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Literacy Program presented by
Thompson Valley Rotary
To benefit the reading program for
Thompson Valley Preschool
803 E 16th St., Loveland, CO 80538
Recipient Background
Thompson Valley Preschool is a non Profit organization, serving the Loveland area since 1973. Their vision is to empower all children to become lifelong learners by providing access to a quality preschool program that supports school readiness.
Thompson Valley preschool has just achieved a Level 5 rating from Colorado Shines. (Colorado State's quality Improvement Rating System), designating the highest level for an early care and education program.
They currently serve 88 students in the Loveland area from the ages of 3-5 years old.
The tuition is paid on a sliding scale and based on the area median income levels.
65% of the students are income based tuition and 35% of the students pay a full pay tuition.
Project Challenge
There are two programs that are currently being used in the Thompson Valley Preschool and with money from Rotary they would be able to be continue them on a bigger and better scale.
1. Zoo-Phonics
This program maximizes understanding, memory, utilization and transference to all areas of the reading, spelling and writing process in a playful and concrete manner.
It was developed to make children strong readers and spellers using a "phono" (hearing), "oral" (speaking), "visual" (seeing), "kinesthetic" ( moving), and tactile (touching) whole brain approach. Students actually learn the sounds of the alphabet and advanced phonemic concepts through an easily understood, concrete method of Presentation. Zoo Phonics uses animals drawn in the shapes of the letters for ease in memory. A related body movement is given for each letter. This concrete approach cements the sounds to the shapes of the letters. Lowercase letters and their sounds are taught first capital letters and letter names are taught later.
Cost of this program:
Approximately $336.00 for alphabet books for 48 students. $120.00 Additional Zoo-phonics such as "Capital" alphabet cards, updated large classroom cards, etc.
$600.00 for Alphabet coloring books, and 3 in 1 games.
Total cost to carry on this program for all the Pre. K kids is $1,056.00
2. Link to Learning
This program is to support parents in teaching their children at home by providing books to use at home and begin to build their library at home. Many of these families are in a lower income status and can not afford to buy books for their children.
Cost of this program:
If each child could get 2 books a year at $5.00 a book and 88 children, the cost would be $880.00
Many of the books would be ordered through the Scholastic book programs and picked out by the children with the teachers guidance so they are age appropriate.
Total cost for this program would be $880.00
Total cost needed to complete both programs would be $1936.00 for 1 year.
The goals for both of these programs would be to help these preschool students be fully prepared to enter Kindergarten with strong Alphabet and phonemic awareness skills. With a head start on these skills, the reading experience they will learn is only enhanced.
A study done by the E3 research, showed that all children, regardless of Socioeconomic Status can learn and utilize the books and cards quickly and easily in a fun, physical and playful way.
Rotarians will visit the school and read to the kids when they can on an informal basis.
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