Today is #NationalReadABookDay – and did you know that students who don’t read proficiently by third grade are 4x more likely to dropout of high school? While you may think childhood illiteracy is a far-off issue that doesn’t really apply to you, it’s happening right here in the Midlands.
Just this year, 600+ third-grade students in Lexington + Richland counties failed a school reading test that requires passing to enter the next grade. Now, many of those kids are being held back.
How can you help? By becoming a tutor for a local child (grades K-2nd) in a local school. And it’s actually not as time-intensive as you may think. United Way of the Midlands’ Midlands Reading Consortium makes it easy.
đź“Ť Volunteers get to pick which of the 21 participating Midlands schools they want to go to
⏱ Reading sessions only take 30 minutes a day – so you can leave + come back to work over your lunch break
✅ There’s a waiting list of children who need help reading, so there’s always a place for you
🤝 United Way is getting tutors trained + placed now, so it’s a great time to join (and to fulfill your volunteer hour commitments before the year is up)
Since Midlands Reading Consortium started in 2007, 3,025 students have received one-on-one tutoring with volunteers, and 90% of those kids increased their reading skills + interest, thanks to their tutors. Watch this video to see some MRC tutor/child success stories.
It only takes 30 minutes a week to make the difference between whether a child advances to the next grade + graduates from high school on time – or not.
To volunteer, click here + choose the school you want to work with. Your new reading buddy with thank you.
This content was created in partnership with United Way of the Midlands.
