New Life Community Church Learning Lab

Sponsored by CEOC

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Our Spring 2023 Learning Lab is currently at capacity. Please contact Sam Davis at sam.davis@communityeoc.org to be placed on the waiting list for Spring and/or Summer.

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“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

Frederick Douglass

New Life Community Church is proud to partner with Community Engagement & Opportunity Council (CEOC) to offer the Learning Lab, a faith-based literacy improvement program.

The Learning Lab initiative focuses on improving early childhood literacy for students in Kindergarten through 5th grade.

Only 15% of children test proficient in reading by the 4th grade. This shocking statistic is just one of many disturbing facts about early childhood education in America. To combat our country’s poor literacy rates, we intentionally designed our program to advance reading comprehension and vocabulary, intending to improve each student’s reading proficiency to grade level or above.

Additional statistics show that:

• Children of adults with low literacy are 72% more likely to be at a low reading level in school
• Children who are not reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade are four times more likely to drop out or fail to graduate from high school
• 67% of fourth graders are not proficient in reading

The Impact

The Learning Lab program has proven results. It gives students sustainable skills and resources to continue improving their reading scores as well as improve in other subjects.

CEOC previously worked with BridgeBuilders to enhance their literacy program in South Dallas. The impact was immediate! Students meeting the end-of-year grade level benchmark increased from 14% to 67% in the first school year.

The Program

Children in Kindergarten through 3rd grade should be “learning to read,” then transitioning into the phase of “reading to learn” in 4th grade. This is not possible if they do not have a grade-level proficiency in reading.

Our program is intentionally designed to:

• Assess each student and assign a benchmark reading level
• Design a plan of action that brings each student to grade-level reading proficiency as quickly as possible
• Sustain and strengthen foundational reading skills needed to succeed in school and beyond

Istation Reading is a significant resource in our Learning Lab. It is a blended learning program that uses research-based assessments and a computer-adaptive curriculum to drive powerful growth. Istation Reading addresses the “Big Five” foundational reading skills:

• Phonemic awareness
• Phonics
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Reading Comprehension

The Learning Lab program also includes private instruction and tutoring from our volunteer teachers, group reading experiences, gym activities, crafts, and individual reading time. Students will be equipped with all supplies needed for the program.

The Teachers

We are so excited about our Learning Lab teachers! In addition to previous teaching experience, they are all so passionate about helping your little ones improve their reading skills. Each teacher has received a state-issued background check.

The Students

This program is intentionally designed for students with a need to improve their reading proficiency. Please check with your child’s school for a literacy and/or comprehension report. There are also free reading assessments available online that will help determine if your child will benefit from this program.

The Expectations

The Learning Lab will be open Monday through Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:30 pm. We take this program seriously and ask that all parents and students who register be committed. We expect all students who participate to attend full-time to achieve maximum results.

Parents will receive regular communications including progress reports, recommended offline reading, and more.

Student Registration

Complete the interest form for your child(ren) ASAP, linked here. Students will be invited to register based on literacy needs and other criteria listed in the form.

Those who do not receive an invitation to register at this time will be placed on a waiting list and contacted as our capacity to serve our community increases.

For questions regarding our Learning Lab program or interest in volunteering, please contact Sam Davis at sam.davis@communityeoc.org.