Aspire Education Project

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dixie Lewis. Dixie volunteered as a youth mentor with Community Reading Buddies for 5 summers, from 2015-2019. She touched the hearts and minds of the elementary school students she compassionately mentored in literacy. Our hearts go out to Dixie’s family and friends during this tragic time.

We’re so excited to announce that, for the first time in CRB history, we’re organizing an online version of the program during the school year! We’re taking sign ups now for volunteers who can make a regular commitment to the program this fall. Pass it on! #volunteer Learn more at www.aspireeducation.org/be-a-reading-mentor

In support of our Child Development Center partners and families, Youth Mentors and staff submitted their favorite books and messages of support to their Buddies. We put them all together into a booklet of our top recommended books! Happy Reading!

Zoë’s book recommendation is Arnie’s Doughnuts by Laurie Keller because it has all sorts of different doughnuts in it and I love doughnuts. I also love this book because there are really fun pictures in it. I miss all you Buddies! I’m spending a lot of my time reading books and I hope you are too. See you soon! You can recommend your favorite book to your Buddies, too! Send your photo and message TODAY to be included in our recommended reading booklet to Buddies. Past youth mentors are welcome to participate! Email [email protected]

This is a story about Oakland, early education, and you.

We’re so excited to announce that, for the first time in CRB history, we’re organizing an online version of the program during the school year! We’re taking sign ups now for volunteers who can make a regular commitment to the program this fall. Pass it on! #volunteer Learn more at www.aspireeducation.org/be-a-reading-mentor

Black Lives Matter. We at Aspire stand with Black communities everywhere and against the abuse of power in any form. We also support conversations that can promote deeper understanding and lead to lasting change. Here are recommended resources either to facilitate those conversations with your children or to deepen that understanding for yourself: Books for Children: https://www.embracerace.org//where-to-find-diverse-childre... Books for Teens: https://mashable.com//new-books-black-authors-you-should-/ Books for Adults: https://www.nytimes.com//antiracist-reading-list-ibram-x-k Ways to Get Involved: https://issuu.com/nlc.sf.2014/docs/beyondthestreets_final/1

Have you taken advantage of our June bootcamps yet? There's only a few days left! We are currently offering them at a STEEP discount of 80% off! Check them out and sign up today! Space is limited. https://aspireeducation.org/enrichment-courses/

In support of our Child Development Center partners and families, Youth Mentors and staff submitted their favorite books and messages of support to their Buddies. We put them all together into a booklet of our top recommended books! Happy Reading!

Tutor Spotlight: Hannah Adams Every month, we're featuring one of our stellar tutors in our Tutor Spotlight! This month, we're proud to introduce Hannah Adams! Hannah Adams is a junior at Berkeley and is currently pursuing her degree in Molecular Environmental Biology. She has been a tutor for two years, and joined Aspire in Fall 2019. Although she is primarily a math and science tutor, she also enjoys supporting students in English and Language Arts. A proud plant lover, Han...nah brings a similar care and warmth to her tutoring students! If you are interested in working with Hannah in math or science, click below to make an inquiry. https://aspireeducation.org/get-started-with-tutoring/

Zoë’s book recommendation is Arnie’s Doughnuts by Laurie Keller because it has all sorts of different doughnuts in it and I love doughnuts. I also love this book because there are really fun pictures in it. I miss all you Buddies! I’m spending a lot of my time reading books and I hope you are too. See you soon! You can recommend your favorite book to your Buddies, too! Send your photo and message TODAY to be included in our recommended reading booklet to Buddies. Past youth mentors are welcome to participate! Email [email protected]

FREE/Discounted Virtual Tutoring Now through June 15th To help address learning loss from Shelter-in-Place, we are offering three FREE tutoring sessions to new clients, and discounts of at least 50% to clients who increase their tutoring this month. Contact us to learn more:... https://aspireeducation.org/get-started-with-tutoring/

Focus this June on the Most Important Skills With shelter-in-place restrictions continuing, now is the perfect time for your student to learn the emerging skill of the 21st century - coding! More than that, the next SAT is anticipated to be in August. Use this time to help your student increase their score substantially! Each 6-week bootcamp is only $95 for this June only! (Typically $495) https://aspireeducation.org/enrichment-courses/

We're practically halfway there, thank you for the support! Help us reach our goal by donating today!

Today is #GivingTuesdayNOW! With unprecedented learning loss across all schools, we are raising $2,000 today to provide 100 hours of 1-on-1 tutoring to students in the Bay Area. Individual tutoring is one of the best ways students can catch up in learning loss they experience when out of the classroom for extended periods of time. These learning losses can have long-term negative effects on students' academic achievement. Help us close the COVID-19 learning gap by donating to our scholarship fund today!

Luke says: When I was younger, I absolutely loved "Luke Goes to Bat" by Rachel Isadora. It inspired my love of sports at an early age while also giving me a glimpse into the legacy the legendary Jackie Robinson left behind. To all the Buddies out there, I really miss you all. Whether it was refereeing a playground basketball game or reading Dr. Seuss or playing with stuffed animals, you all were so fun and great to be around and work with. Stay safe during these unprecedente...d times, and remember, there's nothing better than curling up at home with a good book. #OaklandReads Oakland Literacy Coalition

Our Youth Mentors are sending their messages of support to their Buddies! Emma says: I love "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" so much because of the fun and silly nature of the story.... I hope all the Buddies are safe at home and I miss acting out the different parts of the story with them! Oakland Literacy Coalition #OaklandReads