Volunteers Needed To Help Altadena Kids Learn To Read

ALTADENA, CA — A nonprofit literacy organization is looking for volunteers in the Altadena and around Los Angeles to teach kids how to read.

Reading Partners recruits and trains community volunteers to provide one-on-one help with learning to read for students reading below grade level in Title I elementary schools around L.A. County.

"Right now only 20 percent of students locally are reading on grade level, and we need help from our community," Steven Aslin, Senior Volunteer Coordinator for Reading Partners, told Patch.

Reading Partners uses an effective, evidence-based program that has helped thousands of children to master fundamental reading skills they need to succeed, Aslin said. This school year, hundreds of Reading Partners volunteers will help more than 800 students each week.

Some highlights of the Reading Partners program:

1. No experience is necessary – Reading Partners provide a structured curriculum, with on-going training and support from an on-site Reading Partners staff member.

2. Tutors work with the same student each week, building a lasting relationship with their student and a real understanding of their academic needs.

3. Reading Partners is currently located in 15 schools across L.A. Tutors are able to choose a convenient location that works best for them.

4. Tutors commit to at least one consistent hour per week (one hour is equal to one session). Sessions take place all day Monday through Thursday.

The list of participating schools in L.A. are below:

South Bay:

• Roosevelt Elementary School, 3533 Marine Ave.Lawndale, CA 90260
• William Green Elementary School, 4520 W. 168th St.Lawndale, CA 90260

West L.A./Mid-City:

• Carthay Center Elementary School, 6351 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048
• Crescent Heights Boulevard Elementary, 1661 S Crescent Heights Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035
• Saturn Street Elementary School, 5360 Saturn St., Los Angeles, CA 90019
• Shenandoah Street Elementary School, 2450 S. Shenandoah St., Los Angeles, CA 90034
• Wilshire Crest Elementary School, 5241 W Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

San Gabriel Valley:

• Henry W. Longfellow Elementary School, 1065 E Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104
• Jackson Elementary School, 593 W. Woodbury Rd., Altadena, CA 91001
• Jefferson Elementary School, 1500 E. Villa St., Pasadena, CA 91106
• Madison Elementary School, 515 Ashtabula St., Pasadena, California 91104
• McKinley School, 325 S Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101
• Roosevelt Elementary, 315 N. Pasadena Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103
• Washington Accelerated Elementary School, 1520 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103

For more information or to volunteer, visit the Reading Partners website.