October 9, 2013

United Way tutoring program expands with grant

Summary: United Way of Lowcountry has been awarded an Americorps grant which will add a program director and 41 Americorps tutors to a current roster of 200 volunteers. This will grow the number of students being served to approximately 600.

Originally published on 9/5/13 by islandpacket.com

An effort to improve students’ reading at eight local elementary schools has received a $234,000 boost to add 41 tutors.

United Way of the Lowcountry has been awarded a federal AmeriCorps grant to expand its tutoring program at six Beaufort County schools and two Jasper County schools for the 2013-2014 school year. The agency has set a goal of getting 80 percent of all fourth-graders at the schools reading on grade level by September 2016, says Deborah Edmondson, program director for the local AmeriCorps initiative.

The United Way provided a 24 percent match to the grant, bringing the total amount to $234,000. The money will be used to pay stipends for the 41 AmeriCorps tutors being added, as well as Edmondson’s salary. The AmeriCorps tutors will join about 200 local volunteers helping students at these elementary schools: Shanklin, St. Helena, Red Cedar, Pritchardville, Hardeeville, Ridgeland, Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts, and Hilton Head Island Early Childhood Education Center. The United Way has hired all but 16 of the AmeriCorps tutors needed, Edmondson said.

The agency seeks those who can commit to providing 450 hours of tutoring. They will receive a stipend of $2,250 over nine months. If they complete the commitment, they will also receive an education award of $1,400 to be used toward college tuition or student loans. Parents and grandparents can also use the award for their children and grandchildren, Edmondson said. She said the AmeriCorps tutors range in age from college students to retirees. Sixteen of them are students majoring in early childhood education or human services at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. “We’re looking to have a diverse group,” she said.

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Filed under: K-8

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