Call for School Partners!

The Northwest Washington Reading Corps is currently accepting grant applications for new school partners for the upcoming 2011-12 school year!

Washington Reading Corps AmeriCorps team members provide one-on-one and small group literacy intervention to students identified as struggling readers, recruit community volunteers, and support family involvement events and activities in the schools.

Our sites contribute a cash match per member in the amount of $3,000 payable by October 31, 2011. WRC sites may choose to support the cash match through a variety of ways, including PTA, general district funds or other grants.

Why do we require a cash match for our AmeriCorps members?
The cash match provided by your school is what allows our program to provide valuable services to your community. Without this per-member match our program could disappear, leaving over 1,300 students without literacy support in our project area alone.

Value provided by project: The NWWRC is responsible for the overall administration of the program, including providing training, support, and technical assistance to schools and WRC AmeriCorps members. We have developed a Leadership and Professional Development training curriculum to prepare our members to become community leaders during their service term and beyond.

Lasting impact: So far this year our 54 members have recruited over 200 additional community volunteers. Our members help recruit, train and manage community volunteers to tutor students in schools. What better way to create lasting impact than by training volunteers to continue their work for free?

Student performance: So far this year our 54 members have tutored more than 1,300 students. In addition to being positive adult figures in students’ lives, WRC AmeriCorps members have consistently improved student performance through:

• Improved attitudes about reading, including greater enthusiasm and enjoyment of reading.
• Improved self-esteem and confidence.
• Improved basic-reading skills and critical-thinking skills.

Please contact Meghann or Sara if you have any questions, or are interested in applying for Washington Reading Corps support in your district.