The goal of the Elementary Literacy Friends program in New Brunswick helps to students to love reading.
Parents and teachers agree that it is succeeding.
Over 180 schools in New Brunswick currently offer the program that sees volunteers spend two hours a week, for ten weeks, working with grade 2 students.
Program Officer with ELF Laura Morrell says in that short amount of time, students saw drastic improvements in their Literacy skills, “The average program participant increased two reading levels, and showed an increase in reading confidence, persistence and interest, and these are all used as determinants in reading success. Parents are also seeing an increase in reading confidence. 97 per cent of the teachers said that their participants attitudes towards reading increased as a result of ELF.”
Last year, there were over 940 volunteers and almost 2000 students in the program, both in Anglophone and Francophone School Districts.
Have you been thinking about joining @elemliteracynb ‘s network of volunteers? Now is your chance!Register today https://t.co/mKFWipD3Fi pic.twitter.com/wi647StL0A
— Erin Schryer, PhD (@ErinSchryer) August 31, 2017
The province recently announced an over 2.2 million dollar investment in the ELF program.
If you would like to become a volunteer, you’ll find more information HERE