Fresno READS Program

Fresno READS Fact:

From kindergarten to the third grade, children learn to read. From the fourth grade on, they read to learn. If children are not at grade level by the end of the third grade, they will never catch up. Eighty percent of children who are illiterate spend a part of their adults lives incarcerated.

"Think Outside the Box"

There are many ways that this term can be defined. The way it is being applied to Fresno READS is that the children being tutored are living inside a box. Inside of that box is everything that they know; their education, their family, and their dreams.

A Fresno READS tutor represents the first peek outside of the box for many of these children. The tutors represent all of the things that are out of reach such as; an older person who understands what they are going through, the importance of education, a larger world than they are accustomed to, and most importantly a peek at bigger hopes and dreams than they may have been exposed to.

Fresno READS tutors have the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of these children. Tutors must not only teach their children how to read, they must help their children to love to read!

Fresno READS program

As part of the "America Reads" Challenge to mobilize an army of tutors to ensure that every child can read by the end of the 3rd grade, California State University, Fresno has developed the Fresno Reading Enrichment and Academic Development through Service (Fresno READS) project. This 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 on the combined efforts of several existing programs and the development of new programs, the Fresno READS project serves to raise the reading and academic abilities of hundreds of children each year in the Central San Joaquin Valley.

Project Goal

The primary goals of Fresno READS are to:

• Increase student reading ability for those students involved in Fresno READS.
• Substantially increase in the number of mentoring/tutoring hours provided through Fresno State sources.
• Provide a positive, rewarding experience for Fresno READS mentors.
• Substantially increase in the number of students, staff, faculty and emeriti involved in reading enrichment activities. (An annual goal of providing 600 Fresno READS mentors is set for this project.)

Project Components

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 and provide tutoring assistance to 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.

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 or community 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. Visit the Students for Community Service web site for more information.

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.