New Haven Reads is beginning our Summer Session Tutoring and we are in need of tutors! We currently have over 40 students waiting for a tutor – is that tutor you? Anyone interested in becoming a tutor should act fast!
Our current needs for tutors are:
Name: Lizz Ladd
Hometown: West Hartford, CT
College and Major: Loyola Marymount University, BA Recording Arts
Tutor Site: Willow
Clubs: Math Club, Performing Arts Club
Favorite Childhood Book: Good Dog, Carl
I first learned about New Haven Reads during a gap year serving with AmeriCorps. I came to the book bank to get books for the school I was serving at and I fell in love with the work of New Haven Reads. When I heard about the internship program, I knew that I wanted to be involved.
Interning this summer has taught me about youth and education through a nonprofit lens.
I’ve learned about the many ways that New Haven Reads supports the community and shares the joy and power of reading. I love how New Haven Reads is student-centered and that each staff member is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that the kids receive an excellent literacy education and receive the support that they need to be successful readers. It’s incredible how dedicated they are to serving the New Haven community.
One program that I’ve become involved in is the math club. A staff member was telling me that a few summers ago, parents were asking for math support for their kids in addition to literacy support. Since New Haven Reads is always looking for ways to better serve families, the interns were asked to facilitate summer math programing. Twice a week, my volunteer helpers and I meet with students ranging from 2nd grade to 7th grade and work with them on different math skills. It has been a great experience to help students feel confident solving math problems and a great way to reinforce our students’ math skills before they return to school in the fall.
I’ll never forget the first student I tutored here. When my student, a little first grader,
arrived at Willow, I learned that it was her first time here. She was a little shy at first, but once
we got into our tutoring hour she began to loosen up more. About halfway through our session,
she turned to me and said, “I love this place!” My heart melted!
I’m so grateful to KeyBank for the opportunity to be a part of New Haven Reads this summer and work with such incredible students. Thanks to this opportunity, I have been offered the position of Assistant Site Director at Willow following the end of the internship program. I’m so excited that this internship brought me to New Haven Reads and that I have the opportunity to continue supporting this wonderful organization and their students moving forward.
Name: Sara Penn
Hometown: New Haven, CT
College and Major: Albertus Magnus College, Class of 2023; Sociology
Tutor Site: Science Park Clubs: Math, Arts & Crafts, Performing Arts
Favorite Children’s Book: The Divergent Series
I was familiar with New Haven Reads before I started this internship. I volunteered at New Haven Reads during my senior year of high school to fulfill my community service hours. During the couple months of volunteering here, I worked in the Pre-K and Kindergarten program assisting the students one day a week. I didn’t know the full extent of what other opportunities New Haven Reads had other than tutoring students until I started working at Literacy Volunteers and saw their tutoring programs during the school year. Being a summer intern here has given me the opportunity to see just how much is actually going on, and to be a part of it.
This summer I have been involved with Math, Arts & Crafts and Performing Arts enrichment clubs. In the beginning, I was kind of nervous to do these clubs, but throughout these past couple weeks running them, they have been easier than I expected them to be. Seeing the students’ faces light up when we start lights up my whole experience working with them, making this experience so much better. Having the help from other tutors and also the site team has helped me a lot and I’m grateful for them being there.
The students make the whole experience great. In the beginning, it took some time for the students to get to know me and get to know them. Throughout these weeks, I’ve developed bonds with the students I’m tutoring, running the clubs, and co-leading clubs because they see you every time you work with them and you get to know who they are and I share so many laughs with them. I get so excited coming in to work with the students and working with other tutors because you see so many backgrounds of tutors and students and it just makes this whole experience great. I also appreciate the site team at Science Park for making me feel at home and being there every step of the way, thank you guys.
I want to thank KeyBank for giving me the chance to be a part of all the amazing things that are happening at New Haven Reads. I’ve absolutely loved my time here; I would be honored to come back again and possibly work at New Haven Reads and continue tutoring to change the lives of the students in New Haven.
Marty has been volunteering with New Haven Reads for about 7 years. Marty decided to start volunteering after hearing about NHR through the Yale Club of New Haven. To him, New Haven Reads sounded like a very rewarding program. He spent three years volunteering at our Dixwell location before becoming a tutor at our Willow Street location.
Marty has worked with many different students over the years. When asked what keeps him coming back to NHR, Marty responded with “the amazing feedback that I get from the students.”
Marty’s favorite book is Catch 22, while as a child, his favorite book was The Jungle Book.
Helena has been tutoring at Bristol Street and online for about 4 years. She began her journey at New Haven Reads in the spring of 2018. “I wanted to give back to the community and I was excited to do so through reading, an activity that I love pursuing myself,” says Helena.
Helena’s passion for giving back to the community through reading is what attracted her to New Haven Reads. It has been her experiences with the amazing kids at New Haven Reads that keep her coming back over the years. Helena describes a time that she has discovered a shared interest with a student. “The student I tutor is a bright kid with a passion for animals and science in general.” Helena, a PhD candidate in neuroscience, says she enjoys explaining things in a kid-friendly way and sharing scientific knowledge.
When asked what her favorite book was, as a child and now, she responded by making note of her love for Harry Potter books or anything fantasy. As a child, Helena spent hours reading them secretly at night when she was supposed to be sleeping. Currently, she still enjoys reading fantasy and sci-fi, but has expanded her reading interests into other novels and literature.
