Volunteer-powered literacy initiative partners with Chula Vista Elementary School District and OASIS Tutoring
Chula Vista Serves, in partnership with the Chula Vista Elementary School District and OASIS Tutoring, is launching a program titled Third Grade Reads with the assistance of a valued grant from Cities of Service and ServiceNation. This volunteer-powered initiative supports Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox’s goal to foster community efforts that raise awareness for education while creating a strategy to help improve students’ reading ability by the end of third grade. The $40,000 grant will allow the city to hire a part-time volunteer coordinator to manage community outreach, volunteer recruitment and assist with promotional needs.

“A student’s ability to read proficiently by third grade is a proven marker of future success in school, leading to graduation, career and college,” said Mayor Cox. “Chula Vista’s partnership with Cities of Service has resulted in many positive outcomes, and the Third Grade Reads program is yet another opportunity for mentors to have a positive impact on younger students through the simple act of reading.”

Chula Vista Serves is currently recruiting 100 volunteers to become tutors for students in need of assistance at Cook, Los Altos, Rice, Rohr and Vista Square elementary schools in Chula Vista. The combined efforts of the Third Grade Reads volunteers will help reach a goal of providing teacher-selected students in kindergarten through third grade with two hours of reading and writing tutoring per week, one hour at a time, to help all participating students read at grade level.

Third Grade Reads is a high-impact service strategy in which the mayor’s office leverages the power of volunteers to help children attain reading proficiency by the beginning of fourth grade, funded by Target. Target is on track to give $1 billion for education by the end of 2015, to help kids learn, schools teach, and parents and caring adults engage.