Reading Partners

Great program

I have been a volunteer for over three years. This a one way to help young students gain proficiency in reading and comprehending English. It is a gift we can give to the younger generation.
The staff is young, enthusiastic and supportive of volunteers.
The organization has been given four stars for its financial stats making it a valuable organization in which to invest time and money.

I recently started volunteering with Reading Partners, and it’s a great organization. They pretty much say that if you’re an adult and you can read, then you’re qualified to volunteer.
They have impressive results and their program really helps kids! I read to my student twice a week and help improve his reading fluency and comprehension. Most students start the program reading below grade level, and after about 30 hours of the program they read at or above grade level!
Too many kids come from low-​income areas and live with only one parent, or their parents have to work many hours and can’t spend time reading to their children or buying them books. That’s where Reading Partners comes in. It is so helpful for students, and you can really make a difference! If you can spare 45 minutes once or twice a week, you will help.

Reading Partners is one of the most rewarding volunteer experiences I’ve had in the Bay Area.
Reading Partners matches a student who is behind their grade level in reading proficiency with a tutor for one-​on-​one reading sessions (about an hour). I didn’t have prior teaching experience to speak of, but they provided the training. I only tutor once a week, since I need to sneak out from work around lunchtime, but they can accomodate different schedules.
Reading Partners have simple lesson plans ready for each week, and it only takes 10 minutes of prep time when I get there to quickly scan the lesson and be ready for the session. Mostly I think the one-​on-​one time is helpful for the students. Teachers just don’t have the time to give special attention to each and every student while managing an entire class.
As I mentioned earlier this is one of the most rewarding volunteer opportunities around in the Bay Area (another good one is Refugee Transitions). Because you usually work with the same student, you can really see the progress as their reading improves.
By the way, Reading Partners has programs in several schools around the Bay Area. I tutor at one of the San Jose schools, not the Oakland address listed here.

Reading Partners is a high quality program backed by many brilliant staff members. I worked for them as an AmeriCorps member & all of the kids made a lot of progress; it was almost unreal.
This is a great place to learn how to tutor and/​or make a measurable difference in a student’s reading skills and attitude towards reading. You can sign up online.
I look forward to watching RP become a national presence like Teach For America :-)