August 24th 2023.
The Literacy Lab is an innovative program that connects young Black men with preschool classrooms as tutors. It is currently undergoing an expansion, as it is now spreading to several cities across the US.
In Cincinnati, fellows get paid $16.50 per hour and gain access to various professional development opportunities. This includes access to literacy tutor training, social worker support, and financial guidance. On August 18, the Literacy Lab’s program announced it would be expanding to local colleges. Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and Mount St. Joseph University have agreed to join the program. Fellows who complete the program will receive nine credit-hours towards a degree in early education at Cincinnati State and fellows who get their associate’s degree will receive $20,000 from Mount St. Joseph University.
Ivan Douglas, the Literacy Lab Leading Fellowship’s national director, spoke to the Cincinnati Enquirer about the program. He said, “This is more than just a job. I used to be a high school teacher and I saw too many guys that were graduating and not ready for college or didn’t know what the next steps were. We’re also really showing them that you can make it in college. A number of times our guys shut down too quickly and think that college is not for them, because maybe they barely graduated from high school.”
The Literacy Lab will be hosting its annual training conference in Cincinnati this year. It will involve more than 100 fellows and it will give them the opportunity to learn about early childhood development techniques and practices. Aleesha Martin, the fellowship’s lead coaching specialist, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the conference will equip the young Black men who attend it for their futures. He said, “They learn how to get in touch with their feelings. They learn how to work as part of a team. They learn the responsibility of showing up on time, being in the classroom with different people, dealing with different types of personalities, which is really important in the workplace. Also, some of them are parents, so we give them skills that they can use at home with their own children.”
The Literacy Lab is clearly doing great things for young Black men. Not only are they being paid to tutor in preschools, but they are also gaining important skills and knowledge that will help them in all aspects of their lives. With the expansion of the program to local colleges, it is providing fellows with the chance to pursue an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and receive scholarships to help them do so. This is a great program that will give people of color the tools they need for a successful future.
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