Learn more about ACE
What ACE Does
Literacy Tutoring
"Above all, I think, these kids just want to know that someone believes in them and believes that they will achieve success."
—Gabe Smith,
ACE tutor
- ACE AmeriCorps tutors provide intensive one-on-one bilingual literacy tutoring to kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students at Allison, Andrews, Brown, Cook, Dawson, Govalle, Harris, Houston, Langford, Oak Springs, Ortega, Perez, Walnut Creek, Widen, Williams, Winn, Wooldridge, and Zavala elementary schools in Austin Independent School District, and in Decker and Oak Meadows elementary schools in Manor Independent School District.
- The Parent Advocates for Literacy (PALs) program recruits parents to become ACE AmeriCorps tutors and provide small-group early literacy intervention to pre-kindergarten classrooms. ACE PALs serve at the Lucy Read Pre-K Demonstration School and at the Anita Uphaus Early Childhood Center in Austin Independent School District. PALs participants gain valuable work and career development skills and earn an education award.
Supporting Parents
- ACE's Play and Learn program, reaches out to very young children (two- to four-year-olds) and their parents, offering workshops that use play to build school readiness skills.
AmeriCorps Tutors
- 120 highly trained, committed AmeriCorps tutors provide intensive one-on-one and small-group early literacy intervention.
- AmeriCorps tutors receive intensive literacy training, gain valuable experience, and earn an education award.
- 90% of ACE alumni continue to serve their communities.
- 30% of ACE alumni remain in the education field after completing their AmeriCorps service.
The ACE Impact
- ACE tutors provide over 100,000 hours of research-based, bilingual early literacy tutoring and instructional support each year.
- 2,000 students in the Austin Independent School District receive ACE tutoring each year.
- Two-thirds of the children who have received one-on-one tutoring from ACE reach grade level in key early reading skills.
"The tutors and the ACE staff make the academic success of our children their top priority, and I fully support and appreciate the continued level and quality of support they provide, as well as the excellent training and ongoing professional development the tutors receive each year. "
—Guadalupe Velasquez, Principal, Allison Elementary