Press Release

Tutors Needed in Juvenile Hall

(Woodland, CA) – Yolo Reads, a literacy program through the Yolo County Library, has partnered with the Yolo County Probation Department to provide mentoring and tutoring services to incarcerated youth in an effort to improve their reading, writing and math skills, and to assist Spanish-speaking learners in obtaining their GED (General Educational Development). Yolo Reads is looking for tutors, especially Spanish-speaking tutors, interested in working one-on-one with a probationer or parolee.

Two different opportunities are available for tutoring incarcerated youth in Yolo County. Volunteers are needed to provide mentoring and tutoring to incarcerated youth who want to improve their reading, writing and math skills. Volunteers will visit the Juvenile Detention Facility in Woodland on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. for approximately two hours.

Yolo Reads is also looking for volunteers to assist Spanish-speaking incarcerated youth who wish to obtain their GED. This program would complement the successful GED program already in place at the Juvenile Detention Facility and run through the Woodland Public Library, for English-speaking learners. Bilingual volunteers for this program will visit the Juvenile Detention Facility on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. for two to three hours to tutor and mentor Spanish-speaking youth. For both programs, volunteers must be 21 years of age. These programs will begin in February 2010 with volunteer screening in late November 2009.

“The hours are flexible and we provide all the training and materials,” said Yolo County Librarian Patty Wong. “For this program, although no experience is required, those with experience teaching at-risk youth or in law enforcement are especially encouraged to consider this opportunity to contribute.”

“One in five Yolo County residents cannot read or write sufficiently to carry out day-to-day activities at work and home,” said Yolo County Board of Supervisors Chair Mike McGowan. “Our incarcerated youth need our help in breaking the cycle so that they may become successful and contributing members in our community. Please consider this opportunity to truly change someone’s future.”

Besides these programs at the Juvenile Detention Facility, Yolo Reads also provides free and confidential instruction to English-speaking adult learners. Learners receive one-on-one support from volunteer tutors, free materials to cover a six-month period, free computer use, and access to the Yolo County Library collections. Tutoring space is available at each of the seven Yolo County branch libraries. For adult literacy services, to learn more about Yolo Reads programs or to volunteer, call (866) 609-7303 (toll free) or e-mail: heather.bratt@yolocounty.org.