Front Page  biz

Monday, September 14, 2009

Words of support

By Rivkela Brodsky
Journal Staff Writer
          Pat Dee still remembers his first Albuquerque Reads kindergartner.
        Anthony, a student at Bel-Air Elementary School, was "very quiet" at first, said Dee, president of First Community Bank.
        "I could hardly get him to talk," Dee said.
        Eventually, Dee was able to bond with Anthony during their once-a-week, one-on-one reading sessions. "He'd get into the room and when he saw me he'd smile," Dee said.
        Dee and wife Debi have been volunteering with the Albuquerque Reads program since it started in 2003.
        They recently attended a fifth-grade, end-of-year celebration at Bel-Air and saw some of the kids who had participated in the first Albuquerque Reads program — including Anthony.
        "It's just very satisfying to know a young child you worked with years ago was still in school and doing fairly well," Dee said.
        Albuquerque Reads, started by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Albuquerque Public Schools, kicks off its seventh year this month.
        Several training sessions are being held along with book and backpack give-a-ways at Atrisco, Bel-Air and Wherry elementary schools.
        The program brings volunteers into kindergarten classrooms at the three schools three times a week. Volunteers spend an hour a week working with two kindergartners developing their reading skills.
        In from the start
        Dee served six years on the chamber committee that coordinates the program in partnership with Albuquerque Public Schools and just recently retired from the panel. But even though he won't be as involved in running the program, he and his wife plan to continue volunteering at Bel-Air.
        "I think for anybody who enjoys being around kids and especially in helping them develop some skills that are going to be lifelong skills they will use throughout their lives and into adulthood, it's really heartwarming and very rewarding to see the progress," Dee said.
        The program began at Bel-Air Elementary School in 2003 and expanded to Wherry and Atrisco the following year. The program targets kindergarten students at schools where many qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
        "In targeting these students, the partnership set out to seek to close the achievement gap between students in the early stages of literacy development and so avoid what studies further show — that students who are not reading by third grade are most likely to become dropouts before high school," said Eloise Gift, chairwoman of the chamber's Albuquerque Reads committee, said in a statement. Gift is a broker and owner of Gift Realty New Mexico.
        Dee said many students in the program come from homes where there are no books.
        "A lot of them come from single parent homes where mom maybe is just trying to put bread on the table and doesn't have time to teach them their alphabet," he said.
        Tutors start with the ABCs, he said, and "fill in the gaps they may not be getting at home."
        Before the program began at Bel-Air Elementary, only 35 percent of kindergarten students were identified as reading at or above grade level at the end of the year, according to the chamber. That number rose to 80 percent after implementation of the Albuquerque Reads program.
        Nancy Carillo, a researcher and evaluator for APS, said by the end of the year students in the Albuquerque Reads program score two points higher than their peers on the reading portion of the Kindergarten Development Progress Report, a test developed by APS.
        Volunteers needed
        It takes 600 volunteers to help a little more than 230 kindergartners improve their reading skills through the Albuquerque Reads program. The chamber is seeking 300 volunteers for the current school year.
        "All 600 are put to use," said Charmaine Jackson, director of Albuquerque Reads for the chamber. "We only have half. We are in critical need of tutors at every school, but mostly Atrisco and Wherry."
        Jackson said each classroom needs 25 tutors a day for one-hour sessions three times a week. Wherry needs 50 a day due to its 106-student kindergarten class.
        Volunteers have to be at least 18 years old and attend a one-time, three-hour training session. A one-hour-a-week commitment is required, but volunteers can form teams of up to four people that alternate weeks to lessen the time commitment.
        Anita Romero, a Sandia National Labs public information officer, alternated weeks with another employee at Wherry Elementary last year. "I have a very busy schedule," she said. "I was able to work it out doing it as a team."
        The tutoring sessions work out to just over an hour, including a morning briefing and then working with two kids, each for 25 minutes, Romero said. A on-site coordinator provides guidance and tutors follow a program that was developed by APS master teachers and early childhood specialists.
        A former Peace Corps volunteer, Romero says she plans to continue tutoring at Wherry.
        "It was nice because you could really see them progress and they are just so cute and they are a lot of fun," she said.
        Jackson said in the past volunteers came from the business community, church organizations and Kirtland Air Force Base.
        She stressed that volunteers from Kirtland are vital because Wherry Elementary is located on the base.
        Gift tutored last year at Wherry Elementary and is trying to form a team to tutor there once again. She said the school has the most difficulty filling tutor spots.
        "The need is greatest this year," she said.
        Seeking more support
        The business community as well as retired teachers and seniors have also played a large role in the program since its inception, Dee said.
        "In prior years, close to half (of volunteers) came from the business community," Dee said. "We have a lot of seniors that help us in the community."
        Jackson said 153 business people have signed up to tutor this year.
        A few of them also offer monetary support, including First Community Bank, Hubbard Broadcasting and Bank of the West. Cricket Communications held a book drive and handed out books and backpacks with school supplies to Albuquerque Reads students this month.
        The Albuquerque Journal Newspapers in Education is a media sponsor of the program.
        "The business community has a really big role because it starts with APS and the chamber," Gift said. "We rely on them for providing tutors and for providing funds and they're very supportive."
        The program is reaching out to the general community because businesses are stressed this year, Dee said.
        Gift said the chamber has been reaching out to retirees and civic groups, such as Kiwanis and Civitan clubs, among others.
        Gift and Dee say as a tutor, volunteers will see "tremendous growth" in the kindergartners throughout the year.
        Tutoring begins Oct. 1 at Bel-Air and Wherry and Oct. 5 at Atrisco. The program runs through May.
       
    Reading volunteers needed
    â–  The Albuquerque Reads program needs 600 volunteers to work one hour a week with two kindergartners at three schools. The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce is looking to recruit 300 volunteers for the current school year. Volunteers can work individually or form a team of up to four people and alternate weeks with team members.
    â–  Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and attend a one-time, three-hour training session before working with children at Wherry, Bel-Air and Atrisco elementary schools. Trainings are held throughout the year at all three schools. Each school holds one training a week.
    Training sessions in September:
    Atrisco: Wednesdays Sept. 16, 23, 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 :30 a.m.
    Bel-Air: Thursday from 8:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
    Wherry: Sept. 22 from 9 a.m. to noon
    â–  Tutoring begins Oct. 1 at Wherry and Bel-Air and Oct. 5 at Atrisco Elementary and runs through May. Volunteers can join at any time.
    â–  To volunteer, visit www.abqchamber.com and click on the Training & Education tab and then on ABQ Reads. If you've participated in the program and wish to participate again this year, click re-enroll on the chamber Web site. The chamber also needs monetary donations to keep the program running. To make a donation, visit the chamber's Web site.
    â–  For more information, visit the chamber's Web site or call 843-READ (7323) or e-mail abqreads@abqchamber.com.

You also can send comments via our comment form