Syracuse Sun

Faculty, staff, and students are being encouraged to volunteer with Book Buddies, an in-person tutoring program aimed at enhancing literacy skills for kindergarten through third-grade students at five schools within the Syracuse City School District (SCSD). The initiative is led by the United Way of Central New York.

During the 2023-24 school year, the Book Buddies program provided nearly 7,500 hours of reading practice to 500 students, thanks to volunteers that included members of the Syracuse University community. Volunteers commit between 60-120 minutes once per week with their book buddy or buddies at one of the participating schools: Roberts Pre-K-8 School, Seymour Dual Language Academy, Delaware Primary, STEAM @ Dr. King Elementary or Dr. Weeks Elementary School. Volunteers offer reading support and remind students to use strategies for encoding, decoding and reading comprehension.

“The best part of working with Book Buddies is, of course, the students. It’s wonderful to be able to come in in the middle of a busy day and have a student that’s excited to see you,” said Eboni Britt, executive director of strategic communications and initiatives in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and a Book Buddy volunteer. “I think Book Buddies provides me with an opportunity to give back to the community in a way that’s really unique; to be able to use some of my lunch time to come over and volunteer was really perfect for me. The program is very flexible and the team and staff are very supportive.”

The five schools involved are among the lowest-performing in SCSD, with only 7.6% of third graders meeting state English Language Arts standards compared to a district average of 17%. By providing practice opportunities with supportive adults in encouraging environments, the program contributed to a student growth rate of 93%, measured as those who improved in one or more literacy skills between October 2023 and May 2024.

“Book Buddies has the potential to have a tremendous impact on children in our community,” said Cydney Johnson ’77 G’96 vice president of community engagement and government relations. “With a small commitment each week, volunteers can build meaningful relationships with students in the program and have a lifelong impact on their future trajectory by building literacy and confidence.”

For more information or if ready to volunteer visit CNYbookbuddies.org.