Humboldt County Office of Education: Early Literacy Partners Program

Early childhood development, especially in the areas of reading and math, directly influences economic health and social outcomes for individuals and society.

The Early Literacy Partners Program supports early childhood development by connecting volunteer tutors with young students who need extra support in a classroom settings. After free training with our coordinators, volunteers spend about two hours a week working directly with children in reading and math.

About the Early Literacy Partners Program

Currently, less than half of our Kindergarten through Third grade students are reading at proficient levels. Providing early intervention is critical, especially in reading as it strongly correlates to future academic success. Research shows that if a child is not reading proficiently by the time they finish the 3rd grade, they are 75% less likely to graduate from High School.

In collaboration with Humboldt State University, we are hoping to close this gap by offering early literacy support to kids starting in Kindergarten and First grade. A child reading with an adult is one of the most effective strategies to support early literacy growth. Through this program, we offer high quality training, resources, and placement for community volunteers to work with students one-on-one, twice a week throughout our region. The program is designed to help benefit “reluctant or struggling” readers and reinforce what the teacher is doing in the classroom so it’s an enhanced learning experience for those identified students needing extra support.

Many people think of mathematics as separate from language and literacy; however, when you discuss and debate about mathematics you have to be precise in language and thinking and have the ability to explain your reasoning. Literacy in mathematics also becomes critical in the ability to understanding definitions and word meanings and how to appropriately describe words and objects. For this reason, we also offer training and placement for volunteers interested in tutoring second grade students in math.

Early Literacy volunteers:

• Support students pre-school – 2nd grade
• Contribute 2 hours per week during school hours
• Work 1:1 with up to three students twice a week
• Will be provided training, placement, and support with lesson plans and activities

Early Literacy volunteers are required to pass a TB test and a background check. All costs for these are covered by the program.

If you are interested in becoming an Early Literacy volunteer, or are a teacher interested in participating in the program, please email Olivia Kernen or call (707) 445-7007.