A group opportunity. Invite your friends.
43 people are interested

Ready 4 Reading Volunteer

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ORGANIZATION: KALAMAZOO COUNTY READY 4S

A group opportunity. Invite your friends.
43 people are interested

Ready 4 Reading focuses on reading with children to support language development. Reading aloud to children is the best way to prepare them for learning to read. Volunteers are paired with one of our partnering classrooms to read two books each time they visit. Books and training are provided by Kalamazoo Public Library, and the books that Volunteers read are then donated to the classroom to help grow their library. Volunteers may go individually, or in pairs, and reading takes about 30 minutes. One-time and reoccurring opportunities are available. Bilingual opportunities are available as well!

Children that start kindergarten being familiar with books are more likely to become good readers and achieve academic success. It is difficult to teach a child to read when he/she has limited vocabulary, which is why it is so important to expose children to a variety of books, early and often, to build their vocabulary. 85% of an individual’s social-emotional and intellectual development occurs by age 5. It is imperative that we begin supporting children earlier if we want them to be prepared to take full advantage of their K-12 experience, and be able to tackle the future demands of the workforce.

This volunteer opportunity has currently shifted to be held on a virtual platform!

About KALAMAZOO COUNTY READY 4S

Location:

259 E MICHIGAN AVE STE 409, KALAMAZOO, MI 49007, US

Mission Statement

The mission of Kalamazoo County Ready 4s is to advance fully accessible, high-quality pre-kindergarten education for every 3- and 4-year-old in Kalamazoo County through collaborative leadership with public and private partners.

Description

At an October 2008 Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy and Action in the Community (ISAAC) public meeting, 800 participants witnessed local officials pledge to work together to develop a system to provide access for all 4-year-old children to high-quality, affordable pre-kindergarten. During the following two years, key community leaders representing various sectors worked together in designing a collaborative system that would eventually be referred to as Kalamazoo County Ready 4s. In January 2011, the KC Ready 4s’ board was established, and in the spring, the Learning Network of Kalamazoo provided a gift of $1 million to fund a two-year pilot program.

KC Ready 4s has experienced tremendous growth in the past nine years. In Year 1, we worked with 5 private providers serving 65 children. In Year 8, we worked with 55 providers serving 1,105 4-year-olds and piloted a program for serving 3-year-olds. This year, we are working with 55 providers serving 1,179 4-year-olds and 228 3-year-olds. Noteworthy activities during the past year include: extending programming to serve 3-year-olds and thus, supporting more classrooms; intentional focus on becoming a more culturally agile organization; strengthening connections with community partners who can provide services and resources to address the myriad of needs the families we serve face; and expanding enrichment opportunities for children by utilizing community partners.

CAUSE AREAS

Children & Youth, Community, Education & Literacy

WHEN

We'll work with your schedule.

WHERE

Kalamazoo County AreaKalamazoo, MI 49007

DATE POSTED

January 11, 2021

SKILLS

Literacy / Reading
Child Development

GOOD FOR

Teens
People 55+
Public Groups

REQUIREMENTS

Background Check
Orientation or Training
1 hour a month
Must be able to attend an orientation and pass a background check & be local to Kalamazoo County.

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Ready 4 Reading Volunteer Save to Favorites