To provide free, volunteer-based literacy education to adults.
Our students, who range in age from 17 to 79, read below the 9th grade level. Some are referred by partnering agencies, some by family or friends. Many of our students have “faked it” for years, having memorized hundreds of small words. Some have several years of high school, but cannot read the newspaper or a map. They do not read well enough to get a GED, travel out of town, or fill out a job application. They are not able to read to their children or help them with their school work. They may lack self confidence and self-worth. What our students do have is the desire to improve their reading skills. They want to change their lives. But they can’t do it alone or in a classroom with others. They need one-on-one tutoring in a non-threatening environment. They need encouragement, instant feedback, and materials that train them to read independently.
Project READ is a grant-funded program which provides free, volunteer based literacy education for adults in Decatur. We do an extensive evaluation with each student to discover his or her strengths and weaknesses. Project READ trains volunteers to work one-on-one with motivated students in a confidential, safe, and success-oriented setting. Training consists of two 3-hour classes, with a tutor handbook, practice sessions and questions & answers session. A staff member will always be available to help tutors when they work with students. We provide easy to use phonics-based materials based on scientific research about how the brain processes language and on-site supervision to facilitate each lesson. We have seen amazing progress in our students as they work through the materials. Most of our tutors meet their students at the Decatur Public Library, although other locations are available. Project READ works as a team: Our staff, our tutors and our students. The number of students we can help depends on the number of trained volunteers we have.
