Literacy First

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Literacy First

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Literacy First is an early childhood literacy tutoring program from the Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin.

We teach young children how to read, equipping them to excel in life and realize their dreams. Keep up with Literacy First at literacyfirst.org

10/10/2026

Support the work that helps young readers thrive! Join the Dana Center as an AmeriCorps Operations Coordinator, administering the day-to-day operations of our AmeriCorps-funded tutoring programs. AmeriCorps alums and bilingual (English/Spanish) candidates are encouraged to apply!

Apply today: https://ow.ly/mV4E50ZSNHR

09/12/2026

Today, our AmeriCorps Volunteers joined 9/11 Day to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attacks. We honor those we lost and the individuals who stepped forward in the aftermath through service, unity, and action.

Our Volunteers helped with a local event, supporting with meal packing for families facing food insecurity. This event was one of over 50 across the country to and pack over 18 million meals for neighbors facing hunger.

09/05/2026

Welcome to our 2026–2027 AmeriCorps Texas Volunteers! Our tutors kicked off their first week of training by learning about our program's mission and history, policies and procedures, the science of teaching reading, and with community-building activities. We look forward to week two of training where we'll dive deeper into how to implement our literacy interventions. Please join us in wishing these tutors a wonderful service year!

08/24/2026

Meet one of our returning AmeriCorps Volunteers, Milvia. Milvia will be starting her third service year with us this September.

We asked Milvia why she decided to come back for a third year and she shared, “each day of service, I found myself understanding what I bring to the table professionally, such as active listening, empathy, and flexibility. I like to be in spaces where others are inspired to be a little better, and where students are truly seen as individuals and not just numbers.”

She also shared that being a Literacy First tutor and seeing the influence her work has on her students has impacted her future plans. “Literacy First has had a profound impact on my career path. If the result of providing literary support to young children is that they gain confidence and believe that they are capable of achieving difficult things, then I want to continue sharing that hope in the places I work.”

Thank you for your years of service, Milvia! We look forward to seeing you grow over this next year.

08/22/2026

Our team is back in schools and training tutors, staff, and teachers to deliver the Literacy First intervention! Earlier in August we kicked off a busy season of beginning-of-year professional learning. Pictured here are special education teachers in Fort Worth learning how to implement Literacy First interventions with their students.

08/05/2026

So many of our tutors have witnessed it—the moment when something “clicks” for a student and they begin to take off in their reading growth. Andrea watched one of her students, Evan, slowly improve in his reading with daily practice. Then one day came a powerful moment that showed her just how much he had grown. Visit our blog to find out what changed for Evan: https://www.literacyfirst.org/nothing-can-stop-me-now/

07/27/2026

We are honored to share that we have been selected as an AmeriCorps grantee for 2026–2027! This federal award allows us to continue offering high-impact literacy tutoring in Central Texas with AmeriCorps Volunteers as tutors. We are proud to be one of 37 programs that will engage 2,775 AmeriCorps Volunteers across Texas this coming year. Thank you AmeriCorps for this investment in our community and to OneStar for your administrative support!

07/20/2026

Are you looking for a fulfilling role that will help you growth both personally and professionally while giving back to your community? A service year with AmeriCorps might be for you!

Camila served as an AmeriCorps Volunteer during the 2025–2026 school year. In her position as a Spanish Literacy tutor, she worked one-to-one with her students each day, guiding them through structured lessons so they could become stronger readers. She shared that the best part of her experience was working with students and seeing their growth over time.

While reflecting on her year of service, Camila wrote, “my experience with AmeriCorps and Literacy First helped me grow both personally and professionally. I strengthened my communication, patience, leadership, and problem-solving skills while working with students from different backgrounds and learning needs. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve through AmeriCorps.”

If this sounds like the opportunity for you, visit our website to learn more about becoming a tutor: https://ow.ly/U6J350Zq93z

07/17/2026

Do you work at a school or community organization looking for ways to support young readers? We’re always on the lookout for new organizations to work with to implement our high-impact literacy intervention.

Literacy First provides intensive training, ongoing coaching, data systems, and all the curricular resources needed to help communities reach their early literacy achievement goals. We are also the only program in the U.S. to provide high-impact reading tutoring in both English and Spanish. Fill out the interest form to learn more about working with us: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019ed2100e67730d8a14cef92bf4cee2

07/13/2026

“Having the opportunity to be in the classroom and to be a tutor really had a big impact on me. It informed so many of my decisions, and I saw firsthand the need for bilingual and bicultural public servants,” shared one of our tutor alums, Aissa Olivarez.

Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, Aissa spent a lot of time in schools since her mother was a school administrator, but she didn’t always see herself working as an educator. It wasn’t until she attended UT and had the opportunity to serve as an AmeriCorps Volunteer and Literacy First tutor in 2008 that she realized her passion for working with young students. After graduating, she decided to get her alternative teaching certification and taught in Austin ISD for five years.

Eventually, Aissa decided she wanted to do more to address gaps in access to education and other public resources, which she noticed while working as a teacher. One of her student’s experiences with immigration stuck with her, and she decided to leave the classroom to pursue law school with a focus on immigration law.

Aissa now lives and works in Wisconsin and serves the community as an immigration lawyer and nonprofit leader at the Community Immigration Law Center. She credits her time with Literacy First for helping her become a successful nonprofit leader. “Literacy First was a program that led us and treated us well. The leaders there really cared about what our passions were. It gave me a great experience and paved the way for me to become the leader that I am in the nonprofit world.”

Thank you, Aissa, for your AmeriCorps service and continued community leadership as a public servant!

Address

3925 West Braker Lane
Austin, TX
78759

Website

http://www.literacyfirst.org/

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