Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Fresno Nonprofit Helps Kids Read. With More Volunteers, It Could Have a Bigger Impact.
gvw_nancy_price
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 9 months ago on
March 1, 2024

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

â– Every Neighborhood Partnership provides in-school literacy mentoring in 19 Fresno Unified Schools and after-school reading programs in eight.

â– Literacy is a focus of the nonprofit because the futures of children, and their communities, depend on how well children can read.

â– ENP is focusing a showing of “The Right to Read” documentary at the Tower Theatre on Monday.


Fresno Unified’s year-old Literacy Initiative aims to boost kids’ reading abilities so they have a better chance at academic success.

But the district is not flying solo. Its literacy efforts have been augmented for years by the Fresno-area nonprofit Every Neighborhood Partnership, which links businesses, churches, and other groups in efforts to strengthen communities and the region.

“Literacy rates predict the future of the children, and the children predict the future of the neighborhood,” says Jenessa Cheema, ENP’s school support director.

The nonprofit provides volunteers for two school-based programs, Literacy Mentor and Read Fresno After School.

And those programs have gotten good results, Cheema said. Testing of students’ reading comprehension, including knowledge of high-frequency words, show a marked improvement from the start to the end of the school year, Cheema said.

And that’s no accident — Every Neighborhood Partnership’s programs are designed to build on the lessons that students are already getting in class, she said. ENP uses some of the same curriculum as Fresno Unified so there’s continuity for the students.

Helping Kids in Grades K-6

Although the focus initially was on children in younger grades, since the pandemic ENP has expanded its literacy programs to include older elementary kids whose reading skills are lagging.

For students in kindergarten through second grade, the focus is high-frequency words and phonics, while in grades 3 through 6 the focus shifts to fluency, she said.

Children are assessed so volunteers can “meet them right where they’re at,” Cheema said. “So if it’s a fourth grader reading at a first-grade level, they’re going to do first-grade work with that fourth grader to hopefully catch them up.”

The nonprofit now provides volunteers for 19 schools, serving about 700 students with one-on-one literacy mentoring, she said. Many of the volunteers are Fresno State students who can help out for a semester.

Interns run the after-school Read Fresno program at eight school sites, and they are primarily Fresno State work-study students and from College Corps, Cheema said.

Volunteers Needed

ENP used to have more older adults who volunteered through their churches, but that pool dried up somewhat after the pandemic. If the nonprofit had more volunteers, more children could be helped, she said.

How to Help

To volunteer to help children with their reading, click on this link.

Schools are doing great work, but the more support they can get from the community, the better, Cheema said.

“We partner with a lot of churches, but we’d love more businesses,” she said. “We work with a lot of college students really just realizing our schools need more support. And how can we help, and do support in a good way that is actually leading towards targeted outcomes and not just like, ‘Here’s another adult. Hope it helps.'”

‘Right to Read’ Documentary Scheduled

Given the organization’s efforts to improve literacy, it’s not surprising that ENP is co-hosting a showing of the documentary “The Right to Read” on Monday at the Tower Theatre.

It’s the second local showing in as many months. The Foundation for Fresno Unified Schools partnered on a screening at Fresno High School in February.

Monday’s screening will start at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by a panel discussion at 8 p.m. The event is free but audience members are asked to register at this link. Spanish-language translation and childcare will be provided for those who pre-register.

Cheema said she saw the video in June 2023 and was moved by the stories of parents and community activists who consider literacy to be a civil rights issue.

“It’s really powerful,” she said. “I think it helps open people’s eyes to that it’s not just a Fresno problem. Obviously, we’re talking about Fresno. But it is a national crisis, and what are people already doing around this? How can we collaborate together around this?”

Cheema said Every Neighborhood Partnership had previously partnered with other nonprofits on literacy programs, and so it was natural for them to band together to co-sponsor Monday’s screening.

Every Neighborhood Partnership volunteers work with students to support reading curriculum in 19 Fresno Unified schools. (Every Neighborhood Partnership)

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

DON'T MISS

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

DON'T MISS

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

DON'T MISS

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

DON'T MISS

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

DON'T MISS

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

DON'T MISS

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

DON'T MISS

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

DON'T MISS

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

UP NEXT

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

UP NEXT

Chris Wallace Is Leaving CNN, Eager to Explore New Media Landscape

UP NEXT

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

UP NEXT

US Regulators Investigating Whether Engines on 1.4 Million Hondas Might Fail

UP NEXT

When to Catch the Last Supermoon of the Year

UP NEXT

Mattel Says It ‘Deeply’ Regrets Misprint on ‘Wicked’ Dolls Packaging That Links to Porn Site

UP NEXT

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

UP NEXT

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

UP NEXT

FBI Thwarts Iranian Murder-for-Hire Plan Targeting Donald Trump

UP NEXT

Wave of Racist Texts After Election Prompts FBI Scrutiny

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

5 hours ago

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

5 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

5 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

5 hours ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

5 hours ago

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

5 hours ago

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

6 hours ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

6 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

7 hours ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

8 hours ago

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “D...

4 hours ago

4 hours ago

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

4 hours ago

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

4 hours ago

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

5 hours ago

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

5 hours ago

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

5 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

A Fresno County man has been indicted on mail fraud charges for allegedly submitting over $300,000 in falsified disability claims using stolen identities. (GV Wire File)
5 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 15, 2016. (AP File)
5 hours ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

Search

Send this to a friend