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Press
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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAYOR
BATES AND UC TEAM UP FOR MAJOR SUMMER READING PROGRAM ‘Project
BUILD’ to launch on June 22nd – 560 low-income Berkeley
public school students to receive books and paid UC student tutors to
improve reading skills. Berkeley, CA – In a major effort
to strengthen literacy and reading skills among Berkeley public school
students, Mayor Tom Bates, the University of California’s Cal Corp
Public Service Center, the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education and
the Berkeley Public Library are launching Berkeley United in Literacy
Development (BUILD). Project
BUILD will provide tutoring and free books to approximately 560 youth in
six summer programs for low-income kindergartners through 8th
graders. UC Berkeley’s Cal Corp Public
Service Center will hire approximately 30 Cal students through America
Reads Federal Work Study program. The
tutors will be trained by BUSD certificated literacy specialists, UC
Berkeley Graduate School of Education graduate students, and literacy
experts. “This is exactly the kind of
community collaboration we need to meet the challenges facing Berkeley’s
kids,” said Mayor Tom Bates. “The
City, UC, the Library, community agencies, and the private sector have
joined together to help ensure kids start the school year ready to
learn.” Project BUILD will work with two
city recreation centers (James Kenny and Francis Albrier), the Young Adult
Project and four non-profit summer programs serving low-income children
(Centro Vida Preschool, Bahia School-age Program, Berkeley Youth
Alternatives and RISE). Participating
programs will coordinate with the Berkeley Public Library, providing
library cards to all students and enrolling them into the library’s
popular Summer Reading Program. The program was made possible
through a $10,000 donation from SBC and $6,000 from Wells Fargo Bank.
Scholastic Inc.'s Literacy Partners also provided low cost children's
books. In addition, Project BUILD will make use of $55,000 in
federal work study funding to help pay the UC tutors. # #
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