Naydelin, a first grader at George Mason Elementary School, enrolled in Community Lodgings’ after-school programming in the start of the 2016-2017 academic year. At registration, we learned she had been in public school system for less than a year after moving from Honduras, and was an English Language Learner with a Special Education Plan to receive specialized support for literacy.
Naydelin came into the Community Lodgings after school program and had a difficult time identifying letters or the simplest of words. She was assessed below a kindergarten grade reading level, which was two full levels below her grade level. She gets great support from her elementary school, which Community Lodgings complemented with the expert instruction from their staff and carefully chosen volunteers.
Naydelin receives one-on-one tutoring and small group instruction in reading, writing, and related work specially prepared by the Community Lodgings staff. They also focus on school work provided for by her teacher, and she completed hours of on-line reading tutorials.
She specifically works with Reading A to Z and Spelling City software as recommended by her teachers. Small group and paired learning also gives Naydelin the chance to learn from other students, and the peer support was helpful in her learning trajectory.
Naydelin continues to improve her reading, writing, and math skills in Community Lodgings’ after-school program and has improved one and a half grade levels during the year! Her parents work hard to care for Naydelin and her four siblings, and having Community Lodgings in her life providing attention, academic instruction, care, and support has allowed her to thrive. Staff accompanied Naydelin to her parent teacher conferences to advocate for her and learn the best ways to assist her in programming.
Community Lodgings looks forward to having Naydelin enrolled in their summer program and the next academic year, and they will enroll her sister when she starts in first grade next year.
