Programs

This is the 16th year that our intergenerational programs have improved the lives of both young and old in Boston. From modest beginnings, our programs have grown dramatically. During the 2007 school year, we provided more than 55,000 hours of mentoring and tutoring to 2,290 children in weekly intervention sessions, and engaged an additional 2,500 students and over 400 parents in family outreach and community service activities.

Our strategy is to support other organizations that serve children rather than create redundant services. Therefore, we offer our programs to Boston Public Schools and after-school programs such as Boys & Girls Clubs. At these sites, our Experience Corps volunteers serve in the following programs:

Reading Coaches™

Volunteers serve as reading coaches for children in 1st - 4th grades who are reading below grade level. Volunteers meet one-on-one with children in at least two 45-minutes sessions per week, in either school or after-school settings. Since we started this program in 1998, we have consistently improved children’s literacy skills by an average of 2.5 reading levels.

Classroom Literacy

Twice per week during the Language Arts instruction period, our Experience Corps members join Kindergarten and elementary school classrooms. There they work with students individually or in small groups to reinforce the Language Arts curriculum. In 1st grade classrooms this reinforcement may consist of asking open-ended discussion questions about books read in class and helping children to recognize letters of the alphabet and write their names. In grades 2-5, volunteers read books with the children and engage them in discussions about how the stories relate to their own experiences. In 2008 we are expanding the range of our in-class services, adding a key component to our Classroom Literacy program called The Kindergarten Project, which is a K2 in-class intervention. Our Kindergarten Classroom Literacy members support teacher instruction by engaging small groups of young students in pre-literacy, positive play and oral language development activities. This in-class intervention effectively doubles the amount of adult attention each child receives during their Language Arts sessions, bringing the average adult : child ratio from 1 : 22 to 1 : 11.

Lunchtime Mentors

Volunteers serve one hour per week by meeting with students in 4th and 5th grades who have been referred by their teacher or after-school program staff. Some pairs meet during the school lunch period, others meet in supervised settings after the school day is over. The pairs build deep relationships while eating, chatting, reading together, and playing fun literacy games.

Math and Literacy Project

We recently joined forces with Boston Partners in Education and the Boston Public Schools to make an even greater impact on the city’s 4th and 5th grade students. Together we will connect older adult volunteers with students who are struggling to master reading or mathematics. The pairs will meet one-on-one for at least 40 minutes per week during the school year. The relationships will last at least 12 months, including summer visits to deepen the relationship. In coming years, the initiative will expand to serve middle school children.