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ALTON - YWCA Southwestern IL, in conjunction with Scholars on the Rise Tutoring, is again offering free community tutoring sessions on Thursdays from July 8 – August 12, 2021 from 11:00am – 2:00pm at the YWCA, 304 E Third Street in Alton, Illinois. The program structure includes Math and Reading instruction for grades K-6, lunch, and an enrichment activity. Content will build upon previous session instruction, so attendance at each session is required. Sessions are designed to focus on the development of Math and Reading skills as well as social emotional skills. With the current pandemic even on the wane, the need for YWCA to provide vital programs like the Community Tutoring Program is more important than ever.

Research shows that students lose approximately 1 to 2 months’ worth of reading and math skills over the summer, with the loss being greater in math than reading. This data is more prevalent for students from disadvantaged student groups. Research also shows that income-based reading gaps grow over the summer, given that middle income students tended to show improvement in reading skills while low-income students tended to experience loss. Over the summer, however, the flow of resources decreases for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but not for students from advantaged backgrounds.

Community Tutoring Program Facilitator Candice Wallace has been an educator in the area for over 10 years and feels blessed to partner with the YWCA annually on this program. “Many students leave school for summer break significantly behind in both Reading and Math. This deficit increases due to limited or no exposure to content or learning during the summer month. The Community Tutoring Program attempts to reduce this leaning loss by providing the recourses and instruction in Math and Reading to all students.”

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Dorothy Hummel, YWCA Executive Director, “is proud of the collaborations with Candice Wallace, Scholars on the Rise Tutoring, and the Alton based Summer Lunch program. It is wonderful to see area teachers and volunteers come back year after to serve these students. We are taking precautionary measures this year to ensure the health and safety of our staff and students as we offer the 5th annual Community Tutoring program. Special COVID procedures are available on our website for review.”

Each learning session will be divided by grade and content area, limiting each grade to 10 students. With COVID-19’s impact on learning, the Community Tutoring Program will be working harder to help children prepare for the upcoming school year.

Funding for the Community Tutoring program is available from a grant from Madison County Community Development. Registration forms are available on www.altonywca.com or by calling 618.465.7774. Due to grant funding, the registration package has been expanded to include an income survey.

Established in 1918, YWCA of Alton is part of the largest and oldest women’s organization in the world. YWCA of Alton tailors our programs to meet the unique needs of our communities, as aligned with three key national platforms: racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls.

YWCA of Alton is proudly sponsored by BJC Alton Memorial Hospital, Morrissey Contracting Company, Inc., and Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery.

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