Building a more literate Nassau

Nonprofit group starts dyslexia program

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With a sigh, 11-year-old Julianna Grote clicked the lighter and touched the flame to her book, watching quietly as a few pages went up in flames. Then she dropped it in the fire pit to let it burn.

Her parents, Melissa and Chris Grote, kept watch over the backyard pit. Julianna went inside their house and sat at the dining room table. She was ready to move on. It’s not that she hated the book, per say, but Julianna had to read “Peak,” by Roland Smith, against her will, she said.

“This book was challenging. [Burning it] is a way to let it go,” Julianna said. “It was a hard book for me, and it wasn’t that interesting.”

Reading for Julianna has always been a daunting task. When she learned that she had dyslexia last summer, she finally had answers as to why reading was such a chore. And, her father said, it enabled the family to devise a plan to help her.

Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects children and adults. Those who suffer from it have trouble breaking words down into simple sounds, according to Literacy Nassau Executive Director Karen Micciche. Students with dyslexia struggle to learn how sounds relate to letters and words, which leads to slow reading and poor comprehension.

After spending four difficult months searching for tutors who could provide the after-school help that Julianna needed, Melissa found Literacy Nassau, a Freeport-based nonprofit organization.

Last November, Julianna was paired with Micciche, and Julianna’s reading quickly improved, and so did her grades. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in Julianna,” Melissa said. “She’s gone up three reading levels since November, and she has more confidence in her reading.”

With a laugh, Julianna admitted that she still has a good copy of “Peak” to take to school with her after Labor Day, but burning her bad copy symbolized the start of a new chapter in her life.

While working with Julianna on “Peak,” Micciche tried to find creative ways to help her student to connect with the main character, who is a mountain climber, even taking her rock-wall climbing at Island Rock in Plainview and making homemade rock candy.

“I like to do all sorts of projects that extend beyond just sitting down and reading,” Micciche said.

This past year, Literacy Nassau launched a pilot dyslexia program with a grant from the John and Janet Kornreich Charitable Foundation. Micciche is employing the Orton-Gillingham method of teaching reading. Orton-Gillingham was developed in the early 20th century and encourages readers to use all of their senses as they process the words on the page.

A key component of Literacy Nassau’s dyslexia project will be training teachers in the Orton-Gillingham method. Right now, the organization is working with 15 students who suffer from dyslexia, and plans to expand the program.

One in 10 Nassau County adults is illiterate, Micciche said. With 500 volunteers, Literacy Nassau is on mission to teach as many adults as possible to read, write and speak English. In total, the group is working with more than a thousand students.

Classes are held throughout Nassau County, including at the Freeport, Baldwin, Uniondale and Roosevelt libraries. Each class meets for three to four hours a week and runs about 10 weeks. There are beginner, intermediate and advanced classes. Students can spend up to a year or more in the program, depending on how quickly they learn.

Sandy Pesce, an English as a Second Language teacher who runs beginner and intermediate classes for Literacy Nassau, said, “I’ve seen my students bike to get to class. They’re so committed to our classes, and I love seeing their excitement as they start to learn how to read and speak.”

Ten years ago, Johnny Gilchrist, now 75, from Roosevelt, visited the center in the hope of improving his reading skills. Growing up in rural Alabama, he struggled with reading and decided to go straight to work. Years later, he decided he needed to get his reading and writing under control and enrolled in classes at the center.

“I’ve learned as much as I could,” Gilchrist said. “But I knew this was something I had to do for myself.”

Gilchrist helps coordinate Literacy Nassau’s Next Chapter book clubs, which help other adults with reading and writing disabilities or developmental disabilities. Like the classes, the reading and writing clubs meet at local libraries or designated locations throughout Nassau.

Literacy Nassau is moving from Freeport to Wantagh. According to Micciche, the organization has outgrown its space in Freeport and recently began its move. By early September, tutoring for students will take place at the new facility, at Jerusalem and Wantagh avenues. The organization plans to host a grand opening at the center in November. All current classes will continue at the Freeport Memorial Library and Long Island Cares in Freeport.