FAQ
Volunteers read with students during school days and hours. On your application, you can choose a 30 minute slot anytime between 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM, Monday – Friday.
School Coordinators work closely with teachers, instructional staff and principal to identify high needs students.
Anyone who can read. The only requirements are they must be at least 18 years old, be cleared by district(s) background check, complete Education Connection training, and commit to at least 30 minutes a week to read with students.
No prior experience is required, just the ability to read.
To register to become an Education Connection volunteer, please click HERE and follow the prompts on the front page.
Yes! However, we do require that you be fluent in English in order to best serve our students. Some schools may request native Spanish or other language speakers to read with students. We have training materials in Spanish.
Yes. District specific background checks are required each year. No fingerprints are needed to complete the application.
There are many schools to choose from and we hope that there is one close to where you work, live, or play. See our list of schools here: https://www.education-connection.org/#home-school-list
NO!
For consistency and liability purposes, it is crucial that all follow these guidelines throughout all our schools:
Books Used in Reading Sessions - All books that literacy partners bring to read with students must come from the school's library or their students' teacher, not from their personal collections. It's great to be prepared with a book bag for times when a student forgets to bring a book; however, the books in your book bag must be checked out from the school library. Most school libraries allow volunteers to keep books longer than students can. Please check with your school's librarian for those details. If your student forgets to bring a book, kindly ask them to go back into the classroom to get a book.
Curriculum Materials - Literacy partners are NOT permitted to bring any curriculum materials that have NOT been provided to them by their students' teacher.
Your reading start date can take several days to several weeks, depending on a variety of scheduling factors such as training, background check completion, school schedules, and student assessment data. Our goal, however, is to match you with a student as quickly as possible.
Consistency is important with your students, and we understand that everyone has busy schedules. Let your teacher know ahead of time by email so that they can inform the student and if possible, try to reschedule to another day that week.
We match students based on school priority and schedule. Your School and Literacy Partner Coordinators are always available to answer questions and work with you to make sure that you are paired well and feel confident as a volunteer.
Each year volunteers will attend training to learn more about Education Connection’s mission, model, strategies and FERPA (Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act) training. Typically, trainings are available at the beginning of each school year and take approximately one to two hours. Recorded training is available to those who are unable to attend live training. Online training involves watching a video and answering a few questions.
We ask that volunteers commit to at least 30 minutes per week.
You can register to volunteer anytime during the registration window that is listed on the front page of the website.
YES. Although a student may appear to be “caught up”, we want to make sure they are able to retain their growth and abilities. The school will monitor and track their progress throughout the year. This information will also help determine our program impact. It is possible that students move schools or may transition into another reading support program. If this occurs, new students will be matched with volunteers. Please be in contact with your coordinator if your student is no longer available to read with you.