WEST HARTFORD – Children’s Reading Partners is seeking volunteers for its Elementary Express program, which serves at-risk students in kindergarten through sixth grades at 15 schools in Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain and West Hartford, and offers reading enrichment opportunities for children at P. Faith McMahon Wintonbury Library in Bloomfield, East Hartford Public Library, and the Charter Oak Boxing Academy in Hartford. 

“Children’s Reading Partners volunteers help our students grow in the areas of decoding, fluency and comprehension – and they also make a lasting impact on students’ social and emotional well-being,” notes Richard Tomkowit, a resource teacher from S.A.N.D. School in Hartford.

Prospective volunteers attend a training session and select a 30-minute-per-week time slot to read to a child. Volunteer times are available during the school day, after school or in the evening.

Prospective volunteers may attend any one of the following training sessions:

Thursday, Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m. at Congregation Kol Haverim, 1079 Hebron Avenue, Glastonbury.

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m. at the Mandell JCC, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford.

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 1:30 p.m. at the Community Services Building, 333 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford.

To learn more or to sign up for a training session, contact Ronni Breiter at rbreiter@jewishhartford.org or (860) 727-6129.

Children’s Reading Partners is an initiative of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.