By Brenda Higgins
Each year the Northern Kentucky Education Council takes one day to train random volunteers to assist 2nd grade students with their reading skills. Most of the people who volunteer are retired persons or people who just love children and helping them strive to be their best in Pendleton and surrounding counties.
The volunteers meet with the student’s teachers and are matched up with their child. The volunteer then meets at the school with their child ½ hour, one day a week. It doesn’t take long for the child and volunteer to get to know each other and how to get the best from each other. Volunteers will pick up books from the library to read to or with their child along with other fun ways to help enhance the child’s desire to read.
As the program came to an end this year you’ve got to give credit where credit is due, with the teachers. The program does work and it doesn’t take long with the student and his or her person working together to begin to see improvement. The child is recognizing site words easier and the reading begins improving as well as interest, and desire to do better, but ½ hour a week can’t take the place of all of the time, energy and care the teachers pour into the students daily. The program is an assistant and simply one to one time given to the lucky child(ren) chosen to participate. It’s fun, exciting, relaxed yet structured and puts the child at ease with the volunteer, which aids in helping achieve the goal of assisting the child in reading.
Each student’s volunteer is given an Amazon gift card by the Northern Kentucky Education Council to use to purchase books for their child at the end of the school year. As this year wrapped up new friendships were made and respect was earned between the partners. There was a time of celebration with the teachers on hand as well with lots of food, drinks and laughter.
If you would like more information about this program and are interested in helping a child, please contact Northern Kentucky Education Council at www.NKYEC.org.