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Shelley
Maxwell
Shelley Maxwell has brought
family literacy services to thousands of families through the literacy
initiatives she has championed. Her first successful literacy
project began while she was raising her own children in
Chicago public housing. All
three went on to pursue post-secondary education.
Ms. Maxwell's professional
literacy career began as the Intergenerational Literacy Coordinator for
the Chicago Public Library Literacy Initiative. As a result of
Shelley's efforts, hundreds of parents and children were served at the
Chicago Public Library Reading and Study Center. Shelley says the
Reading and Study center was a haven for families that cut through the
urban blight and hopelessness of public housing.
Shelley went on to manage
the Adult Basic Reading Program which matched non-readers with
professionals that wanted to volunteer as literacy tutors on neutral
turf. Shelley developed successful student/tutor matches for more
than 1,000 adult literacy students from 1990 to 1992.
In 1992, the Chicago
Department of Human Services developed a program to increase family
literacy services for Head Start parents, children and family
members. Ms. Maxwell was asked to manage this new initiative:
the Family Start Learning Centers (FAST).
FAST started with one site
offering the family literacy training series at Head Start centers and
adult literacy classes at a FAST Center located on
Chicago’s westside.
Today FAST has four locations serving over 1,000 families a
year. In addition, has also helped parents move
toward self-sufficiency through many work experience programs.
Hundreds of parents have received training to prepare for AmeriCorps
service, and FAST has graduated more than 150 parents from National
Service.
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