Little Buddies Feel a Sense of Accomplishment

What is Reading Buddies?
Reading Buddies IS: a free program that pairs trained teen volunteers one-on-one with younger kids once a week for 45 minutes of shared reading and 15 minutes of group reading-related activities.

Reading Buddies is designed to give your child extra reading practice with a caring teen mentor and to make the reading experience fun.

Reading Buddies IS NOT: a tutoring service for your child.  Teen Reading Buddy volunteers are not trained or expected to correct learning problems.  (Free tutoring by adults in all subjects is available Mondays through Thursdays in the Lafayette Public Library's Homework Center.)

Who can participate?  

• Students who will be in grades 1-3 are eligible.
• Students must be able to attend all--or almost all--of the meetings.
• Students' parent or guardian must be able remain in the library during the meetings.
• Little Buddies will be admitted to the program on a first-come, first-serve basis, so apply early!  Priority will be given to residents of Lafayette and children who attend Lafayette schools.

Who are the Big Buddies? 
Students who will be in grades 7-12 can volunteer to be Reading Buddies.  Typically, they are teens who love reading, enjoy working with younger children, and want to give back to their community. They receive training before and during the program.

What do the Buddies do?

• Your child and his/her Buddy will take turns reading aloud. 
• They talk about their books and do activities connected to the material.  
• They might also play some reading-related games. 
• During the last 15 minutes of each meeting, all Buddy pairs come together for a group literacy activity like a library scavenger hunt. 
• On the last day, the Buddies will present a group project to their families and friends.

Will everyone read in English? 
We'll try to match up Buddies to read in either English or Spanish--whichever language they need to or want to practice.  Occasionally we have Big Buddies who speak other languages such as Japanese or French.

When will Reading Buddies take place?

*Tuesdays, 6/5 through 7/31, 4:00-5:00 (no meeting on 7/3)

 *Thursdays, 6/7 through 8/2, 6:00-7:00 (no meeting on 7/5)

 *On the last day of each session, the Buddies will present a project for their parents, such as a poetry reading or a play.  We will also have a short ceremony recognizing Reading Buddies volunteers and Little Buddies for their participation. Every Buddy will receive a certificate and free book.  Please plan to attend with your family and help us celebrate!

Important Attendance Policies
*A parent or caregiver must remain in the library (though not with the buddy pair) during the reading session.  

*We ask that you and your child make a commitment to attend ALL (or almost all) of the scheduled meetings.  If you must miss a meeting because of illness or a schedule conflict, please notify the Reading Buddies coordinator and your child's Big Buddy as far in advance as possible.

*If you anticipate missing more than two meetings, please sign up for a future Reading Buddies session instead.

*Please arrive on time to each meeting; if your child is not here within a few minutes after the start time, his/her Big Buddy may leave early or be assigned to another child.

Questions? 
Please call 303-665-5200, x3813 or email Sarah, the Reading Buddies Coordinator.

I'd like my child to have a Big Buddy.  What do I need to do?
Applications for Summer 2012 are available at the children's desk (in English and in Spanish) and online (in English).  Apply early!