Literacy Connexus

Teaching english connex us originally known as tex (teaching english with excellence), the Literacy Connexus program of training volunteers to teach english to speakers of other languages is now tecs -teaching english connects us. This change in name reflects an expansion of our programming beyond Texas as well as a focus on using technology more in our training. A team of nine skilled volunteer trainers provide a blend of online and in-person instruction to church-based volunteers. These volunteers will provide classes in english to internationals, refugees, asylees and immigrants. Literacy Connexus developed the tecs training program in 2007 and has provided training to volunteers in more than one hundred congregations in Texas.

Ready for school we partner with the cooperative baptist fellowship to help the parents of refugees in fort worth prepare preschoolers for kindergarten. This past year the ready for school program served 25 families with a weekly average of 10 families. Classes were composed of families from afghanistan, myanmar and congo. Through age appropriate learning opportunities and music, the families were introduced to reading, math, motor, and social skills that they needed to enter kindergarten. The learning continued as the families took home the book of the week and learning activities. Cbf field personnel karen morrow directs ready for school with support from Literacy Connexus, and the curriculum is available at no charge on the Literacy Connexus website. We are preparing for karens imminent retirement from cbf by preparing a current volunteer to provide future direction for this program.

What's for lunch? In 2023 we received the gift of time from a baylor professor who had invested herself in a waco school for years providing access to books for children in summer meals program. Dr. linda english began researching ways to take her experience to a new level leaving her faculty position at baylor. She presented at the annual conference of Literacy Texas in august and worked with the staff of the baylor collaborative on hunger and poverty. Literacy Connexus is looking to fund a position for dr. english to direct whats for lunch?

Learn for life in 2023 we expanded our collaboration with the learn for life tutorial center which was located in agape baptist church in fort worth. The new office location at workforce solutions has provided a better setting for tutoring adults. Last year learn for life provided more than 350 hours of instruction to 12 students. In 2023 we initiated discussion with staff of workforce solutions to make services more visible and available to adults whose reading aliteracy Connexus staff and board have participated in training volunteers who provide tutoring for adults who do not read well to study for the ged. Our expectation for this programs future is securing more tutors and volunteers.