School 15 and The United Way of Passaic County recently introduced the Reading Buddies Program, a volunteer-based initiative aimed at encouraging reading through mentorship and positive community interactions.The program is intended to be available to students both during regular school hours and as part of after-school activities, subject to the availability of volunteers.
“This program was really important to bring to our young students because learning to read at an early age is key to their future success as students,” Superintendent of Paterson Public Schools Dr. Laurie Newell said. “Through this program, we can get community members to help our young students increase their reading proficiency and show those children that the community at-large cares about their growth. Nothing inspires a child to learn more than the passion of an instructor, so having community members that really care enough to volunteer their precious time to share the power of literacy with our young children is going to make a difference”.
According to a resolution announcing the initiative, the United Way will recruit community volunteers for the program, who will undergo background checks to ensure the safety of participating students. Additionally, the United Way will work closely with Paterson Public Schools to identify student volunteers from Eastside High School who will be trained to provide the Reading Buddies Program to the participating students.
The program is scheduled to run through August 2024, with volunteers engaging with School 15 students one to two times a week. Periodic data collection will be conducted as part of the program to assess its impact on students and provide valuable insights for evaluation.
By Gabriella Dragone
Published October 23, 2023 at 6:08 PM