Advancing literacy, building confidence and reinforcing classroom curriculum are all things corporate employees around the nation are doing each day when they participate in TutorMate. TutorMate allows business volunteers to remotely tutor a 1st grader using shared screen technology. TutorMate is an online literacy program brought to Denver Public Schools through a collaboration with the DPS Foundation School Partners Program and Innovations for Learning. This program reaps many rewards as tutors get to watch their students grow through weekly 30 minute one-on-one tutoring sessions. Each tutor works with the same student throughout the school year, building a deep and meaningful rapport with the student.
The reading partner and student spend time making literacy fun! After reading a story filled with pictures for the students and prompts of key words for the tutor, the pair indulges in a few short comprehension questions followed by activities like Tic, Tack Toe, which requires the student to reference back to the story. This proven online tutoring program makes it easy for corporate employees to ‘pay it forward’ without ever leaving their office! Click here to see the program in action.
“TutorMate targets early grade students at a critical time and allows busy professionals the chance to have a meaningful impact on students without leaving work; plus it is fun for the kids! There is no better return on your volunteer time investment than the TutorMate program” says Dan Weisberg National Director of the TutorMate Program.
As the TutorMate program swings into full force, more than 150 DPS 1st grade students are reading weekly with a tutor. “I love reading with my reading partner and playing tic tack toe with her!” says Malina, a DPS 1st grader.
Tutor Testimony: Shannon Warren, Creative Manager, CBRE
“When I first heard about the TutorMate program, it hit very close to home as I have two children myself (a 2nd grade girl, Emma and Ben who is now in kindergarten) and I know how important it is to build that literacy foundation at this age. I have volunteered at my kids’ school many times over the past few years and I have found that every child develops and learns at a different pace and that all students are not created equal – which doesn’t make them better or worse students then their classmates. I enjoy so much helping out with the children because I feel that any extra little bit helps and I know that some children just need that little bit extra to truly shine and blossom.
As a parent, you always wonder and worry “are you doing enough?” to help your child and I am very slowly learning that we all do as much as we can as parents. Sometimes our children need more than we can give them and that’s why I feel that this TutorMate program is so wonderful.
I was so excited that our CBRE Cares Denver program was able to join TutorMate and that the response was so positive. All of the tutors I have talked to have expressed their joy in this experience and describe the “warm fuzzy” feeling we all get when spending our 30 minutes each week with these amazing kids. The students are so eager to learn. Malina, my student, is such a delight. She has such a positive attitude and is a very sweet little girl. I am very grateful to be a part of this program and am looking forward to continuing and hopefully expanding it next year at CBRE.