“Education is itself a conversation.”
-Jason Reynolds, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (2020-2022).
2025-2026
We are expecting to have three long-established school sites for the 2025-2026 school year: Stedman Elementary School, William (Bill) Roberts K-8 School, and St. Elizabeth’s School.
In a new program, we will also be serving Boston Elementary P-8 School.
1. Stedman Elementary is located at 2940 Dexter Street.
Volunteers read with Stedman second graders from 9:30 to 10:30 on Friday mornings. Currently we have a volunteer for each student, but we are still looking for volunteers who are willing to be a substitute reader.
Volunteers read with Stedman kindergartners from 9:30 to 10:30. This program is still open.
2. William (Bill) Roberts K-8 School is located at the Southwest corner of the Central Park and Montview. Its address is 2100 N. Akron Way.
Volunteers read with two sixth grade students in three forty-five sessions: 10:20 to 11:05, 11:10 to 12:55 and 12:25 to 1:10. All groups have volunteers right now. We are still looking for volunteers willing to be a substitute reader.
3. St. Elizabeth’s School is located at 1800 Pontiac on what was formerly the Johnson and Wales campus.
Volunteers read with second graders on Tuesday afternoons from 1:45 to 2:30 and with third graders from 2:30 to 3:10. All second and third graders have designated volunteers now. We are still looking for substitute readers.
4. Boston Elementary is located at 1365 Boston Street, Aurora.
Volunteers will read with one or two fourth grade students. The day and time will be Thursdays from 10:45 to 11:30. There is still room for volunteers in this program.
“My virtual teaching experience with my student Quinn exceeded all my expectations. What a bright, talented young man. It was my privilege to be able to assist him in his learning at Stedman.” -Jerry Mahan
THANK YOU NOTES FROM OUR STUDENTS
LOVE NOTES FROM OUR VOLUNTEERS
“I have now experienced what teachers hope for and become teachers for. These two boys have become readers”
– Patrick Caldwell
“I want to celebrate you and what you create through PiL: You create community. You support relationships centered in rich meaningful literature. You are successful because: you meet everyone (adults as well as students) right where they are. You coach, council, problem solve, celebrate, schlep, negotiate, network, envision, lead and inspire…
-Katie Russel
“I have been a reading volunteer for eight years. While most of the years I’ve read with a child in the elementary grades, I’ve also read with middle schoolers for three years. There are many reasons why I love reading with these students. It’s such a unique opportunity to get to know a group of kids through reading. Because there are only a few of us, were able to have rich, deep discussion about our books and our discussions often lead to situations in the real world.”
– Shere Dayney
“The Reading Buddy Program has the potential to change the world one reading buddy pair at a time.”
– Kathy Bruce
“Thanks for all you do for Denver’s children and its retirees. We all benefit from reading together.”
– Sally Ortiz
Past Reading Volunteer Programs
The Odyssey School, 2011-2019. Partners in Literacy maintained over 130 volunteer-student book groups in grades K-8 per year.
Roots Elementary School, 2016-2019. Partners in Literacy maintained book groups in grades k-4th grade.
Pioneer Middle School, 2015-2016. Partners in Literacy blanketed two 8th grade classes with reading volunteers.
Wyatt Academy Middle School, 2016-2017: Partners in Literacy Reading Volunteers shared reading with two classes of sixth grade students. We were strongly committed to continue at Wyatt in the next year. Scheduling difficulties made our continuation impossible.
Venture Prep Middle School, 2011-2015: We accompanied 35 Venture Prep students on their reading path from 6th grade to 8th grade graduation. As seventh graders, fifty percent were at third grade reading level or lower. Two students could name an on-level favorite book. At graduation, the median reading level for all students was at a 8th grade level with one outlier. They had read over 200 good books with their volunteers . Their principal said that they were the class the most prepared for high school of any class he had ever seen.
