December 28, 2011

It is with profound gratification and pride that I write this letter on behalf of the Anaheim Family YMCA and its incredibly successful afterschool collaborative, Anaheim Achieves. While Anaheim Achieves provides a safe, positive and enriching place for students to explore their unique talents and interests, and discover their full potential, it is through partnerships with programs such as the Literacy Project Foundation that helps build upon Anaheim Achieves’ exceptional curriculum by providing our at-risk youth with literacy development, reading assistance, mentoring, and enrichment activities.

This Get Set Read!™ program has proven to be successful with both significant and stellar results from our participants. The Literacy Project Foundation has been able to create a learning climate that is all at once challenging, encouraging and supportive. The environment that is provided by the LPF’s credentialed teachers invite students to be developed in a way that is outside the “normal” method of daytime curriculum, utilizing one-on-one and small group settings that maximizes the students’ time and engagement with their teachers and their peers.

We look forward to continuing our relationship and building upon this partnership that has had an incredible impact on our afterschool participants. Our students and teachers continue to be inspired by their newfound abilities and the extra support helps maintain their renewed joy for reading and learning, and we are grateful to be involved with such a remarkable literacy program.

Gratefully,

Debbie Jauch
VP of Programs
Anaheim Family YMCA

To Whom It May Concern:

The Get Set Read!™ literacy program is a true understanding of “what works in literacy.” The Literacy program encourages students from a range of levels (first and second language learners) to explore their own potential and reach higher levels of learning phonics through games. The Get Set Read!™ games create a learning environment in a supportive and exciting manner. This intimate environment (group of 6) in its 10-week program invites children to become comfortable and challenges them in a unique way when learning. I believe children develop a strong foundation for becoming successful readers and writers when they have opportunities to play with the sounds and sights of literacy and this is just a great way to start!

Sincerely,

Denise Ruiz
Master Teacher
Helen Heller Elementary School

To Whom It May Concern:

As the principal of Prisk Elementary School, I am always researching and looking for new and innovative intervention programs for our students. Since Prisk Elementary is not a Title 1 school we must look to outside Foundations and funding sources to support our student population. Although we do not qualify for additional Federal funds, we still maintain a population of about 20% of our students that require and need additional intervention support.

We are so grateful to Literacy Project Foundation for their generous gift of support. Our students have been the recipients of the Get Set Read!™ program this school year and as a result we have seen improvement in their confidence, ability to decode and read. What greater gift can you give to a child than the gift of reading? Additionally, we have heard such inspiring and satisfied comments from the parents of the students that have participated in the program. They have seen amazing changes in their child’s confidence and desire to read. They are excited for their children and grateful to have had the extra support.

The Get Set Read!™ program is structured, standards based and is aligned to grade level expectations. The teacher that is provided by the Literacy Project Foundation is flexible, engaging and knowledgeable. The students selected for participation love going for the extra support. The “Get, Set, Read” program is aligned to our current work and provides almost three hours a week of additional literacy support. Our goal is that students will maintain and continue to grow academically with this strong foundation in literacy.

We are very grateful to the Literacy Project Foundation for the success they have brought to so many of our at risk learners. We look forward to a continued working relationship as our students continue to grow and flourish academically.

With Gratitude,

Cindy Young
Principal
Prisk Elementary School

To Whom It May Concern:

The Get Set Read!™ literacy program redefines phonics skills with struggling readers. It also helps students to practice phonics skills already taught in school. It’s fun and engaging for students and reinforces phonics taught in the earlier grades. It motivates students to learn phonics without being aware they are learning. Students participating in the Get Set Read!™ literacy program are English Language Learners who need additional practice with phonics. As students continue to play the literacy game, their confidence and pride show in their learning. If students aren’t scheduled to attend tutoring for that day, they are eager to know when is the next time they’re schedule to come. Towards the end of the 10-week sessions, they were so engaged; they became very competitive with each other.

Get Set Read!™ will benefit any struggling reader. It’s a valuable resource for teachers who have students as Second Language Learners.

