THE JESSE BRILL READING PROGRAM
In Oakland less than 20% of Black and Latino kids entering third grade can read at grade level—and the other 80% never catch up. To break the cycle of underachievement, it is critical to prepare our children to read and succeed.
Overview
There is a proven program established Charlotte, North Carolina, under Harvard University’s National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading that OPIC is in partnership to bring to Oakland – The Home Reading Helper. Click here
Take a look at this fun, simple page (with numbers 1 through 4) from the Home Reading Helper site for parents. Click here
Parents need a fun, simple program that they can do at home. The “1234!”
Home Reading Helper Program meets that need.
The four steps are:
- Teach your child the ABCs (Sing the ABC song to your child)
- Teach the sounds that letter makes
- Teach kids to recognize and sound out the letters in their name – and to recognize those letters on signs everywhere
- Read with your child every night for 5-10 minutes. Ask questions about what you see on each page of the book
There are two key steps to the program’s success:
- Getting the word to the parents in need, and
- Following through with parents to provide the ongoing support and positive reinforcement of the new way of learning literacy.
Incentives
As an incentive, $500 is offered to parents who continue with the program
- We will assist parents of Oakland children under age 2 to sign up for $500 College Scholarship Accounts–under Oakland Promise’s “Brilliant Babies” for all Medi-Cal qualifying parents. We will also assist parents to access an additional $500 College Scholarship Account under Cal-KIDS for all children from birth through high school who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Those College Scholarship Accounts were created last fall, but most parents are not aware of, and do not know how to access, their child’s new $500 Account that is in their child’s own name now–and watch it grow.
- In addition, we are planning to have special events for those families who stay with the program–like special Warriors closed shootarounds. Our Volunteers who do the sign-ups will be able to attend the first event. Our ongoing Helper/Advocates will be able to attend all subsequent events.
- There will be prizes (like signed shoes and gear) for high-achieving children in each age category —and for their Helper/Advocates who helped them achieve.
Getting The Word to Parents
The Golden State Warriors and other organizations have put the word out.
Following Through
Every Sunday, each parent will be sent via text and email, a “Weekly Scorecard” to
answer four (4) questions:
- How many letters did your child learn this week?
- How many total letters does your child know now?
- How many letters in your child’s name does the child recognize and see on signs everywhere?
- How many times this week did you read with your child for just 5 mins?
The parent simply clicks “submit” to send in the Scorecard.
This will be tracked with our computer software for each child. There will be a Helper/Advocate assigned to six (6) children to track each child’s progress, providing helpful reminders, encouragement and assistance weekly. We will send you, electronically, the weekly Scorecards for your assigned children.)
We will be monitoring how each Helper/Advocate’s group is doing. Those children–and their Helper/Advocate–that accomplish the most in each age category will receive recognition at Warriors events and prizes.
Role Models
It is important that Oakland parents and their children see role models that they respect—identifying with the program.
MISTAH FAB, who is widely respected for his selfless giving back to the Oakland Community, is spearheading the Program. We are hoping to enlist other Oakland notables like Damien Lillard who personifies how persistence can help raise a scrawny kid from the hood in East Oakland to NBA stardom and Marshawn Lynch who made it big from West Oakland. Steph Curry is another key role model who cares about literacy. Steph and Ayesha Curry’s Little Lending Libraries and their Eat Learn Play Bus will also be provided. Steph personifies what can be achieved through “Practice, Practice, Practice.” Steve Kerr cares deeply about education and violent crime prevention.
Oakland Churches
Oakland Black churches will be to the key to the success of the program.
Every Sunday at the end of the church service, hopefully, the pastor will tell everyone with children (and grandchildren and friends and neighbors) ages 0-6 to sign up for the program. Every Sunday they will invite congregants to submit their scorecard right on the spot by clicking “submit.” There will be volunteers at the back who will help the parents submit the forms.