Words Alive Year in Review 2014-15

Thanks are in order! By taking an interest in the work Words Alive has done in our community this past year, and joining us as we shape a vision for the future, you are telling your community—our community—that you are committed to making reading matter for everyone. And for that commitment, we thank you!

Growth has shaped the past year at Words Alive–growth in terms of population served, depth of programming, strength of relationships with partners, and the resulting impact the gift of reading has on young people and families. We accomplished this alongside 500 committed volunteers, an ever-growing network of community partners, and the support of countless individuals and organizations.

This year we also formally identified the values that guide our work. These values have always shaped our approach to literacy in San Diego, but by articulating them to the community, we can best pursue our mission together. These values are woven into the stories of success that follow.

Finally, we are proud to announce an ambitious fundraising plan to raise $2.2M in 1,000 days! Partners, program participants, and the community helped craft a vision that both broadens and deepens our role in providing quality, sustainable literacy services to those who need it most. With momentum building since the launch of our Read for Life campaign in January, we are over a third of the way to $2.2M! As we look to the future, we see opportunities to scale our programs and reach new communities with fresh and innovative ways to make reading matter. This is our most important goal, and our commitment to our community will stay our course.

In Gratitude,

The Next Chapter

2014-2015 YEAR IN REVIEW

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YEAR IN REVIEW 2014-2015

“Over the past three years, Words Alive has

emerged as one of our region’s most progressive literacy service

programs. While disciplined and strategic in its execution of new and diverse project plans, Words Alive delivers services in a fashion that is warm, creative, and responsive to the needs of local students. The results are exciting.”

—JOSE CRUZ, CEO, SAN DIEGO COUNCIL ON LITERACY

At Words Alive, we value commitment by pledging to making reading matter for everyone.

“I learned that reading is in everything we do.”- PARENT, WORDS ALIVE FAMILY LITERACY PROGRAM

Literacy is the foundation

of community and economic

development. When everyone can read, whole communities

thrive.

We all have a place in the literacy movement. In the pages ahead, learn what Words Alive has accomplished in the past program year and see what we have planned. Then connect with us to help find your place in creating a thriving, more literate San Diego.

Apply for jobs that pay a living wage

Advance and build on prior learning in school

Advocate for our families

Understand medical instructions

Vote and write to our elected officials

Interpret bills and use bank accounts

Search for information on the internet

Participate in or volunteer for a cause we believe in

Travel and navigate our community safely

We read to live full, independent lives. We read to...

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‘‘ ‘‘Cultivating a Love of Reading

Last summer, we developed a pilot curriculum that has been used in more than 25 classrooms since. After participating teachers told us that they needed our help developing lessons that aligned with new social studies and reading mandates, we created a read-aloud curriculum for them that followed the new standards. Using this curriculum, volunteers provided cross-subject support, using strategies such as think-alouds and post-reading questioning exercises to encourage book discussions

When our partners at the Monarch School, an educational facility downtown that serves homeless youth, asked us for support in their literacy instruction, we refined our new curriculum into a unique model suited to their needs. In this longer program, volunteers share a story with the class and then connect with students in small groups, analyzing vocabulary, illustrations, and context clues, and exploring the text’s wider application to their own lives.

Reporting Out

Looking ForwardWord has spread among teachers and schools about this new approach, and the program is now in demand! In the 2015-2016 program year, we’ll be replicating the pilot curriculum in 41 additional classrooms, 8 of which will use the small-group model.

We value responsiveness by listening to community needs and developing innovative solutions.

Research shows that children from under-served communities often lack the reading experiences critical to their early literacy development. That’s why volunteers in our Read Aloud Program lead weekly sessions that help preschool through 3rd grade students develop cognitive and verbal skills, and foster a love of reading.

• 4,900 children served in 181 classrooms• 16 hours of read-aloud experiences per child • 10,000 new books gifted to home libraries

This experience creates a community of readers that cultivates critical thinking, highlights student connections through student voice, and provides positive, long-lasting memories with fascinating books in an environment of engaging and caring volunteers. This program solidified our classroom culture of family while contributing to my goal of creating lifelong learners

through reading.

—GLADE WHITEHEAD, 3RD GRADE TEACHER AT THE MONARCH SCHOOL

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Reading Habits at Home Research shows that early brain development happens in large part through a child’s interactions and relationships. Since parents are a child’s first teachers, their role is essential to education equity for students from under-served communities.

Reporting Out

We believe in empowering parents to become agents of change for their families. Our Family Literacy Program aims to meet parents where they are and give them the “aha!” moments that lead to deepened engagement with their children.

We value connectedness by empowering whole families to support student success.

