Each year, Virginia Mentoring Partnership (VMP) recognizes the contributions made by mentoring programs and volunteer mentors to the lives of young people in Virginia. At its 14th Annual Virginia Mentoring Awards event March 17, VMP recognized Virginia Beach READS as the recipient of its 2016 Outstanding Mentoring Program Award.
The Virginia Beach READS mentoring program is a collaborative partnership between Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS), Virginia Beach GrowSmart and the Virginia Beach Office of Volunteer Resources to support the goal of all Virginia Beach students reading proficiently by third grade.
The program involves adult mentors from the community who volunteer weekly to serve as positive role models for at-risk first-grade students at Bayside, Point O’ View and White Oaks elementary schools. These mentors provide yearlong academic support in literacy using reading, language and writing activities developed by instructional specialists in the school division’s Department of Teaching and Learning, who also provide training to Virginia Beach READS mentors.