With just one hour a week, you can help end the childhood literacy crisis. As a reading volunteer or volunteer tutor, your presence matters.
Literacy mentoring is not a cure-all, and the Harvard study discusses the many-layered impact of stable and supportive adults, like caregivers.
Still, literacy experts nationwide, in big cities and small towns, repeatedly tell us that the social-emotional impact on a child with a committed reading mentor is as significant, if not greater than, the literacy impact.
Prison, unemployment, addiction, crime, dependence on social services, prostitution, and early disease/death… all these realities are fueled by illiteracy. The matrix of events and factors that lead to these destructive realities is complex, but studies show that reading can be a preventative element in directing young lives.
Many children grow up with few adults who will just talk with them. The simple lessons of engaged speech, responding to social cues, exchanging respect, practicing grammar and vocabulary, and increasing comfort with adult relationships all prepare children to engage the outside world with confidence and competence.
Learning is an adventure with numerous life-empowering obstacles to tackle. Every week, you and your mentee will practice the art of overcoming those obstacles.
Dr. Gottman teaches, “Adult emotion coaches value negative emotions, are not impatient with a child’s expression of them, and use the emotional experience as an opportunity for bonding by offering guidance through labeling emotions and problem-solving the issue at hand.”
The Harvard University’s Center for the Developing Child has extensively researched what factors affect mental/academic/emotional health in children. As a conclusion to much of that research, Harvard published:
Science shows that children who do well despite severe hardship have had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult. These relationships buffer children from developmental disruption and help them develop “resilience,” or the set of skills needed to respond to adversity and thrive.
Want to volunteer one-on-one? Become a reading mentor. We’ll match you with a local literacy organization and walk you through what’s needed—no special credentials required.
Faith-based groups have the power to uplift entire communities. We’ll help you launch a literacy initiative that’s meaningful, accessible, and rooted in impact.
Want to volunteer with coworkers, friends, or a community group? We make it easy to get started together—just tell us who’s in your group, and we’ll handle the rest.
