Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Lives are being changed through the University of North Carolina Wilmington Hillcrest Reading Program. Part of the UNCW Community Campus program at the Wilmington Housing Authority's Hillcrest community, the reading program pairs children ages 4-7 from the housing community with UNCW student tutors four days a week.

 

Up to 90 percent of children who enter the program are at their grade reading level by the time they complete the reading program. Operating out of the WHA-UNCW Community Campus at Hillcrest, the reading program was created in 2008 to provide historically underserved populations with educational opportunities. Media are invited to cover the tutoring program this week by request.

 

As reported by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, only 22 percent of African American boys and 30 percent of African American girls in New Hanover County scored "at or above grade level proficiency" on the end-of-grade composite reading and math testing scores in the 2007-08 school year, leaving 80 percent of boys and 70 percent of girls "below grade level proficiency."

 

UNCW designed the Hillcrest Reading program to address this problem. This year, more than 20 children attend Hillcrest Reading Program tutoring sessions Monday through Thursday for an hour a day. The program uses the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons to teach five essential reading skills. This semester, more than 40 UNCW tutors, primarily education and sociology students, will devote two hours a week to work one-on-one with a child.

 

"Children in the program create a special bond with their tutor. They form a type of big brother/big sister relationship with their tutor that brings the best out of the children," said John Rice, UNCW associate professor and co-founder of the reading program. "Tutors build such a strong bond that they never want to leave and when they do it is a tearful moment."

 

Rebecca Van Duyne, a special education major, has mentored the same girl since her third semester and has become an integral part of the young child's life. She has watched her tutee progress from struggling to read a single letter to now reading small sentences.

 

"I often have a hard time when it's time for me to leave, as my little girl wants me to keep reading to her," said Van Duyne. "The greatest aspect of the program for me is definitely the connection that is made between the tutor and tutee. The students in the program come to depend on the tutors and the relationship they provide."

 

The WHA-UNCW Community Campus at Hillcrest also offers a variety of other educational opportunities for residents including an afterschool program that allows children to gain valuable computer skills and engage in art projects. Diverse programs including cultural events, tax preparation classes and educational courses, are offered throughout the year. Residents are taught how to prepare healthy meals from their own fruits and vegetables they plant in the on-site community garden, created in 2009 in partnership with UNCW.

 

"The Hillcrest community loves the community campus because they know we are here to stay and that we are here to help them with anything they may need," said Kim Lancaster, community campus outreach liaison.

 

The UNCW campus community at Hillcrest plans to continue to grow and build their relationship with residents through new and exciting programs.

 

Interviews with participants can be arranged by contacting the below media contact

Media Contact: Emily Jones, media relations assistant, 910.962.3171 or jonesel@uncw.edu