Press Releases

ACES Receives $4,000 Grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to Support Youth Literacy Initiatives

September 30th, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(North Haven, CT – September 7, 2021) – Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded ACES a $4,000 grant to support youth literacy initiatives.  This local grant award is part of more than $3 million in grants awarded this fall to nearly 760 nonprofit organizations, libraries and schools across the 46 states that Dollar General serves.

“Access to curriculum is important for every student. With the new assistive technology tools in the Promoting Literacy for Students with Developmental Disabilities (PLSDD) program, we will be able to bridge the gap between communication and literacy by creating meaningful connections for students with developmental disabilities, including those that are not able to use their natural voice,” said Danielle Dutcher, ACES Assistive Technology Specialist. “We now have an array of multimodal tools for instruction that make literacy attainable and motivating for our students. The program will allow us to eliminate the barriers to ensure equity for students with developmental disabilities through accessible curriculum, instructional tools, and focusing on our students’ strengths.”

PLSDD promotes literacy for students with disabilities, who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), by utilizing various assistive technology programs to create consistency between literacy and communication activities. The program utilizes a multisensory approach that includes the participation of a service dog trained to work with students with disabilities. The service dog and assistive technology tools combined, will assist with students’ ability to access devices, as well improve their language abilities. The program will allow students to increase their vocabulary, improve their receptive and expressive language skills and use picture supported text that aligns with their AAC device to read passages.

ACES Assistive Technology Services Department consists of multiple highly-trained assistive technology professionals with backgrounds in Speech Language Pathology, Special Education, and Occupational Therapy. They are expected to serve 71 students this school year, who will directly benefit from the tools and strategies provided by PLSDD.

“The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has been proud to invest in literacy and education programs in the communities we call home for nearly 30 years,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and vice president of corporate social responsibility at Dollar General. “As the educational landscape continues to shift, our hope is that these funds will help increase access and resources for students, educators and communities dedicated to reading and learning.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $200 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 14 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.

About ACES
Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) is the regional educational service center for New Haven and parts of Middlesex Counties. Established in 1969, ACES strives each day to fulfill its vision of creating an equitable and socially just world, one life at a time. ACES serves its members districts and others through an ever-growing array of programs, services and schools that meet the needs of a changing educational landscape. As a school district, ACES operates three magnet and eight special education schools. ACES services range from transportation, professional development and school improvement services, technology, translation, international, security, and occupational and physical therapy. ACES operates the Open and Magnet School Parent Choice programs for New Haven County. Its programs include a federally funded Early Head Start Program and ACES ACCESS, a vocational and life skills program for developmentally and physically disabled adults ages 21 and older. For more information, go to www.aces.org.

About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $200 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 14 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation provides financial support to schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores and distribution centers. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or apply for a literacy grant, visit www.dgliteracy.org.

About Dollar General Corporation

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for more than 80 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day.® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares and seasonal items at everyday low prices in convenient neighborhood locations. Dollar General operated 17,683 stores in 46 states as of July 30, 2021. In addition to high-quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America's most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg's, General Mills, and PepsiCo. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.      

# # #