Our story

LEAP began in 2008 when volunteers from St. Philip's and St. Luke's Episcopal Churches began providing English-as-a-Second-Language tutoring to adults at Iglesia El Buen Pastor and recruiting other parishioners to join them.

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In 2010, the adults at El Buen Pastor asked the volunteers  to shift the their efforts to their school-aged children.  For the next two years, volunteers from St. Philip's, St. Luke's, and Iglesia El Buen Pastor worked together to provide tutoring for children twice/week, focusing specifically on their literacy skills. The volunteer Program Coordinator developed a training for tutors drawing on the practices developed by the Augustine Project in Chapel Hill and based on an Orton-Gillingham approach to literacy instruction.  Trained volunteers continue to meet twice/week with students who are developing their literacy skills.

 

In 2012, LEAP created its first preschool class, created a board of directors and began hiring part-time staff. In 2013, LEAP added a second preschool class, became incorporated in the state of North Carolina and applied for tax-exempt status from the IRS.  LEAP opened its second preschool in 2015, the EDCI/LEAP Academy, in partnership with the East Durham Children's Initiative.  In 2019, LEAP created its first class for 3-year old children at Nuestra Escuelita, bringing the number of 3 and 4-years olds served at both sites to almost sixty.  It also (re)created an ESL class for adults, coming around full circle to where it started.