You Have the Power To Transform Children’s Lives

Absolutely! Educators and researchers agree that tutoring can make a real difference, especially when it’s delivered one-on-one or in a small group, is led by educators or well-trained tutors, and is offered at least twice a week, like Experience Corps.

Experience Corps focuses on helping students to read by third grade because it’s an especially important year. Up until then, children are learning to read. But in fourth grade, they need to be able to read to learn.

The Experience Corps tutoring model includes a well-defined session structure, the main purpose of which is to provide targeted practice in skills critical to comprehension and overall reading.

The core program and our Volunteer Tutors focus on fluency, a set of foundational skills that are essential to developing literacy. Multiple rigorous studies have shown fluency to be highly correlated to overall reading ability of elementary school students.

Students who worked one-to-one with Experience Corps Tutors for a single school year saw more than 60 percent greater gains in critical literacy skills compared with students not served by the program.

After completing the 2-day training, Volunteer Tutors should plan on spending at least five hours a week tutoring students. Tutoring sessions will occur two days a week during the school year, starting in the fall and continuing through late spring.

In addition to tutoring during three to four 30-minute sessions on two different days during the week, you will spend some time using Experience Corps technology systems to document students’ progress and report your volunteer hours.

You will learn everything you need to begin tutoring during a comprehensive training that takes place over the course of two days. At this time, you’ll also receive all of the necessary tutoring materials and books for the program.

Our evidence-based tutoring model is highly structured and provides step-by-step instructions proven to help our volunteers feel confident in their abilities. The training will cover how to use software programs to track student’s progress and to provide virtual tutoring, so it’s also an excellent opportunity to learn new technology skills.

Finally, you’ll receive ongoing support and coaching throughout the program to ensure your success. An onsite point of contact will also be available for any questions you may have throughout the school year.

If you experience a last-minute emergency or are unable to conduct your session for any reason, we will understand.

Each school participating in Experience Corps will have its own plan for securing coverage for missed sessions. In some cases, program staff or other trained substitute volunteers will fill in to ensure that students receive their sessions.

The school or service location and tutoring schedule is selected based on the schools’ and students’ needs.

During your interview, you will have a chance to share your preferences for what location and schedule works best for you. There may be opportunities to tutor virtually, which could help you fit the tutoring into your schedule or avoid a long commute to a school in need.

Our program serves students in kindergarten through third grade, but this range may vary slightly based on the local community’s needs. During your interview, you will have a chance to ask questions and share your preferences about working with students of different ages.

We find that after completing the Experience Corps training, our volunteers feel confident in their ability to make an impactful difference in the lives of young readers, regardless of their ages.