literacy champions program

Ms. Comerchero has recruited and provided training to over 45 literacy volunteers. The training program includes phonemic awareness and bilingual strategies and was developed by Sherry as a way to prepare her volunteers.
Contact Sherry Comerchero.

“At a recent working luncheon of committee members and volunteers hosted in her home, I was impressed by the demeanor of those present and the ardor, devotion, and pride coming forth as they articulated their experiences with their students. The gathering exemplified the phrase, “It takes a community to raise a leader.”

Lei-Anne Ellis is the Literacy Coordinator for the Agenda for Children in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As literacy coordinator Lei-Anne has developed a literacy program that targets children from birth to age five as well as Cambridge’s diverse population and the many demands placed upon families. Ms. Ellis is also the director of “Let’s Talk,” a program focused on creating literacy-rich environments for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. “Let’s Talk” stresses that parents are a child’s first and primary teacher of language. Through the use of silly songs or talking about daily activities like grocery shopping parents are able to enrich and enlarge their child’s vocabulary.
Contact Anne Ellis.

“Lei-Anne’s belief that parents are their children’s most important teachers is the driving force behind many activities in which she involves parents in the development and implementation of literacy projects.” “Lei-Anne truly believes in the city’s vision that “all children and families will be able to read.”

Rosanne DiCenso
District Literacy Specialist
Somerset

Rosanne DiCenso is the District Literacy Specialist in Somerset, Massachusetts. In her role as Literacy Specialist, Rosanne plans district wide professional development activities as well as designing parent workshops for title one students in grades K-5. Ms. DiCenso’s workshops highlight phonics, fluency and comprehension. Along with demonstrating best practices such as Guided Reading Strategies, Literature Circles, and Writer’s Workshop, Rosanne provides one-on-one teacher training and aids them in implementing these practices in their own classrooms. She has proven to be a valuable resource to the Somerset School system and its teachers.
Contact Rosanne DiCenso.

“Ms. DiCenso has helped me to incorporate guided reading into my kindergarten curriculum by modeling lessons, leveling readers, demonstrating running records and providing me with useful resource material. She has established a formal phonics program to be used in the kindergartens and first grades throughout the town, where no formal program had previously existed.”

Angela Ayre
Former Coordinator, Literacy Project
Cambridge

Angela Ayre was the coordinator of the Cambridge Public Library’s Literacy Project from 1998-2005. The Literacy Project is an Adult Ed based program for both native and non-native English speakers. This program is unique because it offered adult learners at varying levels of ability, individual instruction tailored to their needs and goals. Ms. Ayre involved volunteer tutors in implementing the Wilson Reading System and other instructional techniques in order to help teach students who are just beginning to read and write or may have a learning disability. She also established a computer literacy center. For current information regarding the Literacy Project, please go to http://www.cambridgema.gov/CPL/literacy/lithome.html.
Contact Angela Ayre.

“What makes Angela’s practice unique is her willingness to find teaching methods that respond to individual student’s needs. Her work at Pioneer Valley Adult Education Center, her thesis on what makes learning effective, and her commitment to incorporating learner’s experiences, interests, and goals has truly made her a champion of adult literacy.”

Alice Levine is Family Literacy and Math Coordinator for Boston Excels and The Home for Little Wanderers.
In her program Ms. Levine focuses on helping parents of populations traditionally left out of higher mathematics to develop their own skills, confidence and enthusiasm for math. Helping parents develop higher level math skills enables them to better support their children’s math learning. The program generated such a response that Alice formed Active In Math (AIM), a parent group designed to engage large numbers of families in innovative math activities. These activities require parents/guardians and children to work together to solve fun and engaging problems over the course of three weeks.
Contact Alice Levine.

“The enthusiasm for math she has generated with her class translates into the most significant kind of parent involvement, when parents really start to engage with the curriculum itself.”

Jean-Marie Aubin is the Adult Basic Education Instructor at Hampshire County House of Correction in Northhampton, MA. In addition to teaching low-level and disabled learners Ms. Aubin facilitates creative writing classes for higher-level writers. Jean-Marie helps inmates develop their writing skills through poetry, which eventually is then published in a collection of prose and poetry. Ms. Aubin has partnered with PEN New England and together they have been able to expand this program to include a Saturday morning workshop where published writers and professors from the Boston Area are invited to lend their expertise.
Contact Jean- Marie Aubin.

