AARP Experience Corps Bay Area was established in San Francisco by Aspiranet* in 1998, expanding to Oakland in 2005. The AARP Experience Corps program in the Bay Area recruits, trains and supports hundreds of older adults to serve as volunteer tutors and mentors to thousands of children struggling with literacy proficiency. Focused primarily on low-income children in urban elementary schools, AARP Experience Corps trains volunteers in literacy intervention practices, with a focus on fluency, vocabulary growth and reading comprehension, as well as how to develop a positive mentor relationship.
Volunteer members receive extensive training prior to placement in a school and benefit from team meetings, literacy Academies, and additional on-site support and training from AARP Experience Corps Bay Area staff throughout the school year. Working closely with principals, teachers and children, our volunteers bring their experience and their caring to the next generation — our future.
AARP Experience Corps Bay Area recently received the Eisner Prize for Intergenerational Excellence, national recognition for the support of our volunteer members and the positive impact on the children that engenders.
*Aspiranet is a statewide organization taking collective action to support communities and families as they love and care for children. This vision is realized through over 35 programs, more than 30 years of experience and services in six areas of expertise — family services, adoption, foster care, education, afterschool programs and community collaboration.
Program Launch: 2005
Program Details (2011-2012 school year)
Students served: 410
Volunteer members: 65
Hours logged: 10,579
Schools served: 8
Program Impact
In the 2011-2012 school year:
- 95 percent of teachers rated AARP Experience Corps volunteer members in the one-to-one program as being good or excellent in their overall quality of assistance
- Of the 95 percent of students whose overall reading skills were rated as being below grade level at the beginning of the year, 61 percent were rated as having improved by the end of the year
- 92 percent of volunteer members were satisfied with the guidance they received from AARP Experience Corps site coordinators and staff
Contact:
Director, AARP Experience Corps Bay Area
Paul Olsen
415-759-3690, ext. 7305
polsen@aspiranet.org
Director of School Relations
David Moren
415-759-3690, ext. 7315
dmoren@aspiranet.org
Volunteer Recruitment:
Lauren Alpert
415-759-4223
ecba.today@gmail.com
Video
AARP Experience Corps received the 2012 Eisner Prize for Intergenerational Excellence for its efforts to bring about positive, lasting changes in local communities.
