RACINE — With back to school season just around the corner, consider becoming a Schools of Hope tutor.
Schools of Hope is a United Way of Racine County initiative that has positively impacted students’ lives for over a decade. In this program, volunteer tutors are paired with young children on a regular basis to provide reading support.
Schools of Hope will be offering in-person tutoring during the school day for the first time since the pandemic. Opportunities are available to assist first-, second- and third-grade students in Racine. Volunteers can work with students at one of United Way’s three community schools — Knapp, Julian Thomas and Mitchell, or at Wadewitz Elementary.
Now through Sept. 23, applications for volunteer tutoring positions are open. In as little as 30 minutes per week, volunteers help students become confident, capable readers. People can also form a tutor team and share the same weekly volunteer assignment with a friend.
People are also reading…
As of 2022, tutors have provided more than 27,000 hours of assistance to local students. Research has shown that third-grade reading proficiency is a powerful indicator of academic success. A student who is not at least moderately successful in reading by the third grade is unlikely to graduate from high school. Volunteers are essential in assisting these children to increase their reading capabilities.
In addition to English-speaking tutors, United Way is in need of bilingual English/Spanish speaking Schools of Hope volunteers to tutor students in the dual language program at Mitchell. In this program, students from bilingual families and monolingual families come together to learn both English and Spanish, leading to students being bilingual by the fifth grade. Schools of Hope tutors working with dual language program students must speak and read fluently in English and Spanish.
Applicants are required to pass a background check prior to volunteering in the classroom. Training and materials are provided and no previous experience is needed. Tutoring takes place from October through May.
For more information and to apply, visit UnitedWayRacine.org/SOH.
