Reading Partners Los Angeles

With just one hour a week, you can help students develop lifelong literacy skills and set them up for success in school and beyond! We have over a hundred students waiting for a tutor become a Reading Partner by signing up on our website readingpartners.org/volunteer!

With just one hour a week, you can help students develop lifelong literacy skills and set them up for success in school and beyond! We have over a hundred students waiting for a tutor become a Reading Partner by signing up on our website readingpartners.org/volunteer!

Our Black Author Spotlights continue with Jabari Asim, an accomplished poet, playwright, and writer. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in Creative Arts and is the author of seven books for adults and eleven books for children, including My Baby Loves Valentine’s Day," Daddy Goes to Work and Preaching to the Chickens. https://jabariasim.org/

Our Black Author Spotlights continue with Jabari Asim, an accomplished poet, playwright, and writer. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in Creative Arts and is the author of seven books for adults and eleven books for children, including My Baby Loves Valentine’s Day," Daddy Goes to Work and Preaching to the Chickens. https://jabariasim.org/

Natalie Danett is a senior program coordinator completing her second AmeriCorps term of service. In a recent blog, she shares her reflections about acclimating to service during a pandemic and how to remain grounded through intentional self-care! https://readingpartners.org//americorps-serving-during-co/

Happy President’s Day! Here are seven books perfect for President’s Day and inspiring the next generation of leaders. https://everyday-reading.com/books-for-presidents-day/

It’s time for a Tutor Spotlight! This month, we are showing our appreciation for Thomas Dollinger! Thomas deeply cares about the success of each of his students, and it shows. Thomas describes one of his favorite session memories, highlighting his student’s enthusiasm for reading. I reached the point in the lesson plan where we take a break. I told the student it was break time. His response was, ‘I don’t need a break.’ I laughed and said, ‘what if I need one?’ He [smiled... and] told me I could have a break if I needed one. We skipped the break and moved to the next skill. Kendal, our program coordinator at Crescent Heights Elementary, appreciates Thomas' dedication to his students. Thomas is such a patient and generous tutor, she explains. He is dependable and flexible, and he’s been an asset to our reading center during a very difficult time in education. Grateful to have him on the Reading Partners team! Thank you, Thomas, for making a difference in the lives of young readers! #TutorSpotlight #ReadingMatters #TogetherWeAreBetter

It’s time for a Tutor Spotlight! This month, we are showing our appreciation for Thomas Dollinger! Thomas deeply cares about the success of each of his students, and it shows. Thomas describes one of his favorite session memories, highlighting his student’s enthusiasm for reading. I reached the point in the lesson plan where we take a break. I told the student it was break time. His response was, ‘I don’t need a break.’ I laughed and said, ‘what if I need one?’ He [smiled... and] told me I could have a break if I needed one. We skipped the break and moved to the next skill. Kendal, our program coordinator at Crescent Heights Elementary, appreciates Thomas' dedication to his students. Thomas is such a patient and generous tutor, she explains. He is dependable and flexible, and he’s been an asset to our reading center during a very difficult time in education. Grateful to have him on the Reading Partners team! Thank you, Thomas, for making a difference in the lives of young readers! #TutorSpotlight #ReadingMatters #TogetherWeAreBetter

Have you ever considered taking a #gapyear? Reading Partners AmeriCorps alum, Justin, shares his experience with taking an intentional year on to gain professional skills before going back to college. Check out his story here. https://www.gapyearassociation.org//taking-an-intentional/

What would our world be like without racism? In 2001, science fiction author, Octavia Butler, answered that very question. Listen to her thought-provoking response from the archives of NPR. https://www.npr.org//octavia-butler-imagines-a-world-witho

Happy Black History Month! To kick off this month’s author spotlights, we’re starting with Ty Allan Jackson. Ty believes that literacy is the foundation for a successful life, which is one of the reasons he founded Big Head Books, a literacy organization that aims to introduce children to the joys of reading. He also loves comic books, hip hop, and the Bronx. His books include When I Close My Eyes, You Are Amazing, I Am Amazing, and Make Your Own Money: How Kids Can Earn It, Save It, Spend It, and Dream Big. Learn more (and buy one of his READ OR ELSE shirts) on his website. https://tyallanjackson.com/

Happy Black History Month! To kick off this month’s author spotlights, we’re starting with Ty Allan Jackson. Ty believes that literacy is the foundation for a successful life, which is one of the reasons he founded Big Head Books, a literacy organization that aims to introduce children to the joys of reading. He also loves comic books, hip hop, and the Bronx. His books include When I Close My Eyes, You Are Amazing, I Am Amazing, and Make Your Own Money: How Kids Can Earn It, Save It, Spend It, and Dream Big. Learn more (and buy one of his READ OR ELSE shirts) on his website. https://tyallanjackson.com/

For kids with dyslexia or other learning and attention disabilities, it can be hard to find books written by authors like them. Reading Rockets has compiled a list of authors and illustrators who know what it's like to see reading as an obstacle. Check out their video interviews and tips on where to find great stories here. https://www.readingrockets.org//children-s-book-authors-an

Happy Valentine’s Day! We love our tutors, students, and every community we serve. Here’s a big virtual hug from us to you!