“Before, he did not want to read. He could not tolerate staying still for too long. Now, he urges to read with me.“

“[Things] changed a lot due to her way of learning and me seeing for the first time how she actually saw things. [It] was a wonderful insight into her way of thinking.”

“After getting new ideas from this program, I feel like I take more time in asking questions or being more involved in the book instead of just reading it!”

“I learned to have realistic expectations when reading or doing activities with my child. It’s okay not to finish the book. Let him take the lead. Use his imagination.”

60% of families completed the programParents overwhelmingly said they were reading more with their children, had learned how to incorporate reading together into their daily lives, and felt more empowered to support their children’s education. By the program’s end:

• 100% of parents said they would recommend the program to a friend

• 85% more reported having a routine for looking at books together

• Children demonstrated a 24% average gain in pre-literacy skills, according to the Get Ready to Read screening tool

Parent Feedback

132 families came through the door, taking home 941 books & clocking

660 hours of shared learning

time!

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Looking Forward We know that parent engagement is key to family stability and sustained literacy habits at home. In the coming year, we look forward to:

• Reaching more families through new partners, including elementary schools in southeast San Diego as part of the Diamond Education Excellence Partnership (DEEP)

• Improving at-home strategies for families with home languages other than English

Community We value equity by contributing to community-wide solutions to level the playing field.

Literacy is a complex social issue, and Words Alive is proud to be a voice within the following partnerships addressing reading needs in San Diego County:

• San Diego Council on Literacy

• City Heights Partnership for Children

• Diamond Education Excellence Partnership

• Education Synergy Alliance’s P3 Salon

These partnerships identify community needs, develop strategies, and then leverage resources that will have the biggest impact. As a partner, we bring our own knowledge to the table and exchange ideas with other organizations to inform our work and ensure that our course aligns with coordinated efforts of the community.

At our first national conference this spring, Words Alive shared outcomes from our Family Literacy Program pilot and presented best practices for

parent engagement to practitioners from across the country.

Highlights

In February, our Share Your Love of Reading campaign featured 23 local celebrities and elected officials as guest readers in classrooms. Here, San Diego City Council president Sherri Lightner reads Bark George! to preschoolers at Col. Solomon Child Development Center.

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‘‘ ‘‘

College & Career ReadinessResearch shows that nearly a third of youth from low-income communities fail to earn high-school diplomas. That’s why volunteers in our Adolescent Book Group Program re-engage at-risk teens in book-club-style discussions, writing programs and developmental workshops to build language and critical thinking skills.

I love discussing in a group and analyzing the book. I love hearing others’ opinions because everyone has different views of things and at times help you add to what you had in mind and open your eyes to

understand our discussion more.

—ITZEL, STUDENT AT LINDSAY COMMUNITY DAY

Reporting Out• 300 students reached at any

given time in 13 classrooms

• Words Alive students showed over 5 times the improvement in reading and language compared to the expected growth of their California and JCCS peers

Arts Component Inspired by Broadway star Daniel Beaty’s moving monologue and children’s book Knock Knock, students worked with Words Alive writing teachers and Playwrights Project teaching artists to write and perform their own monologues. For many students, the experience provided an opportunity to make connections between the text, live performance and the extraordinary circumstances of their own lives. More than 100 people attended the students’ public performance at Liberty Station.

A teacher’s take: “Before, Alavaro did not like reading books, he did not like to read aloud and he preferred not to share his opinions in front of the class. By last month, he volunteered to read aloud and enjoyed it. His reading skills also noticeably improved, [and he] participated in all the discussions and was a great role model for all his peers.”

—VALENTINA MILLS, TEACHER AT BREAKING CYCLES

We value collaboration by partnering with the community to meet student needs.

Looking Forward

Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS) is our cornerstone partner for the Adolescent Book Club Program. JCCS leadership has said that Words Alive is the foundation of their language arts component and by 2017, we will be expanding the program to reach students in every JCCS classroom across San Diego County.

80% of teachers strongly agree that the program

• improved students’ literacy analysis skills• helped students develop critical thinking• helped expose students to diverse literature

Expected CA student gains

Words Alive student gains

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Pathways to Success

We value empowerment by investing in life-long learners.

Looking Forward

Reporting Out

Research shows that students from under-served communities are best poised for success in higher education when they have access to opportunities for whole person development. That’s why recipients of the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship receive financial, mentor and resource support as they pursue their higher education goals.

To connect students with opportunities outside the classroom and enhance their academic and career goals, Words Alive will be piloting an internship program with select scholarship recipients during the 2015-16 program year.

This year, 17 young adults received 964 hours of mentor support and scholarships totaling $30,000 to launch or continue their educational path.