Isabella has been a volunteer at Bristol Street for eight months. She began her journey at New Haven Reads as an intern for her Psychology program at the University of New Haven. “I chose New Haven Reads because I love working with kids and I knew it would be a rewarding experience. I couldn’t have been happier with my choice!” says Isabella.
While at New Haven Reads, Isabella has displayed her versatility. In addition to tutoring, she has also been frequently sought out to translate newsletters and phone calls for our Spanish speaking families. Describing this experience, she explains that “it was nerve-wracking at first because I am not completely confident in my Spanish, especially when taking phone calls. After a while, I learned that it was irrelevant whether I spoke flawless Spanish or not. Instead, what matters is that I am assisting these families in getting the most out of their New Haven Reads experience. I am aware that many families who work with New Haven Reads do so in their native language. I believe I am assisting those families and the program in communicating more effectively.”
When we asked Isabella what keeps her coming back, she responded with her reason being because “I wanted to keep the bond as well as the progress I created with my students. I couldn’t bear to miss out on watching as their skills grow.”
When Isabella was a child, Number the Stars was her favorite book. Her favorite book today is The Help. The books that move her while providing insight into real life issues are her favorite reads.
Keriany has been a volunteer at Science Park, Willow and Bristol street for 7 months. She discovered and started this journey with New Haven Reads as a volunteer at our Science Park location in the fall of 2021. “As I continued to provide my services at New Haven Reads, I immediately knew that I wanted to continue helping children read,” says Keriany. As a result, she pursued an internship for the Spring 2022 semester.
Following this transition into an internship, Keriany is now working with students at Willow and Bristol street as well. “Being at Willow has given me the opportunity to help English as Second Language learners. This is a special moment because I was a Dual Language Learner during my childhood,” she says. “Now I am able to help translate conversations between parents and directors on sites and think outside the box to create engaging sessions to practice comprehension or morphology. But the most fulfilling part is to help encourage our children to become future leaders,” Keriany explains.
When asked what keeps her coming back, she responded with, “A sense of purpose is what intrigues me to assist in serving the community at New Haven Reads. My soul is filled with joy to see children improve in their speech, while having fun. That is the reason why my heart’s desire is to do this every day.”
Her “all time favorite book as a child” was If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff. Currently her favorite book is Still Me by Jojo Moyes, which is a part of a trilogy that she finds fascinating.
Written by: Isaiah Cunningham, NHR Tutor and intern.
New Haven Reads is showing their gratitude and appreciation to the volunteers who have continuously supported New Haven Reads and our goal of developing a community of confident readers and expanding book access.
“We at New Haven Reads are so thankful to have such dedicated and involved tutors and volunteers. We are elated to have this opportunity to thank them for their time and effort”, says Fernanda Franco, Outreach Director at New Haven Reads. New Haven Reads is a non-profit organization that relies heavily on volunteers. Our volunteers are our heart and soul of New Haven Reads and we are honored to have them be a part of our team. Therefore, we are awarding navy blue fleece jackets with the New Haven Reads logo on the left chest area to our volunteers with three or more years of service. “I absolutely love the idea of providing volunteers with fleece jackets. These volunteers provide an invaluable service to the community, and it feels wonderful to see their efforts recognized for it,” says Aimee Curtis-Travaglini, Bristol Site Director.
New Haven Reads is always looking for ways to recognize the contributions of our volunteers. Volunteer support is integral to our success, and we’re proud to give them the recognition they deserve. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with New Haven Reads, please click on the link here.
New Haven Reads is currently offering our programs remotely due to the rise in Covid-19 cases. We are seeking volunteers to help tutor our students online. If you or someone you know may be interested please fill out the application here or email volunteer@test.newhavenreads.org for more information.
Shirley Cavanagh has been tutoring at the Bristol site for almost five years. As a librarian at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), she enjoyed helping students utilize resources for their undergraduate papers and graduate theses. She described herself as being almost a “college tutor.” She is currently a co-president of the Hamden Woman’s Club, a non-profit organization that provides a number of different volunteer services.
After retiring in 2016, Shirley discovered New Haven Reads. She wanted to be involved in tutoring younger students who may be struggling or not particularly fond of reading. When asked what keeps her coming back to New Haven Reads, she responded, “Many things… I think the staff is exceptional. Especially in the past year and a half I’ve seen their dedication and commitment to continuing the program and continuing to work with students and their parents.”
One of Shirley’s all time favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and as a child it was the Anne of Green Gables series by Maud Montgomery. She also mentioned that when she used to babysit, she read Where the Wild Things Are multiple times and enjoyed doing so.
Shirley described a memorable and rewarding experience she recently had during a Zoom session. Her and the student were reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, typically taking turns every other page. Until one day the student who was once somewhat reluctant to read said, “I want to read.”
Monday: 1pm-7pm
Tuesday: 1pm-7pm
Wednesday: 1pm-7pm
Thursday: 12pm-6pm
Friday: 12pm-6pm
Saturday: 10am-2pm
Please call to confirm that these hours are accurate. Hours are subject to change when we are on break. All break hours are posted in the scrolling header here on our website, as well as our social media.
45 Bristol Street
New Haven CT 06511
203.752.1923
EIN 760807330
Freddy Fixer Dances Down Dixwell Avenue New Haven tutoring initiative shows improvement in math and reading skills New Haven students show improvements in math and literacy through tutoring program
Founded to share the joy and power of reading, New Haven Reads partners with the community to provide free one-on-one tutoring, educational family support, and a book bank to empower aspiring readers to master the literacy skills needed to thrive in school and life.
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