For the City Times

Going into its sixth 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 time commitment of one hour a week, 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.

United Way of Portage County Community Initiatives Associate Laura Pfeil said more tutors will are needed for the 2015-16 school year, as Learn for Life is expanding into second grade classrooms in six Portage County schools.

“We’re thrilled that we will be able to reach students even earlier, putting them on a path in which they read to learn,” she said.

During the 2014-15 school year, 114 students who needed additional help with their reading skills were tutored in 13 elementary schools in Portage County, including at schools in all four school districts in the county and at nearly all of the parochial schools. With the upcoming expansion into several more Portage County classrooms this school year, United Way is looking for individuals able to commit an hour a week during a school day 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 Pfeil.

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.