PEI Literacy Alliance expanding tutoring program
The free tutoring program is expanding beyond the summer months
The PEI Literacy Alliance is extending its free summer tutoring program into the new year.
The program is currently only offered for eight weeks during the summer, but beginning this fall, it will be offered throughout the school year.
"It's been so successful, and we know that the need is there, you know, based on us having wait lists every summer. And so we're going to try and do it during the school year and hopefully support parents and teachers more," said executive director Jinny Greaves.
The group expanded its literacy camps in 2017, offering them on seven PD days throughout the school year. This year's expansion will offer students weekly tutoring sessions.
Rotary funding
The Alliance has been running its one-on-one tutoring program for nearly 20 years. Greaves said the alliance currently works with 800 students in the summer. With the expansion, the aim is to tutor another 800 through the school year.
"We hope to be able to say by next year annually we work with 1,600 children. That's the vision. That's the goal," Greaves said.
The locations for the program haven't been announced yet, but it will be offered at libraries in four communities across the province.
The Rotary Literacy Foundation contributed $40,000 to the pilot project. The Literacy Alliance also put in some of its own money — and some funding came from United Way of P.E.I. and the province.
The organization hopes to have the tutors hired by the end of October.
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With files from Stephanie Kelly