About
About The Village Project
What if students in universities supported children in public schools in their local communities to learn? That question inspired the creation of Ƶ’s “It Takes a Village” Project in 2008. Originally an after-school reading program, it has evolved into a multi-faceted literacy development project focused on access and success based on community needs.
Part of the Center for Access and Success, the Village Project connects Ƶ students, families, and community groups to support K-5 students. Each week, ABSS students and their parents meet with Ƶ volunteers for tutoring. Today, the program serves around 1,200 students annually across all ABSS Title I elementary schools.
Mission
The Village Project seeks to increase the academic skills of children in ABSS who struggle, particularly those from low-wealth families, from minority and underrepresented backgrounds, and/or from homes where English is not the primary language. Now, in our 16th year, we are meeting that pursuit and far more.
Top 5 Goals Of The Village Project
- Encourage reading in children and highlight parents’ contributions.
- Focus on the community & universities’ role in young students’ education.
- Engage public school teachers in the tutoring process.
- Ensure schools of education shape preservice teachers’ views of struggling students and their parents.
- Underscore the function schools of education must undertake in shaping preservice teachers’ views of children who struggle with reading and view of parents of these students.