13 attended community college, 5 preparing to earn their AA

2 trained in vocational schools

1 embarked on postgraduate studies toward a master’s in social work, earning a 4.0 GPA

Fulbright fellow returns home!

Five-time scholarship recipient La’Shanae completed her Fulbright Fellowship in India and has returned to California. She recently accepted a position in San Diego as a behavioral interventionist for children with autism.

It’s been a busy year for Sarali!

In 2015, Sarali graduated with her certificate as a medical laboratory technician, passed her California Board exams and completed a rigorous 40-hours-a-week internship. All of Sarali’s hard work paid off when she was offered a position at Sharp Chula Vista, which she accepted! Next up for Sarali? A bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science through Webster University.

1 continued at a 4-year University

Transition to Career

Financial Stewardship

Individual Contributions and Grants 82%

Events 18%

Program Management and Delivery 86%

Expenses

Income

*per 2014 990 filing

Fundraising 14%

Funding Partners

Arthur & Jeanette Pratt Memorial Fund AT&T Author Bridge Media Bravo Foundation Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Orville Brown Lynne Carlson Christensen Family Foundation Kamie Cicinelli Linda Cipriani Laurie Coleman Craft-DeMeules Family Fund Toby & Norman Eisenberg Ellen G. & Edward G. Wong Family Foundation Ruth & Edward Evans Fischer Family Fund

of the Jewish Community Foundation Frank M. & Lee Goldberg Foundation Wendi & Robert FriedmanGeppetto’sKimberly & Jeffrey Goldman Carol & Mort Goodman Andrea & Howard Greenberg,

Trilogy Real Estate Management, Inc. Kay & Bill Gurtin, Gurtin Fixed Income Hal & Debby Jacobs Family Fund Nancy Humbarger Jordan Ressler Charitable Fund

of the Jewish Community Foundation K.T. & E.L. Norris Foundation Karen & Warren Kessler Leslye & Scott Lyons Jane Marks Laurie Mitchell Becky Moores Natasha Josefowitz Fund

of the Jewish Community Foundation Neighborhood House Association Nordson Corporation Foundation Patricia & Christopher Weil Family Foundation Cynthia & Lorne Polger Price Philanthropies Foundation Qualcomm Incorporated Rice Family Foundation Samuel & Katherine French FundSan Diego County Employees’ Charitable Organization San Diego Gas & Electric San Diego Social Venture Partners Hannah Schlachet Schoenith Foundation Brenda & Steve SchulmanElizabeth Segil Seidenwurm Family Fund

of the Jewish Community Foundation Aaron & Cynthia Shenkman Betty Sigoloff Target Tyson Mendes US Bank Warwick’s WD-40 Company Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation Westreich Foundation William Gumpert Foundation

StaffPatrick Stewart

Executive DirectorChrissy Green Califf

Operations DirectorAmanda Birmingham Bonds

Senior Program ManagerCarter Anderson

Program ManagerTheresa Tolentino

Program ManagerVichittra Chaleune

Associate Program ManagerNicole Daniel

Development DirectorTeddy Eck

Development & Communications Coordinator

Christina MeekerAdministrative & Volunteer Coordinator

Board of DirectorsRick Seidenwurm, Chair

Attorney Andrea MacDonald, Vice Chair

Community volunteerLinda Cipriani, Secretary

Attorney Danny Cung, Treasurer

Investment Strategist, Christopher Weil & Company, Inc.

Lynne BathAttorney

Orville BrownSenior Research Scientist, Ferro

Jeffrey Goldman Publisher, Santa Monica Press

Kay GurtinVice President, Gurtin Fixed Income

Kristina HouckReporter, UT Community Press

Jodi KennedyAssociate Producer, KFMB News 8

Christina La PageDistrict Manager, Wells Fargo Bank

Ellen MitgangCommunity volunteer

Mike SkerlosAttorney, Qualcomm

Dana VandersipVice President of Development, Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego

Leslye Winkelman Lyons, Founder Board Emeritus

Author’s Luncheon

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen, along with moderator Seth Lerer, Dean of Arts and Humanities at the University of California at San Diego, presented to a sold-out crowd of 500+ supporters at our 11th Annual Author’s Luncheon.

498 Words Alive volunteers donated 13,206 hours of service this year, in classrooms, our

office and the community.

That’s a value of over $354,838.50!

Committed VolunteersWho Makes This Possible

5111 Santa Fe Street, Suite 219 | San Diego, CA 92109 | 858-274-9673

www.wordsalive.org

Words Alive is generously supported by hundreds of contributors, including the following contributing $1500+ during the 2014-15 program year.

Words Alive Year in Review 2014-15

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