Happy Valentine’s Day! We love our tutors, students, and every community we serve. Here’s a big virtual hug from us to you!

Current tutors: we need your help! By taking on just one more session per week for the next few months, you can support a brand new student through their Reading Partners journey. We can't do it without you! Click here to take on more sessions: https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLScMRai3GoYU8UGiQh/viewform

Here at Reading Partners, we believe that two things are of the utmost importance: that Black and Brown kids need to see themselves represented as positive characters in stories and that non-Black children need to have access to books by Black authors about Black characters that show Black lives being uplifted. We are thrilled to share our newest booklist that uplifts Black opportunities, dreams, and joy. Happy #BlackHistoryMonth! https://readingpartners.org//uplifting-black-opportunitie/

Current tutors: we need your help! By taking on just one more session per week for the next few months, you can support a brand new student through their Reading Partners journey. We can't do it without you! Click here to take on more sessions: https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLScMRai3GoYU8UGiQh/viewform

Reading Partners needs more volunteers, and you can help! By sharing about Reading Partners on social media (you can share our posts or share your own story), you'll help inspire others to join our cause. Spread the word about Reading Partners by sharing our posts today!

February is #BlackHistoryMonth, a time to celebrate Black power, history, community, and so much more. Now, and all-year-round, we’re supporting Black-owned bookstores, reading books by Black authors, and amplifying Black voices. How are you celebrating this month? #BHM

Reading Partners needs more volunteers, and you can help! By sharing about Reading Partners on social media (you can share our posts or share your own story), you'll help inspire others to join our cause. Spread the word about Reading Partners by sharing our posts today!

February is #BlackHistoryMonth, a time to celebrate Black power, history, community, and so much more. In honor of Black History Month, take a moment to reflect on something you use every day: language. The English language has a myriad of dialects and forms, including African American Vernacular English, or Black English. And unfortunately, language-based racism exists and can inhibit speakers of Black English from having their voices heard. Learn more here. https://readingpartners.org//black-english-language-based/

February is #BlackHistoryMonth, a time to celebrate Black power, history, community, and so much more. Now, and all-year-round, we’re supporting Black-owned bookstores, reading books by Black authors, and amplifying Black voices. How are you celebrating this month? #BHM

February is #BlackHistoryMonth, a time to celebrate Black power, history, community, and so much more. In honor of Black History Month, take a moment to reflect on something you use every day: language. The English language has a myriad of dialects and forms, including African American Vernacular English, or Black English. And unfortunately, language-based racism exists and can inhibit speakers of Black English from having their voices heard. Learn more here. https://readingpartners.org//black-english-language-based/

On the evening of June 10th, join the Reading Partners Los Angeles Board for a night of comedy, raffles, and more as we celebrate a year of Reading Partners Connects. Our fundraiser will feature comedian Kente Scott and other exciting guests, as well as a raffle and a chance to learn more about the future of Reading Partners Los Angeles. Access to the event is free with a suggested donation. We can’t wait to laugh with you! Link below: https://donations.readingpartners.org//virtual-com/e340360

In celebration of Pride Month, Reading Partners Los Angeles' own Kayla Weems joined @Cheddar news to share our curated list of LGBTQ+ children's books. It's never too early to introduce gender expression and sexuality to the young readers in our lives. Some titles that promote LGBTQ+ inclusivity include: This Day in June ... They, She, He Easy as ABC And Tango Makes Three For the full list of 11 Pride-friendly reads for kids visit https://readingpartners.org//lgbtq-childrens-books-pride-/ or read the full article published by @GetParentology https://readingpartners.org//promoting-lgbtq-visibility-c/

We would like to thank all our generous supporters for their contributions to our Rise Up for Reading campaign. With help from our community, we have raised over $27,000 to support our ongoing mission of providing students with the tools they need to become lifelong readers! Our students are loving their backpacks full of books and resources to keep them reading all summer long. Thank you all for playing such a crucial role in empowering the young readers of Los Angeles!

