Books of all shapes and sizes fill the shelves at Bees Learning, Inc., a local non-profit literacy program dedicated to bringing affordable educational assistance and promising futures to children around St. Petersburg. The organization, founded by former Fairmount Park Elementary School teacher Leah Veal in October 2017, operates with the help of a team of certified educators-turned-tutors both inside the facility located on 1st Avenue N. and via a mobile RV used directly in underserved communities.
Veal says, “We want to offer families an affordable, engaging program that will not only engage children and get them excited about reading, but will teach specific reading strategies to build proficient, independent readers.”
Multiple opportunities for learning — including individual tutoring, homeschooling supplementation, and group classes — are offered for a monthly fee for children in grades Pre-K to 9 inside the newly opened brick-and-mortar classroom. Programs include Kindergarten Rocks, a social development and differentiated learning class for children ages 4 to 6, and Beyond the Standards, intermediate tutoring in reading and math for students in grades 2 through 5.
Complete with custom curriculum designed by Veal and her team, these paid services along with grants and other fundraising means support Bees Learning’s mobile literacy program, We Love Books. Children in grades K through 5 can receive free help in vocabulary development, listening comprehension, and other strategies from qualified teachers through this free reading proficiency program that takes place inside the mobile RV classroom.
Students qualify for the We Love Books program by qualifying for free or reduced lunch or attending a school receiving a grade of C or lower in the last three academic school years. According to Veal, “Reading opens doors for children and every child deserves access to quality literacy opportunities.”
The RV, purchased and renovated through Veal’s own funding, currently makes stops at Childs Park, Campbell Park, and Thomas “Jet” Jackson Recreation Centers in St. Petersburg as well as the Gulfport Public Library.
New this summer at Bees Learning is Books with Little Bees Mother’s Morning Out, a drop-off literacy program for children ages 3 to 5. Parents are invited to drop off their preschooler either every Wednesday or every Saturday from 10:00am until 12:00pm for a fun and educational morning. Cost is $145 per month and includes one Mother’s Morning Out class each week with one flex class available each month.
If you are interested in helping to support Bees Learning and their work in the community, the organization hosts fundraising events at local venues throughout Pinellas County. To see the upcoming events or for more information on services offered at Bees Learning, visit beeslearning.org.
