On a Thursday afternoon, 6-year-old Lilikoi Canas sits at a picnic table on the lanai at Holualoa Elementary School, plodding along word-by-word while reading aloud “Pete the Cat: A Pet For Pete,” a picture book with a couple of sentences per page.
“Pete is going to the pet store. Pete is going to get a pet. Pete wants a bird, a hamster, or a lizard,” she reads to volunteer tutor Barb Hussey. When Canas comes across a challenging word, Hussey encourages her to sound it out.
Canas is a bright second-grader, but sometimes struggles with reading. But with additional help from IGNITE, a new tutoring program, she is increasing her literacy skills and making progress toward meeting her grade-level requirements. The hope is that she’ll master reading by the end of third grade, which is when educators like to say students go from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”
Established by Amanda Talarico and Nara Sandberg, members of AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America, IGNITE seeks to help close the achievement gap among Holualoa Elementary students in kindergarten through third grade. Studies have shown children who are successful by third grade are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to go on to higher education.
The goal of IGNITE is to “light the path to literacy” by using alternative teaching methods, such as art, acting, games and creative writing, to make reading more fun and interactive for students. Volunteer tutors meet one-on-one with their assigned student twice a week for 30 to 45 minutes during the school day to provide instruction and guided activities. Teachers recommend students for the program.
Volunteers are given play boxes called Sparks, filled with activities and supplies, to help spark their students’ imaginations, creativity and love of reading. Still, volunteers are given flexibility to tutor the way they see fit so long as it meets the needs of students.
To date, there are 23 volunteers helping 30 students. However, more volunteers are needed as there is a waiting list of about 20 students, Talarico said. All IGNITE tutors must get a TB test and criminal background check, as required for all volunteers at Holualoa Elementary.
Hussey decided to volunteer for IGNITE because she did something similar while living in Oregon. There, she participated in Start Making A Reader Today, or SMART, a program that pairs adult volunters with children for two, one-on-one 30-minute reading sessions.
Hussey thinks both literacy programs not only complement the student’s reading curriculum and instruction already provided by their teachers, but also build confidence and help create lifelong readers. She enjoys modeling the joys of reading, language and learning while also supporting her assigned students’ efforts to read independently, increasing their vocabulary and helping them master other skills. Friendships are also formed, which is another perk to this “rewarding and very satisfying” gig, she added.
Canas said she likes the “Pete the Cat” books Hussey brings for her. After successfully reading each book, Canas gets to take it home as a gift, which she thinks is nice. Asked if she likes reading, Canas smiles and nods her head yes, but not as much as painting, she said. Still Canas said reading is important “because when you grow up you have to read books and everything around you.”
Besides the needed tutors, help is being sought to pay for additional play boxes, which cost about $25 each. Sandberg and Talarico are also trying to form more partnerships with businesses and organizations interested in contributing to IGNITE. Talarico mentioned how Kona Stories, an independent bookstore in Keauhou, is offering volunteers a 10 percent discount on items that promote literature for children. Participating IGNITE volunteers, age 55 and older, are encouraged to sign up for the county’s Retired &Senior Volunteer Program, or RSVP, to get mileage reimbursements.
Since the program started about two weeks ago, Sandberg and Talarico said they have received lots of positive feedback, including how nice it is to have community members involved with the school and engaging with its students. One tutor recently reported how a first-grader went from reading one word at a time to full sentences. However, hard data about IGNITE’s impact won’t be available until halfway through and at the end of the school year, when participating students will be assessed.
Depending on the results, Sandberg and Talarico hope to expand the program to include fourth- and fifth-graders next school year. They also think IGNITE can serve as a model for other West Hawaii schools. For more information or to volunteer, call the school office at 322-4800 or email vista@holualoa.k12.hi.us.