FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Preface, the McCallie School, and East Lake Elementary School jointly announced a groundbreaking expansion of the Preface model to serve the next generation in the Volunteer State.
CHATTANOOGA, TN. – Preface has etched another milestone in its mission to create equality through education and early childhood literacy, thanks to its newly launched partnership in Chattanooga, TN. On October 20, the McCallie School and East Lake Elementary School officially kicked off their landmark Preface partnership – the first in Preface’s series of planned 2020 multi-state expansions across America.
Now fully virtual, thanks to the unique circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, McCallie Ambassadors will work regularly with East Lake Elementary school students in small group settings to bridge comprehension gaps and foster early childhood literacy – with a multilingual twist!
“For many years, McCallie Spanish students have collaborated with East Lake Elementary School as interpreters for parent teacher conferences and during family registration days,” said Frank “Paco” Watkins, McCallie’s Preface Liaison and the school’s Head of World Languages. “We love this work because it provides our students with a needed, real world experience for using their Spanish skills while benefiting our Chattanooga community. But the buzzword now is 'Preface' and the work it's doing to increase reading literacy in public schools. We are super excited to join forces with Preface to extend our multilingual relationship with East Lake by making direct investments into the lives of young learners.”
“East Lake Elementary is thrilled to be partnering with Preface and the McCallie School to support our students during this unprecedented season,” said East Lake Elementary Liaison Emily Clegg. “This school year has forced us to change and adapt much of what we do. However, what hasn’t changed are the needs of our students. Our students, more than ever, need practice and support in literacy skills, positive role models, and encouragement. Preface helps us meet these needs and more in a consistent and sustainable way. We believe that the relationships formed between the McCallie and East Lake students will have a positive impact not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. We are so grateful that they’ve chosen to work with our community!”
“The ability to read is paramount in being a successful student and a well-informed citizen,” added Watkins. “Our student ambassadors are big-hearted young men who truly desire to be active in something bigger than themselves, working to improve the lives of children who live and play just blocks from our high school. When our student Ambassadors build a relationship with a young learner, by helping him or her in their reading journey, they know that they are making a positive and lasting difference in those young lives. And that is priceless!”
About Preface:
Founded in 2019, Preface is a public-private philanthropic initiative dedicated to fostering equality through education and early childhood literacy… with a multilingual twist! Partnering with educators and community leaders, Preface empowers local high schoolers to give back to their communities and bridge opportunity gaps by fostering literacy among young emerging bilingual students. A federally recognized 501(c)(3) organization, Preface is proudly headquartered in Gwinnett County, Georgia and serves communities across America. Learn more at www.PrefaceProject.org.
For further inquiries, contact:
Jonathan “JT” Wu
Founder & Executive Director
Devon Naftzger
Chief Marketing Officer
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