United Way of Northwest Louisiana (UWNWLA) has launched a new reading initiative called the Literacy League, which seeks roughly 20 volunteers eager to work with children twice a month on literacy-based activities. Each volunteer will be paired with a child between the ages of four and six attending Caddo Heights Math/Science Elementary. All volunteers must be able to commit to volunteering for the remainder of the 2023 school year.
During each session, a volunteer will work with a student on campus for an hour out of the school day, providing them with literacy-based activities designed to improve their reading ability. UWNWLA will train volunteers and supply all materials needed for each volunteer session.
Studies show that 50 percent of children in Northwest Louisiana enter kindergarten without the tools needed to be successful in school and later in life. UWNWLA believes that providing better access to books and literacy activities will help increase reading scores across the region and give our youngest students the social and developmental tools necessary to be successful in the classroom and lead productive lives. UWNWLA intends to expand the Literacy League to other schools with preschool programs if this volunteer initiative proves successful.
“Improving early childhood education for our region’s children has been one of United Way’s top priorities for years,” said UWNWLA Director of Community Impact Raavin Evans. “However, we don’t want to stop at only providing the materials; the Literacy League allows us to take it a step further by ensuring children receive the one-on-one attention and direction they need to develop their literacy skills properly.”
Once UWNWLA obtains the number of volunteers needed, volunteers will be contacted by UWNWLA Director of Community Impact Raavin Evans to schedule volunteer training. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit https://unitedwaynwla.org/literacy-league/.
