Reading Buddy Program
The goal of the program is to help children improve their reading skills & gain confidence as readers.
The Reading Buddy Program pairs volunteers, as mentors, with elementary school students.
Students meet with their reading buddy once per week for 8 weeks at the students’ school to read together one-on-one and foster a love of reading. Each reading buddy is an adult volunteer who has passed a background check and received training.
“It all starts with a spark of the imagination, then the idea grows, and that all starts with reading. Reading opens a world of possibilities for our learners. Kobi Yamada wrote in the children’s book What Do You Do with an Idea?: “And then, I realized what you do with an idea… You change the world.”
The Reading Buddy program with the Spokane County Library District creates positive learning relationships for our elementary students. Students and their Reading Buddies are able to read with a purpose and have a conversation about it. Students connect and engage with the mentors who encourage and inspire an enthusiasm for reading and learning.
Research shows that having a relationship centered on reading with an adult produces more results than all the technology in the world. Those relationships are important for social and academic growth. We are grateful for this partnership, and our students really look forward to visits from their Reading Buddies.”
–Ben Small, Superintendent, Central Valley School District
“Our Brentwood teachers really appreciate having another resource for students who need additional help in reading. My teachers have shared with me how impressed they are with the Reading Buddy Program and its volunteers. Not only do kids love meeting with their reading buddy, they are also making steady gains in language arts and reading. I feel truly blessed to have this partnership with Spokane County Library District.”
–Justin Valentine, Principal, Brentwood Elementary School (Mead School District)
The Reading Buddy Program is coordinated directly with partner elementary schools and is not offered at our libraries at this time.
If you’re a teacher or administrator of an elementary school in Spokane County and would like to learn about participating in the Reading Buddy Program, you can contact Literacy Program Coordinator, Melanie Boerner, at 509.893.8408 or mboerner@scld.org.
Looking to Volunteer for the Reading Buddy Program?
You can visit our Volunteer web page to learn about the requirements to be a Reading Buddy and submit your application, or check our event calendar for a Reading Buddy Volunteer Orientation.
The Reading Buddy Program is generously sponsored by
