Going into its 20th year at the University, America Reads is a progam that aims to get students working and reading.

The University picked up the program in the fall of 1997 and it has been a part of the Reading Center ever since.

“I got involved with America Reads my freshmen year,” senior Brittany Allen said. “The program is geared toward reading, and they put an emphasis on that, but we also help students with other homework and activities.”

According to the America Reads Website, the program started as an initiative in 1996 by the Clinton Administration, also known as The America Reads Challenge. This program allows college students to tutor at school districts surrounding the universities they attend based on their work-study eligibility.

Along with having work-study, employees should also have a love for teaching and helping students.

“It has to be something more than just a job, it has to be a love and desire for working with children,” Coordinator of America Reads Marty Sears said.

Employees of America Reads works at schools surrounding the University such as the Bowling Green City Schools, Elmwood District, Eastwood and many more. Hours are flexible depending on what school students are placed in.

“They are anywhere between two and three hour blocks,” Sears said. Employees have to have availability within their schedule and it is their choice on what their hours will be.

Having additional experience in a school teaches employees how to be quality educators. The program is an asset to many students in building their careers.

As an education major, the program helped Allen gain experience with students and provided an outlet to implement those teachings to the students she tutored.

“America Reads is a really effective program. Actually having us work with students on reading and engaging with them, has allowed me to become a better educator,” said Allen.

Although the program is geared toward helping students with literacy, employees also help with other subjects as well.

“I’ve helped students with various subjects such as math, science and even some social studies. Every subject involves reading of some sort so being able to help students with multiple subjects is really exciting and also a learning experience for me as well,” Allen said.

But, the America Reads program at the University has seen a decrease in applicants over the years.

“It is amazing what I have had to go through in the last couple of years to get the word out that the program is here and hiring,” Sears said. “I try to encourage, especially those who are education majors, how wonderful it is to have this program on your resume.”

The program is available to anyone who has a work-study and an interest in tutoring students. Please contact Marty Sears at [email protected] for more information.