This year Kenwood School launched the Reading Partners program to help all students reach their full potential by supporting those not yet reading at grade level with one-on-one tutoring.
The nationally recognized, proven nonprofit program provides training, curriculum and operational guidelines and is powered by volunteers from AmeriCorps and the community.
The new program at Kenwood is seeking more volunteers from our local community to be able to serve more students.
Reading Partners curriculum is rooted in phonics work. Students are partnered with a volunteer, and they work together weekly.
The program is designed so that anyone can be a Reading Partner. Volunteers receive training and each lesson comes with a script and anything else needed to support the child through the lesson.
Kenwood resident, parent and experienced Reading Partners volunteer Meg Carlsen shared her perspective on the impact volunteers can have for growing readers. "In many ways, it’s the relationship formed between the volunteer and the student that sustains a child’s energy when the work gets tough. To learn to read, you have to be vulnerable. The Reading Partner has the opportunity to be a support system and cheerleader for the child. In learning to read, the child will make mistakes, but they need to know that it’s okay to make mistakes — it’s how we learn and grow.
If you’ve ever learned a foreign language or an instrument, it’s a similar feeling — you’re putting yourself out there, and you need to have faith and trust in the person who is working with you, so you’ll continue doing the hard work.
I want every kid to have the best opportunity to succeed and you can't get too far if you can't read. I've seen the amazing results this program has been able to achieve, and I really believe in it. I'm thrilled that it's being offered at Kenwood this year."
Volunteers can commit to as little as one hour per week. To learn more, and to apply to become a Reading Partner, visit – readingpartners.org.
