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SHARP Literacy, Inc. announced details of two new programs: an after school program in partnership with Silver Spring Neighborhood Center that will serve students from Browning School and Thurston Woods Elementary School; and an intergenerational “Read to Me” program in partnership with the Jewish Home and Care Center, Sarah Chudnow Community, and Chai Point Senior Living. SHARP’s “Read to Me” program includes the participation of students from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School and Victory School for the Gifted and Talented. The after-school and Read to Me programs will begin in January and February, respectively.
Educators from SHARP Literacy and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center will lead the after school program for third through fifth grade students. Based on SHARP’s 12th We Love to Learn book, There Grows the Neighborhood: Agriculture in the City, the curriculum focuses on the urban agriculture movement in America. In addition to classroom and after school instruction, SHARP’s foundational literacy program includes education tours in partnership with area museums and learning sites, as well as a Summer Learning Gain Initiative, an eight-week summer program designed to bridge the learning gap of summer. SHARP Literacy provides year-round learning opportunities, according to Lynda Kohler, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization. “Our after school program in partnership with Silver Spring Neighborhood House enhances the year-round learning continuum we’ve established. With our combined educational programs and initiatives – inside and outside of the classroom – we’re providing opportunities for students to stay interested and engaged in learning from September through August.”
The “Read to Me” intergenerational program, sponsored by the Gene & Ruth Posner Foundation, combines reading and learning in a new outside-the-classroom experience for students participating in the SHARP Literacy program. “Read to Me” focuses on pairing seniors and students together in a meaningful way that benefits both groups. Children will have the opportunity to interact with residents in a program that includes community-building art projects and one-on-one reading time. Residents of the senior living centers will spend time creating and learning along with young students in an environment that fosters caring and communication. Following the school year, an intergenerational program will be incorporated into SHARP Literacy’s Summer Learning Gain Initiative at Silver Spring Neighborhood Center.
SHARP Literacy, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Milwaukee nonprofit educational program whose mission is to enhance future life success by energizing urban children, motivating them to identify themselves as confident, capable scholars and lifelong learners by inspiring engagement in reading, writing and research through hands-on interaction and visual arts. The primary goal of SHARP Literacy is to provide elementary school students with an imaginative learning experience that builds confidence, self-esteem, and a greater awareness of the world. This year SHARP Literacy, Inc. will impart foundational literacy skills to nearly 8,000 elementary school students in 36 of Milwaukee’s most at-risk schools. For more information, visit www.sharpliteracy.org.
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