FORT CARSON, Colo. -A free program new to Fort Carson may help students overcome difficulties in reading.
The Children's Literacy Program offers one-on-one tutoring to students who are under their grade level in reading. The tutoring takes place Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the Fort Carson USO.
"About one in three children are at risk of not reading at grade level. We thought if we can help the Soldiers and their Families in this way - help their kids to do better at reading - it would be awesome," said Pamela Polke, program manager, Children's Literacy Program.
Students are referred to the program by their teachers and must not be enrolled in any type of special education program, Polke said.
"I think a lot of the schools are familiar with our program. There are some schools, in fact, that had purchased our program and utilized it for after school programs," she said. "We've been around since 1993, and our first business model was set up so we did work with the schools, but we weren't able to sustain those programs because there was a lot of turnover. So, now, we run the programs, because we've been around for so long and the schools are familiar with our program. Plus, we still advertise with them. The teachers send us their student referrals."
The program has helped 95 percent of the students who participated improve their reading level since it began in Colorado in 1991.
"I like this (program) because I have a nice tutor, and she lets me play games and draw," said Dionte Bowens, a second grade student enrolled in the program at Fort Carson. "The reading is very nice. We sound out words and have flash cards to help improve my reading."
The program's intent is not only to improve students' reading level, but to develop more interest in books, Polke said.
"I hope they will develop an appreciation for reading and learn to love it," she said. "I hope that we can help them to develop a lifelong love for reading and be at grade level by the time they finish our program."
Although the program has been successful, it can't work without volunteer tutors. The program staff is looking for volunteers to commit to one or both six-week sessions and also for volunteers to stand in as substitutes, said Michael "Mo" Onstad, Fort Carson site manager.
"We understand that the volunteers won't be able to make every session," he said. "(On April 22) we had two students who couldn't come, because the volunteers weren't able to make it. If we had substitutes, they could have come."
Eight students remain on the waiting list, and the program needs volunteers ages 14 and up to be able to accommodate them, Polke said.
"There certainly are some benefits to having volunteers who are younger, because the kids look up to them, (but) we have volunteers that are from all walks of life - attorneys, doctors, Soldiers. As long as we have a volunteer willing to help a child, that's all we want."
The program follows a Peak Reader curriculum that is self guided, and does not require volunteers to have any type of background in teaching.
"They don't have to be specially educated to do this," Polke said. "The only thing is they have to ... have an interest in helping children and to read. Obviously, it helps if you have a background in education, but it is not required."
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