Ready For School
Ready for School is a family literacy program supporting refugee children and their parents. Now directed by Heather Smith, following the retirement of longtime leader Karen Morrow, the program continues its mission of equipping families for school success. Over the past year, the program has served around 20 families at Apartments in Fort Worth. By engaging both children and parents in literacy-rich activities, Ready for School fosters a culture of learning and prepares preschoolers for success in U.S. classrooms.
The 20-week curriculum—developed by Karen Morrow (M.R.E.), Jana Marbut-Ray (M.Ed.), and Caroline Bell (M.S.)—uses classic children’s books like Brown Bear, Brown Bear and The Very Hungry Caterpillar to build early literacy, math, motor, and social skills through songs, stories, and hands-on fun. Parents participate alongside their children, learning ways to support learning at home. Both parents and their children participate in the program, learning English together while parents learn important teaching skills and children develop fundamentals which will prepare them for school. While the program previously concluded with a personalized bookshelf stocked with books for each family, this year families will receive book bags instead. The curriculum remains free and accessible (click the links below), making it easy for churches, ESL programs, or passionate volunteers to replicate.
Looking ahead, volunteers are needed for the fall session, which is set to begin the third Tuesday in September. Interested in getting involved or learning more? Contact Heather Smith.
