Literacy Champion

Choosing a School

1. Be curious and be available.  In every town, city and community there are varying needs across the school district.  Some schools objectively have more children reading below grade-level than others.  

• Be responsive to learning about your community's unique needs.  
• Keep an open mind.  Your ultimate school partner may not be the school you would have initially chosen.

2. Locate a local literacy organization that places volunteers in schools.  Most communities have pre-existing organizations that have already done most of the hard work, to make the volunteering process clear, easy and fairly quick to onboard.
   
   BONUS, these organizations already:

• Have established systems to smoothly work with government and local leaders
• Have relationships with the schools and know where the greatest needs exist
• Know how to communicate with schools and maximize your experience
• Have a system to orchestrate background checks and other administrative tasks
• Have staff that are already funded to help communicate and oversee you volunteer experience

3.   Collaborate regarding your volunteering goals.  

Let them know:

• you want to focus on literacy mentoring
• if you are hoping for a school close to your church/business OR if you are willing to travel to the school with greatest need
• the number of volunteers you hope to recruit and how that number might increase over time
• if you are open to sending volunteers to multiple sites

4.    If no Literacy Organization exists, your path is a little more administratively intensive but will also offer a chance for unique investment in your mentoring partnership:

• Research to find a nearby school with literacy needs
• Set up an appointment with the school’s volunteer coordinator (they may be the Vice Principle or another administrative staff member)
• Communicate your desires and willingness to serve, including your hopes (like in #3 above) and your flexibility to serve as needed
• Learn the school’s pathway for on-boarding volunteers
• Send your people
• Note:  hear about a DIY reading program HERE.

5.   Begin to SERVE

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