“Jean-Marie truly shines as a teacher when she is facilitating her writing workshop. Jean-Marie’s expectation is that her students write in her class. They may write about whatever interests them and Jean-Marie is there to gently yet firmly prod those reluctant writers to put hesitant fingers to the keyboard. And she truly has a gift to have students share their work with each other in a setting where trusting one’s fellow inmate is not readily done.”

Dina Maldonado is the Family Literacy Coordinator for the Crittenton Hasting House in Boston. In her role as program coordinator, Ms. Maldonado works with mothers who have two and three year old children and are either homeless, living in Crittenton’s transitional housing program or have just established permanent housing. Dina works with the children using reading activities and toys to promote word recognition. Using toys that are linked to the story Ms. Maldonado is able to create connections between the stories and real life. A unique aspect of Dina’s program is incorporating the parents in these activities. By inviting the parent to read every other page or ask the child questions, Ms. Maldonado is able move parents into the role of reading to and verbally engaging the child. Ms. Maldonado also uses field trips to promote verbal interaction at home and during community activities like trips to the library or museum.
Contact Dina Maldonado.

“Dina’s work stands out because of her ability to form a strong relationship with each family she works with. The literacy work is then able to emerge in the context of a supportive relationship that is a model for the relationship we hope to see parents develop with their toddler and preschool aged children.”

Lynne Weintraub is the ESL Coordinator for the Jones Library in Amherst, MA. As coordinator, Lynne is responsible for all programming, tutor training/supervision and grant writing for the ESL program. In addition Ms. Weintraub has worked to ensure United States citizenship is a goal that is attainable for all immigrants, even those with limited formal education. Lynne provides individualized instruction and coaching to immigrants who are at risk of failure, as well as date information, application assistance and study materials. Ms. Weintraub has also published a text book series on citizenship preparation and created a website, www.citizenshipnews.com that provides resources for citizenship educators.
Contact Lynne Weintraub.

“Lynne’s fifteen years of service and programs of citizenship preparation, classes, individual tutoring, assistance and coaching have enabled over 1,000 people in western Massachusetts to attain citizenship, regardless of their initial English literacy levels.”

Ruth Berg is the Remedial Specialist at the Cotting School in Lexington, MA. Ms. Berg works with handicap and disabled students in classroom and individualized settings. Ruth has been an exemplary leader in designing curriculum to meet the needs of her students and sharing this information through workshops with the staff to instruct them in its use. In 2001 Ms. Berg founded the Storybook Character Breakfast, to promote literacy and help foster a love of reading in young children. Activities include listening to stories, singing songs, learning finger plays, making bookmarks, and face-painting. Each child leaves with a book, and a picture with one of the storybook characters.
Contact Ruth Berg.

“Ruth understands the developmental level of students and designs curriculum to meet their individual needs. She makes learning fun and come alive. She models lessons and confers with classroom teachers so there is a uniform approach to reading. She pays close attention to personal relationships with her students and is a good motivator. She bolsters self esteem and provides positive reinforcement. Ruth is tireless in her efforts to help children learn to read and succeed.”

Barbara Krol-Sinclair is the Director of the Intergenerational Literacy Project in Chelsea, MA. The ILP serves immigrant families in Chelsea and provides them with literacy education. Through partnership with Chelsea Public Schools and Boston University, the ILP provides structured learning based on families needs and interests while also supporting the individual learner. The staff of the Intergenerational Literacy Project is composed of BU undergraduate and graduate students as well as Chelsea teachers and parents. Ms. Krol-Sinclair provides these volunteers with the necessary training, including a seminar at Boston University.
Contact Barbara Krol- Sinclair.

“The most graphic testimony to Barbara’s success for promoting both children’s and adult’s literacy is the long waiting list we must maintain for admission to the Intergenerational Literacy Program. It is the best single most popular adult education program in Chelsea, in every measure because of Barbara’s leadership and commitment. The quality of instruction has been first-rate, and the impact of the program upon family literacy initiatives and parent involvement has been immeasurable.”