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Square One Takes the Lectio Approach Toward Literacy
February 16, 2021
Through reaching out directly to the community and providing educational programs for children and their families, Square One is shaping the next generation for adulthood. Dedicated to their social, emotional, and cognitive development, the local nonprofit organization provides opportunities to children across Western Mass and strives to make a difference in their lives.
Through the sixteen programs they offer, Square One guides children through everything from daycare and physical activity initiatives, to career prep and family support services. They recently joined other early literacy organizations within the area to participate in the Lectio Institute, a professional development program working to strengthen early education and literacy growth within communities.
The Lectio Institute guides stakeholders through an intensive process focused on improving the quality and results of their early learning and literacy programming services. Reading Success by 4th Grade (RS4G) brought the Lectio Approach to the Springfield literacy ecosystem. RS4G invited community partners and literacy leaders with a footprint in the city to learn more about early literacy, improvement in science, and creating and refining the literacy landscape.
The Lectio Institute upholds that “it is critical that we, as a field, take on a new approach to promoting children’s early reading skills—one that ensures our efforts and that help our children reach their potential.”
Dawn DiStefano, President and CEO of Square One, reflected on her team’s participation in the Lectio Institute and the opportunities for meaningful growth through the program.
While DiStefano acknowledged that Square One and Lectio shared the same goals and strategy for early learning, she discussed the benefits of reviewing their programs and refocusing with a more collective perspective: “The process of strategically analyzing and mapping our agency’s literacy efforts resulted in a focused opportunity for our team to really dig in.”
Through the program’s guidance, an increased focus on framework plans and researched data surrounding literacy can lead to further outreach within the community. Square One creates unique educational foundations for children based on their needs, interests, and family circumstances.
Their services include child care for all ages, programs for both physical activity and social interaction, and centers for early educational and literacy development. While also focusing on creating successful family units, parents have the opportunity to access family workshops, career building programs, home visiting services, and community resources.
While these programs provide countless opportunities for success and growth to the community, DiStefano plans to apply new strategies from the Lectio Institute to boost their efficacy. She commented on the need for a “specific focus on the individual components to our literacy efforts… and certainly more evaluation.”
“We believe the framework goals will be a critical component to our strategic plan moving forward,” said DiStefano. “It has certainly allowed team members that don’t typically work together to find common ground and identify ways to engage with literacy that is meaningful and purposeful.”
With the shared goal of helping children reach their full potential and gain advanced literacy skills, Square One and other adjoining organizations can cooperate to make a difference in the lives of local families.
With this added professional learning, “our community will definitely benefit,” said DiStefano. “In recent community meetings I’ve already noticed we talk the same language.”
Square One
is a nonprofit organization based in Springfield, Massachusetts that is dedicated to providing early education, childcare, and family support services to the community. https://startatsquareone.org
Facebook: @StartatSquareOne
Reading Success by 4th Grade
is a community-wide initiative to get all of Springfield’s kids reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade. Their projects bring people together to learn, share, and advocate for early literacy in Springfield, Massachusetts. www.readby4thgrade.com
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn: @ReadBy4thGrade
The Lectio Approach:
Our mission is to unlock the power of our collective commitment to America’s youngest readers. We work to ensure that all children's literacy efforts and those they serve reach their potential, and that all stakeholders see the results and impacts they intended. www.lectioapproach.com
Chrissy Howard
Manager
Reading Success by 4th Grade
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