Every day I am inspired by the accomplishments of our volunteers and the difference they make in the community. As you’ll read in this newsletter, we took time to celebrate the end of a successful 2022-2023 school year at our May Volunteer Appreciation Event!
Our 237 Classroom Grandparents provided over 146, 266 hours of tutoring last year to help 1,354 children improve their literacy skills.
Instead of taking a vacation for the summer, 80 of our Classroom Grandparents chose to continue tutoring for summer sessions, because they understand the value of their presence in the classroom. According to Champions for Children, less than 50% of babies born in Hillsborough County enter kindergarten ready to learn. AND only 50% of Tampa Bay 3rd graders read on grade level. That’s where our volunteers’ step in and help students feel confident, supported, and prepared in the classroom.
Each day our volunteers create positive childhood experiences that make a child more likely to succeed in the classroom. Because it really is that social emotional connection with the individual and the talking and reading that promotes a positive attachment to early learning and literacy.
Throughout the summer we’ve been recruiting even more volunteers to serve in the classroom. We have nearly 250 volunteers in the schools, yet there are over 1300 Title 1 Kindergarten through 3rd grade classrooms in Hillsborough and Pinellas County. With your help we can close that gap and support struggling students who desperately need the one-on-one support that Classroom Grandparents provide. Become a Classroom Grandparent, change the lives of Pre-K through 3rd grade students, and make a lasting impact on future generations.
-Robin Ingles, CEO