zimmerman, 2018-2019 Literacy First Tutor Most people think that living on the (admittedly small) AmeriCorps stipend means that you have to sacrifice your favorite foods or give up eating out to save money. There are several ways that you can have it all while still staying on budget. Here are my tips for saving money on food during your […]
Read MoreThe Power of Perseverance
Some Literacy First students begin our program very far behind: their reading skills are more than one grade level lower than the state guidelines for their current grade. For these students, “significant progress ” means that they make exponential gains in reading but they are still below their grade level at year’s end. However, this […]
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