Here’s the scenario: the phone rings in the first grade classroom. Students smile, all excited. One answers, listens… turns to the class. “Sandra, it’s your reading tutor!”

On the other end of the line is you, a busy professional, taking 30 minutes out of your day once a week to help tutor a child to read better, grow smarter and build their self-confidence.

This easy-to-do, influential scenario is made possible by TutorMate, an online literacy program that’s making a big impact in the young lives of our Orange County students.

What’s Tutormate?

TutorMate is a web-based tutoring program for elementary students in public schools. It provides a flexible, convenient, highly rewarding and deeply impactful way for professionals to connect with a student and contribute to their love for reading—without ever leaving your place of work.

Tutors choose their weekly 30-minute tutoring time, then complete their reading session with the student by phone and a shared online dashboard. Students and tutors read stories and play word games that encourage fluency, comprehension, phonics and spelling skills.

“Some students don’t have anyone to read to them, so to have someone calling them and taking the time with them to read to them is something they really appreciate.” —Ashley Hobson, Kindergarten/First Grade Teacher

As the nation’s leading online volunteer tutoring program, TutorMate has helped thousands of first grade students from low income neighborhoods expand their reading comprehension. Thanks to their enthusiasm and literacy tutors, students participating in the program increase their reading levels on average by 20 points (and some by over 30 points) on a 1-60 scale!

TutorMate is a key program that is helping to reach Orange County United Way’s communitywide goal of cutting the high school dropout rate in half by 2024. Research shows that students who aren’t able to read at grade level by 3rd grade are four times—four times!—more likely to leave high school without a diploma.

With only a telephone, internet connection and 30 minutes a week, you can make a difference in the life of a young student—and help promote their success in school right from your desk.

“The pride you see in their faces, and that they express over the phone, at being able to accomplish reading a story or winning a game of Tic-Tac-Toe is so heartwarming.” —Diane Sciacca, JP Morgan Chase

Become an Online Tutor Today — And Help A Child Read To Succeed!

With minimal time and effort, you can be part of this remarkable online tutor experience of reading to a child. Don’t miss this chance to volunteer and give back to your community. Register by September 22 to start tutoring mid-October!

Check out this fun video plus smiling pictures of recent TutorMate graduates.