Volunteers to help Mat-Su Borough school kids read

MAT-SU — If you have some extra time on your hands and would enjoy helping local school kids, United Way Mat-Su wants to talk to you.

The United Way hopes to have more than 50 volunteers in areas schools this school year helping local Mat-Su area students achieve grade-level reading proficiency.

“Our first lady, Mrs. Parnell, is supporting the program and it is a nationwide program that was actually started by another first lady in Arkansas,” said United Way Mat-Su Resource Development Director Cherie LeBlanc-Shue. “With research they found that the one-on-one help made a huge difference.”

She said she can attest firsthand — a granddaughter reading below grade level got up to par in less than a semester with help from a one-on-one coach.

United Way cites national statistics as well in showing that reading is a foundational skill.

“Scientific Daily 2006 statistics show that two-thirds of children who cannot read proficiently by the end of the fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare,” according to a press release from the organization.

The local readers program is a partnership with the Mat-Su Borough School District. United Way says kids here are relatively proficient, with only 13 percent of third-graders reading below grade level. Those kids who need extra help are the ones who will be targeted.

And, for the volunteer, Shue said the time commitment is relatively small.

“They commit to a half an hour twice a week,” she said.

That lasts for one grading period, usually a semester. She said students in the program are first- through third-graders. Volunteers need to fill out a form and submit to a background check.

“It’s not a deep background check, it’s just a basic one to make sure there’s no red flags for us,” Shue said.

Next step is a training session to help orient readers to the school they’ll be working in and explain how to coach young readers — things like how long to let a kid struggle with a word before jumping in.

United Way makes a point of trying to assign each volunteer a school that’s close to where he or she lives or works.

Shue said the program started last year, but was much smaller.

“We had about a dozen people who were in the schools doing it this (past) year, but we’re doing a major kickoff with it this time,” she said.

The goal this year is to have 50 people working in the schools. Shue said the hope is to have people to fill in for the next grading period for reading helpers who, for whatever reason, don’t come back for a subsequent grading period.

“The snowbirds can leave and then we can cycle more people in,” she said.

She said it’s great for people of all ages, even retirees.

“It benefits both the seniors and the students,” she said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or

andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.