The nonprofit Education Connection is seeking volunteers to spend time with children learning to read during the critical window between kindergarten and third grade. Just 30 minutes of volunteering a week could make the difference between a tough scholastic journey and academic success, according to the Hill Country organization.
Education Connection operates in 17 school districts across Central Texas, including the Marble Falls Independent School District, Llano ISD, and Burnet Consolidated ISD. The organization trains and mobilizes volunteers to conduct weekly half-hour reading sessions with children through the third grade to ensure they are at the standard grade level for reading comprehension.
“Through third grade, students are learning to read, and after third grade, they are reading to learn,” Education Connection MFISD Director Jessica Cornelison told DailyTrib.com. “If they’re not reading on grade level, they’re more likely to drop out of school before they finish.”
Reading volunteers in the Marble Falls area will receive in-person training on Sept. 7. Volunteers who register after that date can conduct their training online.
During the 2023 school year, 44 Education Connection volunteers worked with 97 students in MFISD. The organization hopes to grow that number this year.
“I think everybody has 30 minutes, so it is very easy to jump in,” Cornelison said. “We feel very strongly that this program is needed and that it is beneficial.”
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