Reading mentors needed for Brookside 2nd graders

December 2, 2024  |  By Jeannie Randall

Second graders at Brookside Primary School in Waterbury are looking for Everybody Wins! reading mentors. 

Some students want a new friend or someone to talk to. Some children want to get better at reading, or love reading so much they want to share it with someone else.

Everybody Wins! is a fun, easy way to mentor a child 1-on-1. Mentors and their students will spend about an hour each week hanging out, reading books, and playing games together.

The program runs through the beginning of May with reading days on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Studies show that sharing your enjoyment of books and language can make a huge impact on a child's chance of success in school. And it's a nice way to spend your lunch break, to become involved in the school and community, and to connect with a child.

The online application includes a background check. Mentors need to be 18 or older. Reading periods begin at various times between 10:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.

Everybody Wins! Vermont provides a literacy-based mentoring program in 20 Vermont schools and one in New Hampshire. Adult mentors read for one hour over lunch each week with a student at their local elementary school. The effort helps foster the students’ love for reading and it connects community members to their schools.

For more information, call 802-229-2665 or email: waterbury@everybodywinsvermont.org.

Jeannie Randall is the Brookside Everybody Wins! site coordinator.