Elementary Literacy Friends program in need of volunteers

A love of reading is the only requirement for people interested in volunteering with Elementary Literacy Friends (ELF), according to executive director Erin Schryer.

The New Brunswick-based reading program, now in the middle of a recruitment drive for literacy tutors, will handle the rest she said Tuesday on Information Morning Saint John.

"You don't need a background in education or teaching reading, we provide formal training with our volunteers," Schryersaid.

"Volunteers report feeling very satisfiedand that they're well equipped to work with their children after the the training session."

The ELF programmatches community volunteers with grade 2 students who would benefit from one-on-one help to improvetheir reading skills.

"As an organization we are here every step of the way for volunteers to reach out forany type of support they might need."

Participating schools are requesting significant volunteersupport this year, saidSchryer.

The program is also expected to add25 more schools, reinforcing the need for 30 more volunteers in Saint John, and 10 more volunteers in the Kennebecasis Valley.

"You need to be interested in children, be willing to sit down with a child twice a week for 10 weeks after school, that's the commitment, and just a love of reading and helping a community member," Schryer said.

"We have a role to play, and we want to support children in their learning and teachers in their classrooms, and we're seeing a movement towards that in New Brunswick It's really important, and will be a way for us to strengthen education in New Brunswick."

Elementary Literacy Inc. offers the reading program in107 Anglophone schools across New Brunswick.

A separate program,Communauts LittratieEnfantsFrancophones (CLEF)is offered inFrancophone schools.

ELF and CLEF are supplementary reading achievement programs that strengthen and build upon classroom teaching.