Experience Corps and AARP DC Join Forces To Tutor And Mentor Youth

Forty volunteers, most of whom are AARP members, are giving of their time to help DC public school students succeed. They are mentors and tutors in elementary schools in the District: Garrison Elementary, Orr Elementary, Kenilworth Elementary and Thomas Elementary School.

See Also: AARP recently joined forces with Experience Corps

Research has shown that mentoring and tutoring are top areas of interest for AARP members Experience Corps (EC), a national leader in pairing adult tutors with K-3 students, builds on AARP’s legacy of service and offers AARP members a new way to give back. That’s one reason the two organizations have joined forces in the District of Columbia.

“Reading levels of young children in America are in crisis,” according to Experience Corps leaders. Reportedly, almost 70 percent of our nation’s 4th graders are not proficient readers. A high percentage of those students eventually drop out of school.

Evaluation data show that students working with EC tutors experience more than 60 percent gains in two critical literacy skills—sounding out new words and reading comprehension – over similar students not being served by EC. Eighty-four (84) percent of EC volunteers reported the participation has changed their lives for the better – including increased motivation, knowledge, confidence and skills. Volunteer training is a key part of the EC program.

“The District of Columbia State Office has a track record of supporting intergenerational connections with projects such as its outreach to and support for grandparents who are primary caregivers of their grandchildren ,” said Louis Davis, state director of AARP DC. AARP’s founder, Ethel Percy Andrus, was an educator, and an AARP-affiliated organization founded by Andrus, the National Retired Teachers Association, has a program called “With Our Youth,” which continues to bring members and children together.

For more information, or to volunteer, contact Debbie Stiller at 202-434-6495.