YES Reading - Opening up the world of reading to at-risk children

Tutor Information

Each YES Reading Center is staffed by a Site Program Director. The Site Director coordinates all scheduling, trains and supports tutors, monitors student progress and performance, and communicates with teachers and families.
Tutoring sessions are 45 minutes; many tutors volunteer for 2 hours 15 mintues, allowing them to work with 3 different students for 45 minutes each.
Tutors can choose hours and days of the week most convenient for them. Session times allow for flexibility of travel and other absences.

Volunteers who commit to tutoring on a weekly basis will work with the same children each week.
Tutors are able to participate in program development through surveys and tutor feedback sessions.
A livescan fingerprint check is required of all volunteer tutors. YES Reading fingerprinting forms and a list of fingerprinting locations are available here.
Click here to Volunteer!

Our Reading Centers

BERKLEY MAYNARD ACADEMY, Oakland
SANCHEZ ELEMENTARY, San Francisco
COLLEGE PARK ELEMENTARY, San Mateo
SELBY LANE SCHOOL, Atherton

BELLE HAVEN SCHOOL , East Menlo Park
EAST PALO ALTO CHARTER SCHOOL, East Palo Alto
LIGHTHOUSE COMMUNITY CHARTER, Oakland

MARIANO CASTRO ELEMENTARY, Mountain View
HORACE MANN ELEMENTARY, San Jose

MONTAGUE ELEMENTARY, Santa Clara

For more information about volunteering at any of our centers, please email volunteer@yesreading.org or call (408)945-5720.

Our Tutor Training

YES Reading provides training to tutors to empower them with the tools they need to most effectively help the students.

Initial Training – 1.5 hours (required)
Learn the specifics about tutoring at YES Reading, including how the program is organized and what is expected of a tutor. Learn the components of a ‘good reader’, and become familiar with our curricular materials. Additionally, learn how to use additional resources, books, and materials available in our Reading Centers to reinforce learning. Schedule of Trainings

Additional Trainings

YES Reading provides additional trainings to active tutors throughout the year to equip tutors with additional strategies and tools for teaching reading skills. Details on the additional trainings are available on the program calendars, which can be found on the right side of this page. The following are descriptions of trainings we offer:

Working with Comprehension Students - Learn additional strategies for working with Comprehension Students. Discover new materials that YES Reading has developed, as well as how to effectively do the “Fluency” piece on the Comprehension lesson plan.
Multiple Learning Styles - Discuss methods for tutors and YES Reading staff to work together to better support ALL learners. Uncover how to teach a visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or tactile learner. Best practices in education such as social and literacy development in children will be covered.
Oral Reading Strategies - Learn and practice effective oral reading strategies! This workshop will help tutors better support students in building word recognition, improving fluency, and increasing comprehension. Sharpen your teaching skills through video clips and role play. Expect to be interactive!
Working with English Language Learners -Uncover useful methods for teaching our language learners and gain knowledge about working with bi-lingual students. Learn how to better relate to your students, support their language acquisition, and build their content knowledge.