Month: April 2018

BALTIMORE — For over four decades, National Volunteer Week has given nonprofits an opportunity to recognize the invaluable support of volunteers that help fuel their work.

In celebration of National Volunteer Week in 2018 (April 15-21), Reading Partners Baltimore created a list highlighting the top five ways its volunteers make the community stronger and better.

Here are the top five reasons:

1. Volunteers drive student impact— Volunteers are working one-on-one with more than 750 students this year in Baltimore to help deliver meaningful results for kids (last year, 81 percent of Reading Partners’ Kindergarten through second-grade students in Baltimore mastered key foundational reading skills needed to read at grade level).

2. By promoting educational equity, volunteers strengthen the broader community— Everyone benefits in the long run when student literacy achievement is bolstered. Students who don’t read proficiently by fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of school. It’s estimated that every student who walks out of the classroom without a diploma costs our society $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes, and productivity.

3. Volunteers serve as a resource multiplier— Because Reading Partners engages so many community volunteers in their work, the program is more affordable for schools to implement than other literacy interventions. For every dollar invested in reading partners, the program delivers more than $2 in resources to students.

4. Volunteers support strong public schools— Thanks to the involvement of 1,100 community tutors in Baltimore, 97 percent of teachers report Reading Partners is valuable to their school and 100 percent of principals report improved school-wide reading progress.

5. Volunteers help bring joy to learning— Students feed off of the energy and excitement of Reading Partners’ volunteer tutors. In Baltimore, 95 percent of volunteers are satisfied with their tutoring experience and that enthusiasm helps students develop a lifelong love of reading that is key to success in school and beyond.

“Our ability to serve hundreds of students across our city is made possible through our volunteers,” said Jeffrey Zwillenberg, executive director, Reading Partners Baltimore. “And beyond this reach, it is these same volunteer tutors who are creating life-changing opportunities by delivering the gift of reading to their students. We are more than just a one-on-one literacy tutoring program — we are a volunteer and community driven organization seeking to create educational equity for our entire city.”

Reading Partners is a national nonprofit that collaborates with community volunteers and local public schools in Baltimore and in 13 other regions across the country to equip students with the foundational skills they need to be able to read at grade level by fourth grade.

Reading Partners Baltimore is constantly looking for more local volunteers to commit just an hour a week to work individually with children who struggle with reading. To become a volunteer with Reading Partners,visit: readingpartners.org/volunteer today.

BALTIMORE — The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has opened the application process for a scholarship program designed to help income eligible students attend nonpublic schools.

The Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) Program, entering its third year, will provide more than $7 million in scholarships for students who are eligible for the free- or reduced-price lunch program. The BOOST program was the result of a bipartisan compromise during the 2016 session of the Maryland General Assembly, and received widespread support from legislators in both parties.

“Our administration is committed to ensuring that every single child in Maryland has the chance to get a world-class education, regardless of what neighborhood they happen to grow up in,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “This innovative program, forged through bipartisan cooperation, offers expanded options and opportunities for Maryland families and students.”

More than 2,800 students were awarded BOOST Scholarships for the 2017-18 school year. Scholarships ranged from $1,400 to $4,400 each, with the highest award amount going to students who had qualified for the Free Meal Program and attended a public school the previous year.

The BOOST program is available for students either already attending or hoping to attend a nonpublic participating school. Students must be enrolled in— or have applied to— a potential participating school before completing the BOOST application.

All applications will be reviewed by MSDE to ensure completion and income eligibility. MSDE will compile a list of applicants that ranks eligible students by family income expressed as a percent of the most recent federal poverty levels. MSDE will then provide a count of eligible students by category to the BOOST Advisory Board. The categories reflect whether the student attended a public or private school the prior year and whether the student qualifies for Free Meals or Reduced Meals. lso, the BOOST law governing the 2018-19 awards specifies that some funds are reserved for students with disabilities. The BOOST Advisory Board will determine how the scholarship funds are allocated among the categories.

Students who received a BOOST Scholarship in the 2017-2018 school year and who still meet the eligibility criteria must complete an application to receive an award in 2018-2019.

The application deadline is Monday, May 21, 2018 at 5 p.m. for the 2018-19 school year. The application and a list of participating schools is available at http://marylandpublicschools.org/Pages/ boost/index.aspx.

BALTIMORE — Baltimore County Public Library in partnership with Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum debuts a story trail in the park’s nature play area on Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 11 a.m. The story trail, which is a series of picture book pages posted along a walking path, was developed to promote literacy, exercise and family fun for Baltimore County residents and visitors.

This is the library’s second story trail in Baltimore County— Oregon Ridge Nature Center debuted a story trail behind its outdoor children’s area in 2017. Baltimore County Public Library’s Catonsville Branch staff who initiated the collaboration, will maintain the posts and change the story seasonally to keep bringing families back.

The project was funded by Foundation for Baltimore County Public Library and Benjamin Banneker Foundation; the book stands were installed by Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks.

“Our staff loves branching out from what people consider traditional library services,” said Melissa Gotsch, Catonsville Branch manager, “with efforts like our community garden and campfire stories at Patapsco State Park.”

The first book featured on the story trail will be Explorers of the Wild by author/illustrator Cale Atkinson. The brightly colored book describes Bear and Boy, two explorers who love to explore the outdoors. When they meet in the woods, they’re both scared, but “no mountain is too big to conquer if you have a friend to climb it by your side.”

“We chose books that highlight outdoor activities while instilling a love of reading among kids and caregivers,” Gotsch said.

“We have the space and it fits our mission, said Winny Tan, senior naturalist/director of Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum. “Benjamin Banneker was an avid learner and voracious reader, so providing this recreational and learning opportunity for the community complements the visitor experience.”

“Reading is so important to a child’s success,” continued Tan, “and now we can incorporate it with fresh air, nature, exploration, exercise and good impacts on health.”