L.E.E.R. and Columbia College

Hola amigos/Hello friends,
Here is a link to an article written by one of my students (a Spanish and Communciation double major), Lea Stapleton, who completed a teaching internship with me last semester, and also an internship with L.E.E.R. through her major in Communication.  It was published in the Post Script, Columbia College's newspaper, and it explains a lot about L.E.E.R. and how we partner with CC students.
http://www.c2postscript.com/news-and-features/leer-family-outreach-1.1738780

Our latest events

Since our inception in 2002, L.E.E.R. has undergone many different phases of development as the needs of the community have changed, and as our leadership has changed.  I would like to tell you about our most recent initiative--Bilingual Story Time.  This is a program that has grown out of a class I teach called Spanish in the Community.  Columbia College students work in a mutually beneficial tutoring relationship with pre-K ESL students at Arden Elementary School reading stories together in English and Spanish.  Out of this class grew our annual celebration of Día de los niños, día de los libros, or DIA (Diversity in Action) as we called it, which is a celebration of children, culture and books.  And our bilingual story time grew out of this event.

What is it?  Traveling bilingual storytime in Spanish and English--volunteers will come to classrooms, after-school programs, pre-schools, or libraries and share a story and a fun craft or activity with your students.

How do I book a story time?  Check out our website http://www.leerfamilyoutreach.org/ and send us an email with your information, requesting a bilingual story time.  We will work with your schedule as we have volunteer availability.  Easy as that!

How do I become a volunteer?  Visit the volunteer page on our website http://www.leerfamilyoutreach.org/ and send us an email with your contact information.  You will receive an application and then schedule an orientation and training session.

West Columbia/Cayce Library

Craft time after the story

North Main Library



North Main Library



Cane Creek Community Center--Día de los Muertos

DIA: A Celebration of Children, Culture and Literacy

Calling all Columbia area kids and their families!

Join us for DIA (Diversity in Action)—a free, fun-filled festival celebrating children and culture through books.  Enter the Storybook House or “Casa de Cuentos” for an afternoon of adventure. Your children will participate in interactive storytelling in English and Spanish, as well as dancing, music, crafts and food from many different cultures.

It will take place on April 24th from 1-4pm at the Keenan House in Columbia, SC (801 Wildwood Ave. Columbia, SC 29203). For more information on the event or if you would like to participate through song, dance, storytelling or crafts, contact Shelley Whipple at shelley.whipple@columbiasc.edu

Presented by:  Columbia College Division of Languages and Literatures, L.E.E.R. Family Outreach, Palmetto Luna and Maria Palito USA

DIA: Diversity In Action

A Columbia Event Celebrating Diversity, Literacy, and Bilingualism:

April 24th from 1-4pm at Keenan House in Columbia, SC.The Division of Modern Languages and Literatures of Columbia College, in collaboration with L.E.E.R. Family Outreach and the Palmetto Luna Association invite you to attend or participate in a celebration of diversity, literacy and bilingualism.

History of the event:

Día del niño is a holiday commonly celebrated in Mexico on April 30th. Acclaimed children’s author, Pat Mora fell in love with this idea in the mid nineties, and decided to link this holiday with literacy and promoted its celebration in the U.S. It is intended to note the importance of children and literacy in society and is aligned with the global holiday Children’s Day.

The Event:

In celebration of Día de los niños/Día de los libros, our event is called DIA, which stands for Diversity In Action. We will be celebrating the theme, “Casa de Cuentos.” The event is geared toward the families of elementary students and young children of all backgrounds, and it will involve bilingual storytelling in English and Spanish, dancing, music, food and crafts from many different cultures. We encourage you and your students to attend or participate in the event. Our focus is the Latino community, but we’d like to include everyone in the hopes of encouraging bilingualism, reading and education both within the Latino community, and the community at large.

For more information on the event or if you would like to participate, contact Shelley Whipple at shelley.whipple@columbiasc.edu

image via Pat Mora