Dragon Boat Festival's Reach

The USA College of Education Literacy Center

What impact did the Dragon Boat Grant have on your community outreach programs? 

Without the Dragon Boat Grant we could not have extended the opportunity for 49 students at Fonde Elementary School to attend a literacy enrichment camp. Kindergarten and first graders were invited to attend a spring literacy camp to extend their literacy learning. Campers were involved in literature-based projects centered around a spring theme. They also took home books to add to their home reading libraries. This would not have been possible without the Dragon Boat Grant.

We have also been able to extend private tutoring services to 7 clients who are struggling in the areas of reading and writing. We have seen gains not only in reading levels, but also in their interest in reading and writing. Our clients and parents are very appreciative of the opportunity to participate in private tutoring and follow through with recommendations given for extending learning at home.

The USA College of Education Literacy Center is grateful for the support from Fuse Project and the Dragon Boat Grant and the opportunity to expand service to youth in our community. 

2. How many students were you able to reach as a result of this? Did you see improvement in their overall literacy? (give examples if you have them)

7 students received private tutoring

49 students attended spring literacy camp

3 students received small group tutoring for a period of time.

The reading efficacy of all of these clients has increased. They show an interest in reading and writing and generally want to do well in school. We have also reached parents and have been able to increase the communication between home and school through creating awareness of the importance of this and also helping parents through understanding how to use technology resources that are offered.  

We anticipate 10 campers attending our summer literacy camp on camperships during the month of June. We can't wait to report back after June.

**Camperships is our term for scholarships for students with demonstrated financial need.

3. What does Dragon Boat Festival mean to your organization? What would you tell people who have never experienced it before? 

The word that comes to mind when I think of the Dragon Boat Festival is equitable opportunity. Because of the hard work and dedication of our community in partnership with Fuse members, we at the Literacy Center have been able to offer research-based high quality instruction in a supportive environment. In addition, 49 kindergarten and first grade children were able to attend a camp they would not have been able to attend otherwise. To top this off, we anticipate 10 more local school children experiencing our Summer Literacy camps on camperships. Thank you!