Literacy Center Programs

The Literacy Center

The Literacy Center is operated under the auspices of the Department Literacy Education in the College of Education of Northeastern Illinois University.
The Literacy Center addresses the reading and writing difficulties and needs of children and adolescents in grades one through twelve.
Located in the Chicago metropolitan area, it is dedicated to the ideals of diversity and community partnerships.
The fee for the graduate clinical program is $125.00 per semester.
Beginning in Fall 2012, individual parking passes will be available for for 2 dollars each. The pass is only good for one day.
For information, call Dr. JoAnne Vazzano, Literacy Center Coordinator at 773-442-5388 or email at j-vazzano@neiu.edu.

The application for the Summer 2013 term is available as a Microsoft Word and PFD document.
The Microsoft Word application can be downloaded and emailed as an attachment. Please email to j-vazzano@neiu.edu .
The PDF application can be printed and sent through regular mail. The street address is located on the application form.
Applications may be placed in an envelope and slipped under the door of 2103 Lech Walesa Hall.
Download Summer 2013 Application in Microsoft Word Download Summer 2013 Application PDF

The following chart contains the approximate schedule for summer 2013 session.
Younger children in grades 1 thru 4or 5 are assigned to the earlier sessions.
Older children in grades 4 or 5 thru 12 are assigned to the later sessions.

Session Time	Mon.	Tues.	Wed.	Thurs.
4:45 or 6:00PM	6-24-13 Orientation		6-26-13 Orientation
9:00 or 10:15AM	7-1-13	7-2-13	7-3-13 Celebration	7-4-13 No Sessions Holiday
9:00 or 10:15AM	7-8-13	7-9-13	7-10-13 Celebration	7-11-13
9:00 or 10:15AM	7-15-13	7-16-13	7-17-13 Celebration	7-18-13
9:00 or 10:15AM	7-22-13	7-23-13 Final Celebration	7-24-13 No Sessions	7-25-13 Parent Conference

Literacy Center Sessions
The Fall term begins in mid to late September and runs through late November to early December. There are late afternoon and early evening sessions in the fall term. Notification of acceptance into the fall term will be mailed in August. Winter session begins in late January and continues through mid-April. There are late afternoon and early evening sessions in the Winter term. Notification letters of acceptance in the winter term are sent in mid December. The summer session will be available four days a week in late June thru mid July. Notification of acceptance into the summer term will be mailed in late May.

The Graduate Clinical Practicum Program
Students from Grades 1 thru 12 attend instructional sessions twice weekly for diagnosis and instruction in fall and winter terms. In summer terms, children meet four times a week. As a requirement in their degree program, teachers seeking advanced certification as Reading Specialists provide an in-depth diagnosis and individualized instruction of students who wish to improve their reading skills. This diagnosis and instruction is provided under the supervision of a faculty member in the Graduate Literacy Education Program.

Parent and Family Program
Each semester, the Literacy Center invites participants of the Graduate Literacy Education Program and their families to a Literacy Celebration. This special event features parents and children sharing stories, experiences, favorite books, and poetry with each other. We all celebrate our shared love for books and reading! The Literacy Center also sponsors special programs for parents and families. Conferences provide parents information from local teachers and specialists who share their ideas for providing the best learning experiences possible for children. Parent workshops provide hands-on experiences to help parents support their children’s literacy development.

Community Program
The Community Program is designed to meet the needs of children unable attend the graduate program because of scheduling problems or lack of space in the graduate program. The community program also services children and adolescents who have good reading skills but wish to improve reading skills with additional strategies. The Community Program tutoring is $40.00 an hour. All participants in the Community Program are required to complete diagnostic evaluation at a maximum cost of $200.00. The diagnostic evaluation includes a written report of the evaluation and initial instruction. The diagnostic evaluation is waived for prior attendees of the Graduate Literacy Education Center Program. Space in the community program is determined by availability of high quality tutors.