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Welcoming the Children . . .
A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave his country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
Sometimes those persons are only three years old and three feet tall when they land in America. Their families have been through trauma and hardship, and face the daunting challenge of starting life all over in unfamiliar surroundings. Three-year-old refugee children don't know Clifford the Big Red Dog or The Little Engine That Could. They haven't "grown up" watching noisy yellow school buses rumble by, anticipating the day they'll be big enough to climb aboard.
In short, when it's time to start school, most newly resettled refugee children are not prepared to succeed. Ready for School! is a program that can make a big difference for these children and their families. Developed by experts on education and refugee issues--Caroline Bell, Jana Marbut-Ray, and Karen Morrow--it combines fun and learning for children and their parents. The goal of the 10-week curriculum is to prepare children specifically for pre-K and Kindergarten and to inform their families about American schools in general.
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Along the way, everyone has a great time! The curriculum includes five target skill areas each week:
- Reading, language and reasoning
- Math
- Motor
- Social
- Parenting
"One of the neatest things is the connection of music," Caroline Bell said. We do many of the same songs each week, and we can see the children participating and enjoying them more and more as we go along." She said some of the parents record the songs and finger-play on their phones for review during the week.
A variety of people groups have participated in Ready for School!--Chin, Karen, Afghan, and others. Many of the refugee home countries do not have children's literature in their first language and parents aren't accustomed to reading to their kids. But by the end of 10 weeks, families are very familiar with the handful of books used and have received copies of each one to keep.
"A lot of things have been special," Caroline said. It's fun to see the parents enjoying the songs and finger-play. Many of the kids have gone from being silent to participating to expressing themselves. To me, that's been the most exciting thing."
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Join us . . .
 Workshops include:- Favorite ESL Teaching Techniques
- ETS HiSET
- Teaching Citizenship
- Adult Education
- Parents and Children Learning Together
- Immigration Reform and Legal Protection
- World Religions with Focus on Reaching Out to Muslim People
- Teaching Refugees to Read
- Volunteer Recruitment and management
- Using the Bible in Teaching ESL and Literacy
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See You Tomorrow . . .
Come to San Antonio!
This conference will equip and inspire you to impact your community for the Kingdom! Featuring speaker Jen Hatmaker, New York Times best-selling author, mother, justice advocate, and HGTV star.
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Lester Meriwether, Executive Director
Offices at Henderson Hall - Agape Baptist Church
3954 Southwest Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76116
Mailing/shipping address:
3020 S. Cherry Lane, #123168
Fort Worth, TX 76121
817-696-9898 www.literacyconnexus.org
 
Pam Moore, Editor
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