Statements
Mission
L.E.T.S. Play builds language skills and confidence for students through sports while establishing lasting partnerships with schools and communities. L.E.T.S. Play uses students' excitement around sports, and in particular around soccer, to teach English in a structured environment to students. More than one in six Nashvillians now are foreign born, and about 25% of students in Metro Public Schools come from families that are not proficient in English. However, schools lack the resources needed to serve this number of ELL students. Additionally, the frequent trauma and gaps in schooling that these students have create additional barriers for students on top of the lack of language skills. Play, motivation, and exercise are shown to substantially impact learning outcomes overall. L.E.T.S. Play gives these students an outlet where they can continue improving their language skills while they play and exercise in a safe setting outside of school. Moreover, the experience and skills both in language and sports provide access to sports at school where they can find a place to belong and be challenged. With the use of a proprietary curriculum created by teachers trained at the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute and reevaluated through coursework at the Peabody School at Vanderbilt University, the program aims to improve student's language and interpersonal skills, exercising and creating new relationships with peers that find themselves in a similar situation.
Background
L.E.T.S. Play has worked with over 350 youth in a variety of settings. The program provided programming to the R.I.S.E. summer program and to TFLI's Camp Illuminate in 2015 and 2016. In the summer of 2017, L.E.T.S. Play first set up its own summer program with the help of funding from MDHA. Additionally, the program has operated at 5 different schools and one community site through the NAZA afterschool program and at Whitsitt Elementary during the school day.Following the initial trial session, 100% of students responded that they would like participate in L.E.T.S. Play again. For each program for which pre and post tests are available, 100% of the students show gains.
Impact
L.E.T.S. Play provides students with a space to build and have an immediate purpose for learning English in an area where they can thrive. Volunteers from the community are involved with students, which helps tie the students more closely to the broader community they live in and become familiar with other individuals. While the most important areas of impact for L.E.T.S. Play are difficult to measure, L.E.T.S. Play evaluates impact through student gains in language skills and fitness. During summer camp, students falling below proficiency show 30% gains. Campers also run an average of 5 miles per day. Looking ahead: 1. L.E.T.S. Play is looking forward to hosting its fourth summer program in 2019. 2. L.E.T.S. Play will continue to provide programming during and after school and hopes to expand the programs offered to EL students during the school day. 3. After successful partnership with USN and Vanderbilt, L.E.T.S. Play plans to develop relationships with more volunteers and develop their capacity for programming leadership.
Needs
1. In order to expand our program, we need to earn additional funds to hire part-time staff to train volunteers, build new relationships, and share our work with the community. . We need volunteers! These include program volunteers, administrative volunteers, a website designer, fundraising committee members, and board members. 2. We need research completed around the impact of English language acquisition to integration and academic success, as well as documentation of the effect of motivation in learning.
CEO Statement
L.E.T.S. Play is fundraising to hire a full time staff Executive Director. The current Executive Director works part-time.
Board Chair Statement
L.E.T.S. Play emerged to address the needs of children who do not learn best in a classroom. Refugee and immigrant students integrating from other countries already face more hardship than the typical student trying to navigate the American school system without a family that understands or speaks the language. Schools can be daunting places where trying to fit in socially can interfere with learning. When additional struggles such as trauma, ADHD, learning disabilities, or simply different learning styles are layered below the surface, learning a new language--or any of the subjects taught in that language--can be nearly impossible. L.E.T.S. Play seeks to create a space where students can be themselves again, learning in a space that is safe and fun. They can engage in a favorite sport, with English serving as a tool to use to complete drills and compete. We believe that learning happens most 'by accident' when students are having fun. L.E.T.S. Play uses a structured curriculum with fun activities to help students find success.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Youth Development - Youth Development NEC |
| Secondary Category: | Recreation & Sports - Recreation & Sports NEC |
| Tertiary Category: | Education - |
Areas Served
L.E.T.S. Play currently serves Davidson County, focusing on neighborhoods in Southeast Nashville. The Antioch, Overton, and Stratford clusters have been the primary locations thus far.
| TN - Davidson |