With so much work to be done, we don’t want our students to lose the gains they’ve made this year in Reading Partners over the summer. That’s why, through our Rise Up For Reading campaign, we’re providing each and every Reading Partners student with a backpack full of appropriately leveled books, worksheets, bilingual resources, and more to ensure our students keep reading this summer. We’re also committed to ongoing enhancements of our program, so that we can continue to meet the needs of our school communities. Can we count on your support as we Rise Up For Reading? Click on the link to support our students! https://donations.readingpartners.org//2021-summer/c325419

This summer, our students can independently maintain, and even build on, their hard-earned skills by reading the grade level appropriate books included in our summer reading packs. Each Reading Partners Los Angeles student will receive a pack that includes books, worksheets, and more! Will you Rise Up For Reading and support our ongoing mission of empowering students to become lifelong readers? Click on the link to learn more and donate! https://donations.readingpartners.org//2021-summer/c325419

Join us for a night of comedy on June 10th! Info here: https://donations.readingpartners.org//virtual-com/e340360

There are countless system-level challenges that impact our students and schools on a daily basis. Funding, lack of access to resources, and other factors work together to create an opportunity gap for our students that has been exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19. Reading Partners invests in students to help close this gap and to make sure each student is set up for success. To ensure our students don’t lose the gains they’ve made this year, this summer, Reading Partners L...os Angeles will be providing our students with summer reading packs to support their success during the months away from school. According to a report published by Amplify Education, a student facing reading challenges in the 1st grade will continue to do so unless action is taken to close opportunity gaps. Will you Rise Up for Reading to support our efforts in creating a more equitable educational landscape for our Los Angeles area students? https://donations.readingpartners.org//2021-summer/c325419

Post: Interested in learning more about Reading Partners Connects? We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a Virtual Open House on Friday, February 12th, from 10:00am - 11:00am! This event will include a live demonstration of Reading Partners Connects, a current tutor panel, and a Q&A, all designed to provide more information for individuals who are interested in tutoring with Reading Partners Connects. If you’re interested in attending, please click on this Zoom link at 10 AM PST on Friday, February 12: https://readingpartners.zoom.us/j/95798842042. Feel free to share this link with anyone else who may be interested!

Representation in stories is always important, but this doesn’t mean that a single element of a character’s identity has to be the central focus of their story. Book Riot has compiled a list of wonderful kid’s books that feature children with disabilities being the kids that they are. Find your next great read here. https://bookriot.com/read-harder-2021-a-childrens-book-tha/

Are you a Reading Partners volunteer who has the thyme to tutor more students? Does tutoring put a little spring in your step? Do you want to be part of the team that springs into action? Contact your Site Coordinator and let them know you’d like to help Punxsutawney Phil emerge from his burrow by taking on an extra tutoring session (or a few!) today.

Current tutors, keep an eye on your email inboxes: today marks Day 1 of our month-long drive Spring into Action! Each of our school sites will be competing with one another to help coax national groundhog and friend of RP, Punxsutawney Phil, out of his burrow and into the fresh spring air! Volunteers at each school site will "help" Phil emerge by adding on extra tutoring sessions, thereby supporting our growing number of students. Which school site will help Punxsutawney Phil emerge from his burrow? We can’t wait to find out!

Tlingit artist, Michaela Goade, made history in 2021 by becoming the first Indigenous person to win the prestigious Caldecott Medal. Her semi-translucent color palette and powerful illustrations in We Are Water Protectors" told the story of a young female protagonist standing up against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Her illustrations represent the characters in a variety of traditional and contemporary dress to showcase a wide representation of Indigenous communities. https://indiancountrytoday.com//the-first-indigenous-calde

We are so pleased to announce that our former external relations director, Chloe Oliveras, has stepped into the role of executive director here at Reading Partners Los Angeles. Our previous executive director, Laura Zachar, hasn't gone far; she is working on the Reading Partners National fundraising team and is excited to keep supporting LA's fundraising efforts! Chloe has seven years of experience at Reading Partners overseeing both the community engagement and development t...eams in Los Angeles, and we could not imagine a better leader to helm our Reading Partners LA program. Some of my fondest memories of learning how to read aren’t my own experiences with a book, Chloe says, but rather the experiences I've had working with so many amazing students at Reading Partners as a tutor. It’s such an empowering relationship. I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead this fantastic team and to continue striving for education equity for students across Los Angeles. In her spare time, Chloe enjoys reading, traveling and going to Dodger games (pre-COVID!). As a former AmeriCorps member, she’s passionate about service and loves working with AmeriCorps members to connect their time serving to future career opportunities.

