Manatee Schools Seeks Reading Pals for Local Students

BRADENTON -- United Way of Manatee County‘s ReadingPals program is designed to make a difference in a child’s life. Funded by the Barnett Early Literacy Initiative, this program pairs community volunteers with kindergarten students for an hour once a week. Together, the volunteer and students work on building vocabulary and increasing comprehension, putting the child on the road to academic success. 

The program details are as follows:

* September 2013 – May 2014 for a total of 25 sessions. 

* 1 hour per week  -  Volunteers will be paired with students for 2 consecutive 1/2 hour sessions; working with 1 student during each session. 

* Site locations and hours are:

        Ballard Elementary School, 912 18th Street W., Bradenton

Hours: Tuesdays or Thursdays, 1:30-2:30 PM

        Blackburn Elementary School, 3904 17th Street E., Palmetto

Hours: Tuesdays, 9:20-10:20 AM

        Daughtrey Elementary School, 515 63rd Ave. E., Bradenton

Hours: Tuesdays or Thursdays, 8:30-9:00 AM   (Volunteers will work with 2 students at the same time)

        Rogers Garden Elementary School, 515 13th Ave., W., Bradenton

Hours: Tuesdays, 8:30-9:30 AM

* Please indicate your choice of school as soon as possible, as some locations have limited slots and will be filled on a “first come, first serve” basis.

*Volunteers will need to attend 1 of the following training sessions:
        September 4, Wednesday, 5:30-7:30 PM, Daughtrey Elementary School
        September 7, Saturday, 9-11 AM, United Way McClure Center in Lakewood Ranch 

* Level 1 background screening is required by the School District, at no cost to the volunteer.