What do I need to become a Reading Friend?
· a love of reading and a wish to share your love of reading with an EBR public school student
· attend a one-hour EveryBody Reads© training/orientation
· complete an application
· consent to a background check
· clear the background check
Explain the volunteer commitment of a Reading Friend.
Commit to read with an assigned student at least twice monthly throughout the school year. If a Reading Friend carelessly drops from the program, the child usually blames himself or herself for the sudden departure. VIPS does not want to serve as another disappointment in a child’s life. We ask prospective volunteers to consider the commitment seriously before joining the program.
Although a Reading Friend is required to read twice monthly with his/her student, can I schedule more visits?
Yes, weekly sessions are recommended, but not more often than weekly as we do not want to interfere with classroom instruction.
Do I get to choose the school where I wish to volunteer?
Yes, there is a space on the application to name the school(s) where you wish to volunteer. However, not all elementary schools participate in the program, and some schools reach capacity before others.
Can I select the times I wish to volunteer?
The teachers determine the best available times that students may leave the classroom. VIPS matches those times with the availability of the volunteer.
Does the program work?
The one-on-one time that a Reading Friend spends with a child indicates accelerated reading improvement. Students paired with a Reading Friend for at least three months of the school year show significant improvement in the areas of reading comprehension, phonics, and reading fluency.
