The Education Outreach America Reads program at Utah State University was started by employees, Todd Milovich and Carol Rosenthal, in response to the Clinton administration’s America Reads Initiative in 1999. The purpose of that initiative was to get college students, paid through Title IV Federal Work Study, into public schools to improve literacy scores among elementary students.

The program started with only a few tutors in five schools during the school day and at its peak had 180 tutors in nearly every elementary school in Cache Valley working in schools both during the day and after school hours. Despite many challenges and changes over the years, this program does important work within Cache Valley, and individuals are encouraged to listen to former Governor Gary Herbert’s top 10 reasons to celebrate after school programs in Cache Valley.

“If there is one word that describes America Reads, the mentors working in our schools, and the students we work with, it would have to be resilience,” Milovich said.

In the past, this program has been faced with office transitions and budget restrictions which has made them comfortable with adaptability and flexibility. Due to past budget restrictions, the leadership has chosen to focus on after-school programs to reach the students who need assistance the most. The program has moved homes from the Financial Aid Office, where it began, to the Inclusion Center, to its current home in the Center for Community Engagement (CCE). With this program finding its fit in the CCE, tutors now have the opportunity to complete an AmeriCorps term of service and earn a scholarship while also being paid by Federal Work Study.

When COVID-19 hit, the Education Outreach America Reads program was ready to adjust and adapt. Though the pandemic brought many new challenges at both the administrative and programming ends of the initiative, the tutors have held steady. From navigating shutdowns and scares of ending compensation, the program has adapted through advocacy as an essential service in the Cache Valley community and adjusted mentor responsibilities and tasks throughout the year. In addition, much of the work has changed to small groups or virtual, as well as a shift in the individuals they are assisting.

Traditionally, mentors are used to helping individuals who are at-risk or behind on work academically, but through COVID-19 the focus has shifted to helping individuals who are behind from quarantine or the shutdown in the spring. Through all of the consistent changes, program mentors have persevered through the heightened pressure and increase in work, and stepped up during a critical time.

Previous tutors expressed appreciation for the program and their experience, saying “it has changed my perspective of life and increased my passion for children and their education (and) it was a great experience and I learned and gained tons of valuable skills.”

COVID-19 has increased the challenge of finding mentors to hire. With fewer students attending classes on campus and with the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the local schools, hiring enough mentors has been very difficult and the program is running short staffed. For those interested in becoming a mentor or reading more about this long-standing program at USU, visit the website here.