After a positive first year, Greater Lafayette’s Read to Succeed program is expanding. The effort to boost literacy skills in kindergarten through third grade students will be in ten schools.
Coordinators say more volunteers are needed to help in the classroom.
United Way of Greater Lafayette C.E.O. James Taylor says they heard many success stories at the end of the last school year.
"One example is a little girl who was very much in her shell and uncomfortable with doing many things in the classroom. Working with the volunteer, she became more confident and more successful in her classroom."
He says an individual or pair of volunteers spend one hour per week in the classroom helping the teacher.
"They do a variety of things: Individual reading with a student, literacy exercises in small groups. The most important thing is consistency. To make it less of a burden on someone's schedule, you can partner with a coworker or family member to alternate volunteer shifts."
The elementary schools participating in Read to Succeed this year are: Glen Acres, Miami, Miller, Murdock, Burnett Creek, Klondike, Mayflower Mill, Woodland, Wyandotte, and Cumberland.
You can find more information about volunteering for Read to Succeed HERE.
