Community Literacy Mentoring Program
CLAMP is aimed at children aged 5-12 who come from underserved communities and have special learning needs, including cognitive or developmental disabilities, reading difficulties, or language barriers.​
Program Structure:
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Volunteers: High school volunteers receive leadership for personal development and to complete the reading programs using the specialized literacy curriculum. This training includes understanding the needs of children with learning challenges, building empathy, and developing techniques to engage and motivate young learners.
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One-on-One Sessions: Volunteers meet with their assigned child once a week for personalized reading sessions. Each session focuses on:
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Phonemic awareness
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Vocabulary development
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Reading comprehension
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Writing skills
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Interactive games, multimodal activities, and storytelling are integrated into the lessons to make learning enjoyable and accessible for each child.
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Specialized Curriculum: CLAMP uses research-based methods that cater to each child’s specific needs, ensuring that the materials are both accessible and engaging. The curriculum includes:
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Specialized reading programs including instruction in the Science Research Approach (SRA) and Orton Gillingham reading programs by a certified instructor.
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Specialized writing with a Certified Handwriting Specialist through the Handwriting without Tears program. This program uses multimodal methods to suit each child’s learning style and is highly successful in children with disabilities for increasing writing and reading skills.
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Positive reinforcement strategies to build confidence and motivation
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Goals:
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Enhance reading and writing skills for at-risk children.
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Empower students from underserved communities by providing them with access to quality literacy development.
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Develop leadership and communication skills in high school volunteers.
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Foster a culture of learning, inclusion, and compassion within the community.
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Increase parent engagement
Outcomes: Through this program, children gain critical literacy skills that will help them succeed academically, while volunteers experience the rewards of making a tangible difference in the lives of younger children in need
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Parent Engagement: Fostering reading between parent and child is crucial to the success of our program. CLAMP aims to reinforce reading relationships and encourage parents to engage in reading with their child as well as tracking their progress and communicating with teachers for the highest level of outcomes for reading success.
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Community Impact: CLAMP strengthens the bonds between the youth volunteers and the community, promoting empathy, leadership, and a sense of responsibility. By giving back, high school students not only help improve literacy outcomes but also gain valuable skills in teaching and community service.
If you have any questions, contact our office for more info at 813-323-5783 or email inspiratampabay@gmail.com
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After registering below, you will receive a confirmation e-mail for your placement.