“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” This popular quote, written many years ago by Dr. Seuss, holds true today. Education is the cornerstone of individual and community success and reading is a core building block. Yet in Lake County, less than 25 percent of 3rd graders are reading at grade level. Those students who continue to struggle with reading into adulthood are likely to have trouble finding and keeping a job with a livable wage and health benefits.
In an effort to help improve student reading scores, United Way of the Wine Country is partnering with NCO Volunteer Network and local schools to offer a Schools of Hope program, beginning in October at Lakeport and (for the first time) Kelseyville Elementary Schools. Schools of Hope is an early intervention strategy for children (K-3) who struggle with reading. This model is based on best practices from Dane County, Wisconsin, where in 10 years it virtually eliminated the achievement gap.
The success of this program depends upon volunteers willing to work one on one with students for 30 minutes a week. Those who wish to tutor more than one student may do so provided they are able to commit an additional 30 minutes of volunteer time per student. Training and materials will be provided so tutors can feel confident.
Is it successful? An evaluation of Schools of Hope by Sonoma State University in 2014 found that first and second grade students who received tutoring showed reading proficiency growth between 28 percent and 50 percent higher than non-Schools of Hope students who started with similar scores.
An information and orientation session will be held at North Coast Opportunities (NCO) in Lakeport on Tuesday, August 23 at 6 p.m. and on Thursday, August 25 at 10 a.m.. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer or hearing more about the program should plan to attend. NCO is located at 850 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport.
For more information or to RSVP for the orientation/information session, please call the NCO Volunteer Network at 462-1959 or email Program Assistant, Kayla Harrison at kharrison@ncoinc.org.
