DeKalb County, GA — The DeKalb County Human Services Department is seeking volunteers to participate in The AARP Experience Corps, which is a tutoring program designed to help DeKalb students improve their reading skills.
The volunteers would begin in September, according to a press release. The AARP Experience Corps is an evidence-based literacy program that improves the reading skills of children in kindergarten through third grade.
The county human services department is working with the United Way of Greater Atlanta, the AARP Foundation and the DeKalb County School District on this initiative. This tutoring program focuses on reading proficiency results and focuses on students who are one to two grades behind in reading grade level.
The AARP Experience Corps program is implemented by volunteers who are 50 years old and older. Volunteers must have a high school diploma or G.E.D to participate. Experience Corps is a national program that has produced positive mental and physical health benefits for older adult volunteers.
The tutoring program will finish at the end of the school year in May 2024. In 2022, 70% of students in the program moved up a grade in reading proficiency. Tutoring sessions will be scheduled for in-person and hybrid settings. Participating DeKalb schools include Stoneview Elementary, Pine Ridge Elementary, Murphy Candler Elementary, E.L. Miller Elementary, and Redan Elementary.
To learn more about the program, contact Ed Long, Human Services Program Coordinator by email at elong@dekalbcountyga.gov or phone at 404-683-5308 or complete an online application at https://www.unitedwayatlanta.org/aarp-volunteer-application/.
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