How can you help our area kids succeed in only 30 minutes a week? 

United Way Recruits Reading Tutors

Stevens Point, WI – July 13, 2012 – United Way of Portage County hopes to find approximately 30 volunteer reading tutors to work with students for their third grade reading initiative, the Learn for Life Reading Program.

The Learn for Life Reading Initiative is a unique collaboration of the United Way of Portage County and Portage County Public Schools. The goal of this program is to increase reading achievement in Portage County so that all children are proficient in reading by the time they finish third grade.

The volunteer tutors will work with third grade students who have been identified as needing additional support to increase their reading skills. Volunteer tutors will meet with students individually for a minimum of 30 minutes, each week during the school year. 

United Way staff will meet with potential volunteers to complete the application and other paperwork starting in July. All volunteers will receive training prior to tutoring, which is scheduled to begin at Rosholt Elementary, McKinley Center, Jefferson School for the Arts and Madison Elementary in October 2012.   

“This program is important for our community because reading is a basic building block that gives children the tools they need to engage in a lifetime of learning,” said United Way’s Director of Community Impact, Patti Cahill. “Through third grade a child learns to read, after third grade, they read to learn. Data show us that a person who is not a moderately skilled reader by third grade is unlikely to graduate from high school, and children who have not developed basic literacy skills by the time they enter school are three to four times more likely to drop out in later years.”

How can you get involved?

Consider volunteering as a trained reading tutor. To learn more about this volunteer opportunity, call 715-341-6740, email uway@unitedwaypoco.org, or visitUnitedWayPoCo.org.