Grant funds literacy program at UNG

The University of North Georgia has received a $2,000 grant from the Wish You Well Foundation to create a literacy program to help Hall County parents improve their English literacy skills by reading to their children. It is launching the program this fall at UNG's Gainesville Campus with the goal of serving 15 families.

UNG's Department of Psychological Science, Department of Modern Languages and College of Education are partnering on the UNG Family Literacy Through Reading program.

Sessions will be held from 6-8 p.m. every Thursday from Sept. 18 through Nov. 6. Parents with children in grades kindergarten through fifth grade are eligible to apply for the program. Applications are available through this form.

UNG is seeking students to serve as tutors for the pilot program this fall, with the goal of continuing the literacy effort in spring 2026. Interested students can email Susann.Doyle-Portillo@ung.edu or Efren.Velazquez@ung.edu.

"This program is an opportunity for UNG students to interface with our community while engaging in resume-building service learning," Dr. Susann Doyle-Portillo, department head and professor of psychological science and principal investigator for the grant, said. "By working in the literacy program, our students will have an opportunity to put the knowledge they are learning in the classroom into practice. This program also strengthens and supports our community and our constituents."

Dr. Efren Velazquez, associate professor of psychological science, is also grateful for the community outreach aspect of the program.

"Through this collaborative effort, we hope to connect with non-English-speaking families and invite them to campus so they can participate in the literacy program," Velazquez said. "I believe this is an exciting opportunity to keep building a relationship between UNG and the Hispanic community in Hall County through this program."

The program will involve both parents and their children being on campus throughout the two-hour sessions.

"This represents a meaningful extension of our mission to prepare future educators who are deeply engaged with and responsive to the needs of their communities," Dr. Christian Bello Escobar, College of Education director of academic and community engagement, said.