Edie Leppert

Literacy Connects

Literacy Connects offers learning opportunities from birth through adulthood – from reading to computer skills, English acquisition and artistic self-expression. We are based in Tucson, AZ. Literacy is not just the ability to read and write. It is the bedrock upon which we build our lives. Today and in the future, our community needs citizens with a range of literacy skills to acquire, create and communicate information. Our programs include: Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona – We prepare children from birth through five years of age to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Our pediatric partners provide new books to children and early-literacy coaching to parents so that their children grow up with books and a love of reading. Reading Seed – We recruit and train volunteer reading coaches to work one-on-one with students in kindergarten through third grade who are reading below grade level. We distribute free books to children and offer a library for coaches, teachers and other literacy providers with books that match K-12 students' interests and reading ability. Stories that Soar! – We give voice to the original words and creative ideas of young people by sharing their stories through professional theatre productions, visual arts, handcrafted books and an arts integration K-12 curriculum. Each of our programs provides opportunity for young writers to experience the power of literacy and creative expression. Adult Basic Literacy and English Language Acquisition for Adults – We recruit, train and support volunteers to tutor adult students who are either learning to speak English or working to improve their reading, writing and math skills. Our programs offer an individualized approach to support each student's personal learning goals such as GED (both in English and Spanish offered). We provide one-on-one tutoring, group classes, and personal help in our tutoring center and computer lab.