Claire Criscuolo’s ‘Serendipitous Moment’ Helps Students Improve Reading Skills
One night last month, East Haven resident Claire Criscuolo met some friends for dinner at Beachhead Restaurant where they were served by their favorite waitress, Tiffany Barrett. That dinner ended with Claire offering to buy Barrett’s class of 10 at King-Robinson Inter-District Magnet School in New Haven each a Kindle Fire.
“If I had not met her and seen the passion for these children in her eyes, I wouldn’t have thought about it,” says Claire. “It was this serendipitous moment where I was meant to be.”
Claire had asked Barrett if she was a teacher because “she has that personality” and learning she was, they began talking about what it was like to teach in New Haven, test scores, and what Barrett’s reading classroom was lacking.
“When I heard the scores, I was astounded and thought, ‘This is ridiculous’,” says Claire. “I said to her, ‘If you could ask for one thing that would be a game-changer, what would it be?’ Without a second thought, she said tablets.”
At that point, Claire asked her friend how much tablets would cost and offered to buy them for her class. Her original plan was to fundraise at her restaurant, Claire’s Corner Copia in New Haven, but after meeting with her staff, she realized it would take too long. “I decided then, ‘I’m just going to charge it,’ and thanks to Visa and Amazon, I had them two days later,” says Claire. “I’ll pay them off over time and cut from my budget in other areas. It’s a little out of my budget, but I’ll figure it out.”
When the tablets arrived, Claire visited Barrett’s classroom. Claire told them her story—she told them about growing up poor and working to get where she was; she told them how she had trouble learning to read and watched her older brother easily succeed academically. “I told them how I’d read something and not understand what I just read and they were nodding,” says Claire, who enjoys reading biographies and informational books.
“I shared the advice my brother gave me: the way to become a good reader is to read. The more you read, the better you get.”
Claire then told the students about her encounter with their teacher and how Claire had asked Barrett what her wish for the classroom was. The students had several guesses before one said tablets.
“They said it with such enthusiasm and when I said ‘Yes,’ you would’ve thought I told them we were going to Disney World,” says Claire. “They were hugging Tiffany and hugging me and thanking me. I told them they could thank me by becoming better readers and by reading every single day.” In addition to gifting the tablets, Claire also plans offer incentives for the students throughout the year and possibly an end-of-the-year celebration breakfast at Claire’s Corner Copia.
Barrett will monitor the students’ grades, test scores, and progress throughout the year. Claire is hoping that with proof of marked improvement, she can encourage more people to donate to more children in need.
“I am so overwhelmed by Claire’s generosity, as were my students,” Barrett says. While Claire admits she wouldn’t have thought to donate the tablets without meeting Barrett, she has always known the importance of reading and has supported New Haven Reads through her restaurant for many years.
According to its website, newhavenreads.org, New Haven reads provides “individually tailored one-on-one after-school tutoring, educational family support, and a community book bank, all at no cost to participants.”
Even though Claire’s work schedule is very busy, she volunteers with the program when she can. She has also seen the benefits of the program first-hand. “I have two immigrant employees who have been with me for a long time and English is not their first language,” says Claire. “I’ve seen them work with New Haven Reads and it has changed everything. They are doing well in school, confident, and polite. You see the difference firsthand and it’s inspiring. You look at all of these people at New Haven Reads making a difference and you can’t help but be inspired.”
While New Haven Reads helps 508 students weekly, there are more than 150 students on the waiting list and the organization is always looking for more volunteers. “I wish I had time to volunteer more,” says Claire. “It has been proven that the one-on-one tutoring works and there are so many kids in need. When we don’t allow a child to reach their potential, we all miss out because who knows what that child could become given the opportunity. The only way to find out is to encourage every single child.” Claire is not only inspired by those she sees giving back through New Haven Reads and other programs helping people, but she remembers her mother always telling her that everyone has something to give. “As poor as we were, my mother always shared soup, eggplant, and things from her garden,” says Claire. “Every one of us can do something, even if it is just to give someone a smile—you could be the only one who smiles at them all day.”
She admits that helping others can sometimes seem overwhelming as there are so many in need. When Claire begins to feel this way, she looks at a quote from Mother Teresa on her fridge: “If you can’t feed 100 people, feed just one.” She is happy that she was able to help one classroom of students in need.
“Even if it doesn’t improve the grades, the students get the gift of knowing that someone cares about them,” says Claire, remembering how many friends and neighbors helped her and her mother when she was young. “I told the students that I know it doesn’t seem like it today, but by learning to read, you are investing in your future; just like I am investing in your future.”
Most people know Claire because of her New Haven restaurant, Claire’s Corner Copia. Read more about her restaurant, and why it’s considered by many to be the best, in Food Court on Page 30.