Sincerely,

Davy Paimany
Master Teacher
LBUSD (Colin Powell)

September 29, 2009

Dear Kathleen,

I would like to take a moment to thank you for providing my class with the opportunity to be involved with the Literacy Project Foundation. The fact that this opportunity is provided free, given the current budget climate, is amazing! As you know, the students I teach lack many of the most basic phonics, grammar, and reading skills. We often enroll students in the 2nd, 3rd, even up to the 6th grade that are not able to read! The individualized skill building, in one-on-one and small group settings, engages the students in a way that traditional lessons do not. The speed at which the students gain skill and their retention of the skills is greatly enhanced because they are having so much fun while learning. I think one the most valuable aspects of the program is that it allows students of different ages but similar skill levels to build their skills without the stigma of being in "leveled groups."

It is an excellent program, and we're grateful to be involved!

Sincerely,

Marcus Gunther
Teacher
(Group home classroom servicing ages 5-13)

August 24, 2009

Literacy Project Foundation
3334 East Coast Hwy, Suite 177
Corona Del Mar, CA 92625

Re: Get Set Read!™ Program at Project Hope

To Whom It May Concern,

I would like to thank the Literacy Project Foundation for allowing us to have Kathleen Hurst teach the program Get Set Read!™ in my classroom. I teach a class made up of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. Kathleen came in at the beginning of the school year, July 6th, and has been able to take small groups of 4 or 5 and has worked hard to improve

their skills in phonics and reading. In just a few weeks, I have noticed an increase in their skills. I am especially appreciative that the Get Set Read!™ program has been provided to Project Hope free of charge. The Literacy Project Foundation has made such a difference because the students practice phonics and reading in a fun nonthreatening environment.

For students that are behind in school, playing a game with their peers and a facilitator, such as Kathleen, really allows them to make great gains.

Thank you again for making such a difference.

Sincerely,

Patricia Helton
Teacher Project Hope School

April 4, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a 4th grade teacher at San Juan Elementary School in San Juan Capistrano, California and have been teaching for 14 years to only poverty level, low S.E.S., primarily Hispanic elementary school students. My passion is to help students with limited opportunities in life discover, and find the joy and confidence, in their ability to learn. Their first step is literacy in English. For most of my teaching career, I had been searching for the most effective teaching strategies and materials to help my students achieve proficiency in English reading and writing.

Several years ago, I found what I had been looking for. Our school was chosen as a test site for a pilot program being conducted by The Regents of the University of California and the Literacy Project Foundation for an after school reading program designed to help upper-elementary students master English phonics. After proven success, the final product called Get Set Read!™ turned out to be the most effective tool I ever used. It provides my students with exactly the instruction and practice they need for fluency and automaticity, the first steps in improving reading comprehension.

This revolutionary reading program approach helps students develop self-confidence and experience the power of their own success. This success is all the more remarkable since these students are some of the lowest achieving 4th and 5th graders at San Juan Elementary School, displaying what we call, "learned failure."

With Get Set Read!™, students have fun; learn English phonics, patterns, and sight words, while acquiring automaticity. The emotion of seeing that look of hope in their eyes for the first time as they quickly master each skill is the best feeling I can get as a teacher! They all complain when I tell them it is time to go home. I cannot express my gratitude enough to the Literacy Project Foundation, they have and continue to make, an enormous contribution to the world of English literacy.

Respectfully,

Gina Gearn

April 4, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:

As principal of San Juan Elementary School, I am always researching new and innovative intervention programs for our students. We are a Title I school and our population includes 80% English language learners. Two-thirds of our students participate in our after school intervention classes and summer school programs, and receive additional instructional support throughout the year in order to improve their reading skills.

San Juan Elementary School was fortunate to be able to collaborate with the Regents of the University of California and the Literacy Project Foundation in their initial pilot program designed to help students master English phonics. This reading product helped students achieve higher levels of reading fluency and phonetic awareness. We were very pleased with the results.

This year, we are happy to be using the Get Set Read!™ program with our after school classes. Students enjoy using this program because it is fun and interactive, and they are motivated to practice vocabulary and high frequency words. Our assessments show that students gained fluency and comprehension skills and they have developed a joy for reading.

I am very pleased with the Get Set Read!™ program and plan to continue using itwith our students as an intervention program to target specific reading skills. It is exciting to know that we can provide an effective program of instruction for students that are struggling with reading.

Silvia Mazzeo Pule
Principal