Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) members serve with Washington Reading Corps (WRC) tutors to bring the test scores of struggling young readers up to grade level standards. As a VISTA member you will develop and implement literacy activities in schools, communities, and homes; recruit and train community volunteers to tutor struggling readers; act as a link between teachers, other members, and community volunteers; develop community awareness of school needs; and work toward implementing sustainable solutions.

VISTA members support the WRC program by recruiting and training volunteers as well as engaging families and communities in literacy activities to enhance student success. They also devote up to 2.5 hours a day tutoring students. While WRC tutors spend the bulk of their eight-hour day tutoring K-6 students one-on-one or in small groups, VISTA members use most of their time for program development and community resource development.

Both WRC tutors and VISTA members become an integral part of the school team to help struggling readers. They also participate in service activities and trainings with other members across North Central Washington. This allows members to share ideas and build lasting relationships with others dedicated to serving youth and communities.

Washington State Governor, Gary Locke, started the WRC program in 1998. The program has seen unparalleled success and is recognized as making a difference for children and communities all across the state of Washington.

What you may be doing as a VISTA member:

Expand reading tutoring programs: Build, facilitate and oversee volunteer tutoring program; tutor students up to 2.5 hours per day; monitor, assess and report student progress; gather resources to facilitate tutoring.

Promote family literacy: Provide reading resources for parents and youth; encourage reading activities in homes challenged by literacy; resolve transportation and isolation issues to bring youth and resources together; act as liaison between parents and adult literacy organizations.

Engage students in cross-age and peer tutoring: Coordinate and supervise cross-age and peer tutoring sessions; provide training in basic cross-age and peer tutoring techniques.

Recruit and train volunteer tutors: Recruit volunteers to tutor students in reading; increase the tutor/student ratio in reading activities; organize and provide training and guidance for volunteer tutors.

Ensure sustainability: Develop systems for collecting and sharing literacy information; build community awareness by meeting with school administration and community leaders to report ideas and best practices as well as share family/school/student needs.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VISTA AND OUR OTHER PROGRAMS

• VISTA members provide "indirect" service while SET and WRC members provide "direct" service. By this we mean that VISTA members concentrate mainly on the program development and sustainability side of the site. VISTA members help organize Family Literacy Nights, go to community meetings, ask for donations from community businesses and organizations, recruit volunteers for the school, and keep information important to reading tutors organized. VISTA members do not participate in as much hands-on tutoring as SET and WRC members. They typically will tutor about 2-3 hours a day.

• VISTA members serve a 12-month term (starting November 26th).

• VISTA members receive a relocation allowance. The relocation allowance is received approximately two to three months into service (Ask our recruitment coordinator or supervisor for more information).

• We prefer VISTA members to have a vehicle (for going to community meetings, picking up donations, etc.). We have had some VISTA members come without vehicles, but it is definitely easier if you have a vehicle you can bring.

• VISTA members recieve travel reimbursement during the week for driving to community meetings and picking up donations, but not for daily travel to sites. SET and WRC members do not recieve travel reimbursement for daily travel related to their site responsibilities.