Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning

 

When you support the Carnegie Center, you support a community of learners. The Carnegie Center is a regionally-respected leader in education outside the school systems, winning national, state, and local awards for programming excellence. Our programs rival the enrollment of a community college, directly impacting 7,900 people of all ages last year through educational workshops and programs, and another 7,400 people at events--most with free admission. We impact diverse segments of our community through our low-cost or free programming and by providing scholarships to all in need. To date, we’ve granted every scholarship request.

Through creative learning activities, the center promotes reading, writing, math, technology, and other skills that are as vital to school-aged children as they are to adults. Each season we offer a new line-up of workshops, events, and programs for people of all ages and levels of learning. Beginning learners, master learners, school teachers, writers, business professionals, and families are among the diverse people who rely on the center for their learning needs. Last year we served people from 41 Kentucky counties and 16 other states.

The Carnegie Center’s signature program for children is the tutoring program for grades K-12, providing one-on-one help. When a child comes to us, we assess the academic performance and match the child with a tutor who provides weekly tutoring sessions tailored to the child’s individual needs.  We have two literacy specialists on staff—a Reading Specialist and a Math Specialist—to help those students who require assistance beyond what a volunteer tutor can provide. Sessions help children improve their academic performance and parents find an affordable solution to helping their child. After a one-time sliding scale registration fee of $5-60, all tutoring sessions are free.

Through partnerships with and referrals from local schools, Carnegie’s tutoring program is making a significant impact in decreasing the achievement gap among area students. Children, most of whom were falling behind their peers in school, gain an average of 1.5 years in reading skill during our school year program.

Our tutoring students are diverse; last fiscal year, 78% represented minority groups, and of the 14% who identify as Hispanic, most speak English as their second language.  There was a fairly even split among students who came to us for reading or math needs, and a near equal number of females to males in our program. Students came to us from 59 different schools (all but two in Fayette County), and 66% of students were elementary school children. We also served our highest number of children from low income families, representing 69% of our tutored students.

During the 24 years of the tutoring program’s existence, thousands of students have been touched—their lives changed through the support they received. 

 

TUTOR SPOTLIGHT: Connie Meyers

Connie Meyers (Tutor)

Derek Combs & Elina Lawnd (Students)

Connie Meyers retired after more than 30 years of diverse teaching experience ranging from elementary schools to the University of Kentucky and Somerset Community College. One day she was driving by the Carnegie Center in 2014 and said to herself, “Connie Meyers, you promised yourself that when you retired you would tutor at the Carnegie Center.” That day she kept her promise by stopping, coming in, and signing up to be a volunteer tutor. Connie has been tutoring ever since. This year, she is tutoring three students. “These children give me my day. They give me more than I can give them,” explained Connie. “I love them all! It is such fun to learn with the students.”

One of her students is Elina Lawnd, is a 2nd-grader at Rosa Parks Elementary School. “As soon as Elina turned five, and was getting ready for kindergarten, we started tutoring,” Naveen Lawnd, Elina’s mother, said. “Elina’s confidence has gone up in both math and reading. The whole thing is awesome. It’s affordable and I feel like Connie really cares so much. And Elina loves her.”

Elina likes working with Miss Connie. “I get help with my math and she’s funny and makes jokes,” Elina said. She also likes that she gets to play games at the end of the tutoring sessions and when she fills a sticker chart. When Elina first came to the Carnegie Center she was shy. Now she speaks clearly and laughs a lot!

Connie has seen a big improvement in Elina. “She reads beautifully and her handwriting has improved. She has come so far!”

Derek Combs, a 6th grader at Morton, is another student tutored by Connie. According to Derek, the work they do together helps him understand reading assignments at school because Connie takes the time to talk about what the words really mean. “He’s come a long, long way,” Connie said.

According to Derek’s mother, Addie Combs, Derek lacked the motivation to do well and she was terrified about him going to middle school. That’s when she decided to enroll Derek in the tutoring program. “I didn’t want him to get discouraged,” Mrs. Combs said, “and I didn’t want to be the mean mommy every day.”

Connie started working with Derek when he was in 5th grade. She not only helped with his school work; she taught him how being organized would help him keep up with his classes and his learning, too. “He’s doing so well now!” Mrs. Combs said. “He was the only child in his class to get a 100% on a social studies test; he’s getting all A’s and B’s; he has the highest GPA in his homeroom. Miss Connie has worked an absolute miracle with my son. She is so encouraging. She has been awesome. I could not be happier. I love Miss Connie. I would take her home with me!”

See the fun photo of Connie with Elina on our rotating photo gallery. Smiles all around!