We stand with the communities and families of Anthony McClain and Jacob Blake.

After the historical storming of the US capitol building last Wednesday, many teachers were faced with a dilemma: how should we approach having a conversation about this with our students? Hear from educators on how they handled this and other tough discussions from Education Week. https://www.edweek.org//insurgency-at-the-u-s-cap/2021/01

When Reading Partners Twin Cities had to cancel their in-person event this spring, they decided to create the Build a Book Project: a way to engage their community in a collaborative writing effort. Read about Jack learning his grandmother’s rice recipe, Genesis discovering a new world in her mirror, or Albert S. Cheddar and his friends’ dance party in these three collaborative stories! https://readingpartners.org/story/build-a-book/

Omar Sanchez grew up in Los Angeles and learned English by watching TV and through his bilingual school. He was 11, when he moved to Oklahoma and found a void of Hispanic representation in his new classroom environment. Now, as an adult, Omar seeks to support others with similar experiences to his own. He currently serves as a senior site coordinator for Reading Partners in Tulsa, OK where he promotes an inclusive and welcoming learning environment for the students engaged in the Reading Partners program. https://readingpartners.org//omar-inclusivity-latinx-heri/

Happy Dictionary Day! Whether you’re a pauciloquent, a flibbertigibbet, or a bloviate, you can thank a dictionary for your vocabulary. There’s no taradiddle here: if you’re wabbit of using the same old words, it’s time to find some new ones. We recommend a dictionary. https://www.dictionary.com/

If you’re looking for a way to celebrate Halloween with a literary twist, look no further than this blog. From crafts to snacks to writing activities, your young ones have nothing to be scared of. https://readingpartners.org//4-ways-to-fill-your-hallowee/

The National Park Service has compiled a long list of resources for parents, caregivers, and teachers to explore new topics with their students. Scroll down to the Hispanic American/LatinoAmerican History section for resources to explore during Hispanic Heritage Month. https://www.nps.gov//teachingwithhis/lessons-by-theme.htm

Is a tarantula living or nonliving? What about a tree? How do you know? These are some of the questions that Gary Koppelman, an award-winning science teacher, asks of his students in his Environmental Life Lab. Learn more about how he uses a hands-on, minds-on teaching approach to activate the curiosity in his students. https://www.theatlantic.com//what-makes-blissfield/616285/

Hispanic Heritage Month honors a diverse range of cultures and communities. This 10-book list specifically celebrates stories about and by members of the Afro-Latinx community. Find your child's new favorite read here: https://readingpartners.org//10-books-honor-afro-latinx-c/

Librarians are the connection between people, technology, and knowledge. Because of the broad view they hold of their schools, they are in a unique position to determine different ways schools can support students in addressing learning loss and the COVID slide. One solution: Reading, reading, reading. https://www.slj.com/

As educators, we have a responsibility to take consistent actions and create environments that are safe for all Black students. What are we waiting for? Caring for Black students extends far beyond formal statements of support. EdWeek outlines five specific ways that educators can help their Black students feel seen, heard, safe, and supported in school. https://www.edweek.org///5-ways-to-show-you-care-for.html

One of the most important things that kids can do outside of the classroom is read. That’s why the International Literacy Association compiled a list of activities that teachers, parents, and caregivers can do to encourage their students to read: https://literacyworldwide.org//encouraging-independent-rea

It may not feel like fall yet in sunny LA, but we still love celebrating that "curl up with a good book" cozy fall feeling. Snuggle up with these books today: https://www.barnesandnoble.com//7-picture-books-that-feel/

In this era of Zoom meetings and virtual classrooms, connection is something we’re all searching for. Knowing that a majority of communication is nonverbal, this Cincinnati teacher started looking for new ways to connect with her students. https://www.edutopia.org//how-using-little-sign-language-c

What does it mean for a book to be banned? For many titles, it means certain people or groups advocate for pulling them from bookshelves altogether. But censoring books that spark conversation or challenge existing beliefs limits our opportunity to explore the human experience. That’s why, during Banned Books Week, we fight for everyone’s freedom to read. Learn more about the fascinating history of banned books in the US: https://readingpartners.org/blog/history-banned-books-week/

"The discussions shifted from ‘These kids aren’t ready for this level’ to ‘This is the content how can we make it more accessible?’ Curriculum Matters explains how we can use distance learning to get all kids working with grade-level texts. https://curriculummatters.org//getting-all-kids-working-w/