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Reading Partners SF Bay Area launched five new reading centers at elementary schools across the Bay Area at the start of the academic year. Back in March, Reading Partners partnered with the City of Oakland and Mayor Libby Schaaf to launch an initiative known as LIFT10. LIFT10 promises to increase early literacy among Oakland fourth grade students by 10 percent over the next four years. As part of our LIFT10 initiative, we work closely with existing and new partner schools across Oakland Unified School District鈥攁nd in collaboration with numerous community organizations鈥攖o improve the early literacy support provided to students. Fruitvale Elementary School, led by AmeriCorps Site Coordinator Eli Schwartz, is one of those schools.

Although Eli has only been serving at Fruitvale for two months, he feels welcomed and is learning a lot about the school community. He says, 鈥淔ruitvale parents are awesome! Every interaction I鈥檝e had with parents has been very positive, and I鈥檝e gotten a ton of Take Reading Home reports back already鈥攎ost of them done with the parent鈥檚 help.鈥� This cooperation makes Reading Partners a natural fit for the school, and Eli feels fortunate to be supported by his new community.

Within Reading Partners鈥� first few months at Fruitvale, Eli has already experienced memorable moments with his students. He鈥檚 seen how eager students are to participate in Reading Partners, he recalls one student who 鈥渁pproached me in the playground and asked, 鈥楢re you getting me today?鈥� I gave him my typical answer: 鈥楽orry, not today.鈥� He responded, 鈥楤ut I need to read too!鈥� Although I don鈥檛 have enough tutors right now to enroll him, I can鈥檛 wait for the day when I can meet the needs of more students at Fruitvale.鈥�

There are many challenges that come along with starting a brand new reading center. 鈥淢y biggest challenges have been logistical鈥攍earning the schedule, getting a key for my room, juggling availabilities. I鈥檝e been doing a lot of explaining what our curriculum is like and what we do.鈥� Despite the difficulties, Eli is overcoming every challenge with a positive attitude. 鈥淧rincipal Patricia Ceja and all the staff at Fruitvale have been incredibly welcoming and helpful. They have made me feel a part of the Fruitvale family!鈥�

We can鈥檛 wait to see our students鈥� progress and growth at Fruitvale and are excited to be a part of the collaborative work in the Oakland community to boost student success. While we have had a strong start to our academic year, we are in urgent need of volunteers to serve more than 1,000 students here in the Bay Area. If you鈥檙e interested in volunteering at Fruitvale, or another of our 32 centers, please sign up here!