In what has become an annual summertime learning tradition, JCY-Westchester Community Partners is once again sponsoring its Summer Reading Buddies program.
Read with children over the summer to help them keep up their literacy skills and prevent what’s known as the “summer reading slide,” which is when kids slide backwards in their reading skills. JCY-Westchester Community Partners expects between 400 and 500 children per session, so plenty of reading mentors are needed.
To help make a difference in the life of a child, contact Madeline Finesmith at mfinesmith@jcy-wcp.com for more information and to sign up.
Every year, well-known officials in Yonkers participate in Summer Reading Buddies, including Mayor Mike Spano, Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman the Hon. Benjamin Boyton, Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada, and City Council President Mike Khader, among others. But anyone can participate and spend an hour or two reading to young children who want to learn.
The Summer Reading Buddies program is a valuable and valued inter-generational initiative that helps youngsters improve their reading skills and supports parents with guidance and life skills. Volunteers are paired with children in kindergarten through grade six who go to the library for help with their summer reading list, assigned by their school.
Volunteers work with several children during each two-hour session. The children select a book and then are matched up with a volunteer. After introductions, the “buddies” find a spot where they work together for 20 minutes. The volunteers encourage the student to read, and help with specific words, pronunciation and comprehension. When they finish the book, the volunteers help the child complete a worksheet.
While the children are reading, their parents attend workshops on life skills offered through partner organizations.
The libraries give out “passports” to every child who registers for Summer Reading Buddies, and each child gets a stamp on his or her passport for each day attended.
The primary sponsor of the program is JCY-Westchester Community Partners, whose mission is to enhance the educational experience of children in Westchester County through effective learning initiatives and the engagement of volunteer mentors. The Yonkers libraries provide the venue, the reading materials and supervision.
All sessions run from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information on the Summer Reading Buddies Program, visit http://www.jcy-wcp.com/programs/summerreadingbuddies.html
