For the City-Times

Going into its fifth year, United Way of Portage County’s Learn for Life Reading Program will expand into additional schools in Portage County this fall and, as a result, will be in need of volunteer tutors.

Learn for Life works with the help of trained volunteer reading tutors who meet individually with students they have been matched with, for a minimum of 30 minutes per child, each week during the school year. Tutoring sessions are individualized and based off of the student’s needs. Program data is collected and assessed throughout the year.

During the 2013-14 school year, 118 students who needed additional help with their reading skills were tutored in 11 elementary schools in Portage County, including Rosholt Elementary, St. Stephen’s Elementary, and all nine Stevens Point Area Public Elementary Schools. With the upcoming expansion into several more Portage County schools this school year, United Way is looking for individuals able to commit an hour a week to help children in the area.

The goal of Learn for Life is to increase reading achievement in the community so that children in Portage County are proficient in reading by the time they finish third grade. “By focusing on improving reading skills in the third grade, together we can make a lasting difference in the lives of children by giving them the tools to achieve their dreams,” said Laura Pfeil, United Way of Portage County Community Initiatives Associate.

To learn more, contact United Way at 715-341-6740 or [email protected], visit www.unitedwaypoco.org, or sign up online at www.volunteersrock.org.