Students for Community Service
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Students for Community Service |
The Federal Government's America Reads program challenges communities around the nation to mobilize an army of tutors to ensure that every child can read by the end of the 3rd grade. In response to this challenge, California State University, Fresno has developed the Fresno Reading Enrichment and Academic Development through Service program (Fresno READS). The Fresno READS project recruits, trains and places hundreds of students,
faculty, staff and general community members as Fresno READS Mentors
-reading tutors for children in Kindergarten through third grade. By
focusing the combined efforts of several existing programs, and by developing
new programs, the Fresno READS project will serve to raise the reading
and academic abilities of hundreds of children each year in the Central
San Joaquin Valley.
The primary partners in the Fresno READS initiative are California
State University, Fresno, Fresno Unified School District and Stone Soup
Fresno. At California State University, Fresno the Fresno READS project
is being coordinated by Students for Community Service, with support
from the following offices: Office of the President, Financial Aid,
and Liberal Studies Department.
The primary goals of Fresno READS are to:
There are currently six distinct components of the Fresno READS initiative. Some components are currently underway, while others are being developed. The five Fresno READS Components are:
Financial Aid Work Study. The university, through the America Reads Financial Aid Work Study program, has committed approximately to $180,000 per year to the Fresno READS project. In addition, the university has committed additional funding, staff and faculty time to the project. Each year approximately 60 students have are hired through Work Study to act as Fresno READS mentors. These students will work with elementary students at Jefferson Elementary School, Webster Elementary School and at Stone Soup of Fresno and will provide tutoring assistance to elementary students at the K-3 level. In order to be eligible for Federal Financial Aid - Work Study positions through Fresno READS, students must be eligible for Federal Financial Aid - Work Study and must go through an application, screening, hiring and training process. For more information on this program, please call (559) 278-7079. Liberal Studies Senior Projects. One component
of Fresno READS is the Liberal Studies Senior Project course. Each semester
seniors in the Liberal Studies degree program participate in the Senior
Project course called EHD 115 that utilizes a service-learning approach.
A large portion of this class involves mentoring of an elementary school
child, undersupervision, at selected elementary schools. Each college
senior receives training and support and then works with a specially
identified child for one hour, two times per week in an after-school
program created by the Project and school-site staff. Approximately
450 students complete this course each academic year and offer over
13,000 hours of tutoring to area elementary students. For more information
on the Liberal Studies program or the EHD 115 class, please call the
Liberal Studies Department at (559) 278-0270.
Students for Community Service/Community Service 101. Another component of Fresno READS is the university's work to involve more students in general volunteer orcommunity service activities related to tutoring and helping youth. For the last several years, Students for Community Service (SCS)has engaged students in thousands of community service work each semester. Since the Fall of 1990, the Community Service 101 course has generated over 150,000 hours of community service. In response to the America Reads Challenge, students in this course are encouraged to engage in service work related to education and tutoring.
Tutoring/Mentoring through Service-Learning Courses. Service-learning is an educational approach which involves students in community service work directly related to the academic content of a particular course. Service-learning provides students with the opportunity to relate classroom learning to community problems, in turn giving them the chance to understand the practical applications of the materials they cover in class. A number of departments and instructors are involved in service-learning approaches. Those related to tutoring/mentoring and the Fresno READS project include: Child Family and Consumer Studies, Chicano-Latino Studies, Speech Communication, Education and Human Development, and Sociology. Employee, Alumni, and Emeriti, efforts. The university will work with campus employees, alumni, emeriti and other auxiliary organizations to foster increased involvement in tutoring and mentoring activities. In accordance with Governor Pete Wilson's Executive Order regarding release time for California State University employees to participate in mentoring, campus employees are eligible to participate in a work release program to participate in formal tutoring and mentoring activities. Contacts
For more information, email
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