Reading Buddies

UPDATE 3.7.22: With Danbury public schools now on mask-optional status and with Covid numbers at a relatively safe level, Jericho has been given the green light to restart our Reading Buddies program. We’re ramping up slowly with volunteers who were Buddies when the Covid shutdown began, but if you’re interested in helping to ensure at-risk students get the support and attention they need, fill out a volunteer application under CONNECT. Schools strongly suggest, but do not require, that volunteers be vaccinated. Volunteers must understand that they’ll be working with children who are most likely not vaccinated and also may not be wearing a mask.

An astounding fact: All 13 of Danbury’s public elementary schools are Title I, meaning at least 50% of the students in the school qualify for free or reduced-cost meals. It also means that these same students face obstacles to learning that all too often prevent them from staying on course and performing at grade level.

Enter, Jericho Reading Buddies. Our volunteers work alongside teachers and administrators, helping wherever needed to ensure struggling students get the attention and support they need to succeed. The key to our success - interceding as early as kindergarten and first grade, BEFORE kids fall too far behind.