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Initatives
Literacy
Home-based Stork Club –
Prenatal/Postpartum
Reading aloud while pregnant not only helps the baby later recognize
your voice, but also begins the bonding process between mother and
child. Mazique periodically distributes new books at group socialization
experiences to pregnant women & parents with infants.
Partnerships for intergenerational
activities - Classrooms
One-on-one reading occurs in our classrooms on a weekly basis with
JunpStart DC @ George Washington University college student volunteers.
JumpStart is an AmeriCorp national service initiative with a goal
of “sparking a life” to improve early literacy skills
in young children through family literacy and family involvement
in preparing them to be “school ready”. It also focuses
on the development of future teachers. All classrooms also have
Foster Grandparent Program volunteers during the week, available for reading
and other literacy activities. The Foster Grandparent volunteers
are part of a national program that promotes intergenerational experiences.
Inner City/Inner Child Initiative - Literacy and
the
Arts
A partnership with the Dunbarton Concerts Group, WETA
Ready to Learn and Reading is Fundamental (RIF), in eleven
(11) weeks uses several art mediums to teach children how to read;
as well as offers quality training in early literacy to staff &
parents to help facilitate early literacy competency in classrooms
and at home.
Early Readers Initiatives
A partnership between the Early Care & Education
Administration and the Hotel
Association of Washington DC, called “Early Readers Now!”
will place volunteers in our Reeves & APRA centers for one-on-one, or small
group reading buddy experiences.
Currently in partnership with the Howard University
Center for Drug Abuse Research (CDAR), the Partnership to Promote
Early Literacy and School Readiness has made it possible for teachers
& staff to be formally trained in the latest ideology, principles
& practices in fostering early reading in preschool children.
An approach called SuperLiteracy is being piloted in 3 & 4 year
old classrooms.
Interactive Learning Tools
– Home and Center Based Programs
The learning tools selected for both home and center-based services
cover a wide spectrum of ages. Our tools come from a myriad of sources,
including such award-winning companies as LeapFrog, IBM, and Hatch.
Ranging from LeapFrog’s Baby Tad that teaches shapes and colors
for 9-24 month old children to LeapFrog Phonics Desks that “speak”
the names of the letters in the alphabet, phonic pronunciations,
and specific words, our children are exposed from the youngest age
to colorful, interactive toys and tools that introduce them to numbers,
letters, colors, sounds and shapes. Bilingual (English and Spanish)
versions are made available in our centers and are lent to our families
through a lending library made possible by a grant from the Hattie
M. Strong Foundation. Computer learning centers donated by Hatch,
United Way & IBM are also available in our pre-school classrooms
to introduce children to touch technology and software designed
to increase their vocabularies, improve their ability to problem
solve, and support the use of mathematical concepts, as well as
stimulate their creativity.
Family of Readers/Building
Home Libraries Project – Family Literacy Initiative
This effort involves the distribution of free new & used books
to children and to their family members. The effort is designed
to improve family reading habits, as well as promote the parent’s
role as an active participant in their children’s education.
Individuals, groups and book distribution companies, like First
Book and Scholastic, make donations of books.
Adult Focused Initiatives
Because reading opens doors and expands literacy for not only our
children, Mazique has its own informal “Book Club” where
parents and staff, men and women, periodically identify selected
books to read, to share, and to discuss at lunchtime gatherings
or during after school groups.. Additionally, Mazique has collaborations
with a variety of community agencies for pre-GED and English as
Second Language (ESL) classes.
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