Meet Ebony Donley | Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ebony Donley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ebony, how does your business help the community?
Literacy Innovations, LLC helps the community by creating a community of readers and lifelong learners. I am passionate about literacy and I lead by example. I can always be caught reading and I encourage everyone I meet to read at least thirty minutes daily. I have participated in various literacy initiatives, such as Read Across America Day and the Xprize competition since starting Literacy Innovations. The most recent campaign is Cleveland Reads. The goal of Cleveland Reads is for Clevelanders to read one million books during 2023. I am a neighborhood reading ambassador for the Collinwood community and I encourage residents to read and log their books. I also help them register for the challenge. Literacy Innovations also helps the community by hosting monthly family game nights. These events give the families opportunities to enhance literacy and math skills using games. The families enjoy interacting and learning from one another. The adults have as much fun as their children while trying to remember forgotten skills. I provide the families with strategies to make learning fun and painless. I also provide resources, such as workbooks, flash cards, and books to assist their learners on their journeys to academic excellence.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Literacy Innovations, LLC is a tutoring company that focuses on enhancing literacy and math skills. We specialize in increasing phonemic awareness, phonics, word recognition, vocabulary development, fluency, comprehension, and writing skills in the K-12 population. We also provide mathematical services in the areas of number sense, geometry, operations and algebraic thinking, measurement and data, and probability in the K-8 population.

Literacy Innovations, LLC also specializes in servicing learners with special needs. I hold a special education license and have worked with the special needs population since I was sixteen years old. I have experience working with individuals with autism, intellectual disabilities, specific learning disabilities, and other special needs.

The approach that I take when working with learners sets me apart from others. I create a learning plan that is unique to each individual that focuses on the strength of the individual. I do this intentionally because a learner’s strengths often assist in improving his/her deficits. I change the plan as needed as the learner makes gains. I understand that there is not a one size fits all approach as it relates to learning. I focus on using a multi-modality approach to ensure success and compliment various learning styles. The goal is for the learner to retain as much information as possible.

I am most excited about my ability to motivate learners to persevere by celebrating small victories on the way to academic success. I am excited about creating a community of lifelong learners. I got to where I am today with support from family and friends and by being a critical thinker and problem solver. Being a small business has been a challenge. Clients often wanted a company that was larger with a more recognizable name. I overcame that challenge by consistently getting results. In most cases, learners made maximum growth in minimal time. Parents were willing to complete reviews on my Better Business Bureau page to share their satisfaction. The reviews helped bring credibility and recognition to Literacy Innovations, LLC. I would like the world to know that I am passionate about literacy and the youth. Literacy Innovations LLC was born out of a desire to see the youth increase reading, math, and problem-solving skills.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the area, there are a number of places I would recommend visit her to visit, eat, drink, and hang out. Since I am an avid reader, I would recommend The Cleveland Public Library Main Branch. They have a lot of great things there. I love music and would also recommend is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Great Lakes Science Center, and Western Reserve Historical Society are also places I would suggest.

When it comes to nightlife, I would recommend Metropolitan at the 9, Autograph Collection. They have several restaurants and bars inside to guarantee a good meal and drinks. I’m sure one would be able to find something at The Centro, Vault, or Ledger Bar. I would also recommend Pinstripes or Topgolf for a friendly night of healthy competition.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have had a lot of support on my journey to making Literacy Innovations, LLC a success. My family and friends have been instrumental in encouraging me to keep striving and growing. My uncle, Charles was always there to listen and offer input. My friends Darmisha, Charonnedre, and Latasha trusted me to tutor their children when I was just starting out. I also have to shout out all of the families that have entrusted me with their learners up to this point. Neighborhood Connections helped me early on by providing me with a five-thousand-dollar grant. Lydia Hill of From Me 2 U and Lu Ann Peters of Lexington Bell Community Center also gave me opportunities to work with groups of kids when I first started the business. I’ve had a team of supporters behind me from the beginning. Margaret Bernstein of WKYC gave me an opportunity to further my mission by putting me on television and allowing my mission to be heard by the masses. Most recently Black Child Development Institute (BCDI)-Ohio awarded me an Exemplary Educator award which brought more positive attention to Literacy Innovations, LLC and my journey to improve literacy skills in the inner city and beyond.

Website: Literacyinnovations.net

Instagram: https://instagram.com/literacyinnovations?igshid=aDR4bTZzZW4zZmdx&utm_source=qr

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebonydonley2015?trk=contact-info

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literacyinnnovationstutoring?mibextid=LQQJ4d