Nearly 40% of Central Florida’s third graders attending public school cannot read at the appropriate level. This puts these students at a distinct disadvantage throughout their scholastic careers. These children are four times more likely to drop out of high school if they continue on this path.
ReadingPals connects passionate volunteers with students who need extra help developing essential literacy skills.
Become a ReadingPal Today
- Commit to spending 30-minute sessions with your pal once per week throughout the school year at an Orange, Seminole, or Osceola location.
- Pass a background check.
- Attend a volunteer training session.
- Get matched to your pal.
- Work with your pal to develop valuable reading skills with the provided materials.
- Become a friend and mentor.
- Change a life while enriching your own.
Who does ReadingPals serve?
ReadingPals impacts Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) classrooms. Generally, your pal will be 4 years old and will need your help for school readiness. Students will be identified by their teachers at the beginning of the year based on their performance on the Fall VPK assessment.
How will I help?
Using a blended curriculum of digital and traditional books, volunteers will help students work through specific lessons to enhance learning. These lessons will build valuable pre-literacy skills such as rhyming, combining syllables and beginning sounds by reading the book together, answering follow-up questions and other supportive learning activities.
Please click here to sign up as a volunteer.
ReadingPals is made possible by Carol and Barney Barnett and The Children’s Movement of Florida