Legacy of Learning

The Daily Camera
Section: Living & Arts
Page: D08

OUR MISSION: We provide financial assistance for educational programs to improve the literacy and basic academic skills of Boulder County`s low-income residents. Using Direct Instruction, a research-validated curriculum, our primary purpose is to teach reading, spelling and math to at-risk elementary and secondary students. As an adjunct to our mission, we have an outreach program that targets low-income adults who also need educational services.

WE SERVE: All students from first to 12th grade are eligible to apply for full or partial tuition which provides an instructor at Dreamcatcher Direct Instruction Centers. Dreamcatcher is a supplemental educational service that is celebrating its 10th year in Boulder County. Educating individuals one-to-one in schools, community centers and other locations, we provide a comprehensive educational program that achieves a significant and measurable change in fundamental skills. An extraordinarily high success rate is consistently achieved with every student, including those with learning differences, through individualized programs.

Any student who is behind two grade levels in reading, math or spelling, and who receives free or reduced lunch is eligible for tuition support. Any low income adult also may qualify for a grant.

BRIEF HISTORY: Legacy of Learning was established in 1998 to address the pervasive issue of illiteracy by funding students of economi! cally challenged families. Over the past six years, hundreds of instructors and volunteer teachers have educated more than 125 low-income students at centers in Louisville and Boulder. At the heart of our program is Direct Instruction, a program designed in 1962 that has been the subject of more than 3,000 studies worldwide that validate its efficacy. Direct Instruction is a research-proven, learner-verified curriculum, which guarantees significant achievement for each pupil who completes an individualized course.

Legacy of Learning has active and successful relationships with Boulder County Juvenile Diversion Program, the "I Have a Dream" Foundation, Boulder County Social Services, SOAR High School, Boulder County Mentoring Partners, Workforce Boulder County, Confident Living, Family Recovery Centers, and Imagine! Innovative Resources for Cognitive and Physical Challenges.

PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: We consistently witness dramatic changes in our students. Our ! philosophy is based on the belief that all students can learn, regardl ess of their histories, behavioral patterns or learning preferences. With our academic system, students suffering from low self-esteem are discovering untapped resources and finding their unlimited potential. A fifth grade boy (reading at a first grade level) asked his mother to find a way to make him "brain dead" so he would no longer suffer from humiliation in school. After a year in our program, he now is in the top of his class. We are proud to know that our program makes a lasting difference in the life of a child, their family and our community.

GREATEST NEED: Donations still are our greatest need. We rely on financial contributions from our community and local and national foundations to support our work. We also need more volunteer teachers who can commit two hours a week for four months.

FUTURE PLANS: Young people need self-confidence to create a future with hope, yet parents frequently tell us that their children are discouraged, unmotivated and with! drawn. Virtually every child has an active imagination, a desire to be creative and a hunger to learn. When children have strong academic foundations, they then have the power to become self-reliant and to be more successful in life.

We are expanding our services to include group instruction in reading, spelling and math. We have new transition courses for students and parents, which delineate the specific issues and complexities of each new academic environment - from elementary school to middle school, middle school to high school and high school to college - and provide tools and solutions for success in each. Adult Education and ESL classes also are offered.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Iris Lee, program director, at (303) 444-8422, fax: (303) 444-5223. Email: Iris Lee

Web site: www.dreamcatcherlearning.com If you`d like your organization to be profiled in Nonprofit Spotlight, e-mail Erika Stutzman at stutzmane@dailycamera.com. You! must be registered as a 501(c)3 to participate.

Copyright, 2005, The Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.Record Number: 10AEDDD1F81085D7