Third-grader Skylar Avilla had a blue streak in her hair and a magenta marker in hand as she carefully crafted letters forming the vocabulary words she was studying.
Skylar meets three times a week at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in Aurora to participate in Colorado’s Children’s Literacy Center — a free tutoring group aimed at kids with reading levels from first-grade through sixth-grade. The organization uses community volunteers to help struggling children read at grade level.
“A lot of times, it’s nothing to do with the kids having a reading disability,” said Rebekah Gans, the center’s development director. “Sometimes it just takes someone to sit down with them and say, ‘I see you, and I’m going to help.’ ”
Students show a 95 percent increase in reading skills of one or more grade levels after 12 weeks in the program, Gans said.
In a library conference room, Skylar’s tutor, Nalleli Sanchez, read a story about mountain climbers aloud as Skylar wrote answers to comprehension questions.
“I like to read because it shows happy places and sad places,” said Skylar, who attends Peoria Elementary School in Aurora.
The organization began as a Junior League project in 1991 and developed into its own nonprofit organization in 1993.
Gans said the center receives support from a variety of donors and has been a Denver Post Charities Season to Share recipient in the past.
There are 15 tutoring sites throughout the state, with locations in Colorado Springs, Aurora, Pueblo, Fountain and Woodland Park.
Skylar, along with 10 or so additional students, meet at the library on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
After parents sign students up on the organization’s website and turn in a teacher referral, the kids are assessed, given an individualized learning plan and paired with the same tutor for the duration of their 12-week tutoring, Gans said.
“That’s really where the magic happens — that one-on-one connection,” Gans said.
As students read and wrote, tutors asked about their families, school life and weekend plans.
“All the teachers are pretty and kind,” said Eliana Barboza, a third-grader at Wheeling Elementary School in Aurora. “They help me read better.”
The Aurora library sessions are scheduled around a sack lunch program so kids and their families can receive a free meal prior to their lesson, Gans said.
During tutoring, Gans said the library offers classes parents can take, too, including literacy skills for adults for whom English is a second language. The family also gets a library card.
Stacy Devanney has volunteered with the center for more than 100 hours.
“I love the reward of seeing the student read better. I’ve had two students I tutored graduate out of the program,” she said.
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or
Children’s literacy center
Headquarters: 2928 Straus Lane, Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
In operation since: 1991
Staff: 5 full-time employees, 9 part-time staff and more than 900 volunteers.
Annual budget: $435,000
Percentage of funds to clients and services: 96
Number served last year: 850 students
