Literacy program prepares students for next school year
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 27, 2017 7:21 AM
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Shana Skinner leads Adrian Bynum, 7, and Ariel Lofton, 7, in a cause and effect reading activity during the summer reading camp at Fairview Community Center on Wednesday morning.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Ariel Lofton, 7, works on a cause and effect reading activity during the summer reading camp at Fairfiew Community Center on Wednesday.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Jadarius Williams, 7, answers questions for a reading comprehension test Wednesday during the Goldsboro Housing Authority and Wayne County Public Schools reading camp at Fairview Community Center.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Greenwood Middle School student Tori Skinner, 11, left, helps Kristy Teachy, 7, with her reading comprehension questions while volunteering at Fairview Community Center Wednesday for the one of two summer literacy camps sponsored by the Goldsboro Housing Authority and Wayne County Public Schools.
The Housing Authority for the City of Goldsboro set up camp at two locations this summer, offering fun and educational literacy programs to better prepare students for the new school year.
This is the first time for the initiative, in partnership with ADLA, Sydney's Book Club, Wayne County Public Library and Wayne County Public Schools, said Jacqueline Kannan, human resources and public relations. The camps are going on at two housing projects in the city.
The WCPS Summer Reading Camp, held at Fairview Community Center, is for students from kindergarten through second grade and is taught by certified teachers from the district.
At Little Washington, "Kick Off to Kindergarten" is geared to children entering kindergarten.
This is the third week of the four-week program, a blend of work and play -- from crafts and playtime to time spent on math and reading skills. Participants also receive breakfast, lunch and a snack.
"We have the same structure that we do in school -- lessons plans, trying to incorporate arts and crafts," said Michelle Carr, a second-grade teacher at North Drive Elementary, working in the Fairview program. "We try to make it fun so it doesn't seem so much like school, but we still want to incorporate the learning part of camp."
Students are chosen to participate in the camp, at no cost to their parents, based on recommendations from the school system. It is designed to offset what officials call the "summer slide," losing momentum during the long school break.
"I think it's very helpful for them because they do tend to lose some of the things that we taught them during the school year," she said. "After we do our direct instruction, we break them down into groups. We also work individually with them."
Sharita Oates, Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency, or ROSS, coordinator with the Housing Authority, said the emphasis reflects the needs of the community.
"We knew we wanted to focus in on literacy -- the county as a whole has made a push toward early literacy," she said. "We reached out to Wayne County Public Schools a couple months ago to see about starting an on-site summer reading program.
"It was perfect timing because it also happened that North Drive wasn't going to have their summer reading program because of renovations at the school."
While most of the students attending the two camps live in the surrounding areas, the district offered transportation to those needing it, she said.
The Little Washington program has a stronger emphasis on getting students ready to go into kindergarten, said Tiffany Dickerson, early literacy coordinator.
"Basically, they're in a classroom as well, to learn the classroom environment," she said. "They're also learning ABCs, counting, handwriting."
In addition to the educational components, both offer incentives, the women said.
"Every week they're getting books, treasure chest items and some of the bigger incentives, like bikes -- based on behavior and attendance -- are funded by the (Housing) Authority," Ms. Dickerson said. "And the little kids, some are getting books, treasure chest items and their bigger incentives are tablets."
Each program has averaged around a dozen students, to be expected since this is the first year, Ms. Oates said.
"I think once the word gets out about how successful this is, next year will be better," she said