Important attitudes toward oneself and others are formed in the impressionable years of elementary school. Children need to be surrounded with caring adults who see them as valuable and are willing to invest in providing a strong foundation to build their lives on. While parents and teachers are crucial to this age group, there are many ways for other folks who love kids to get involved. Mentoring and tutoring provide means to be directly involved in a child’s education. A variety of other avenues can give necessary support to help children grow into successful, responsible adults. Check out the list below, and see if you find one that fits what you have to offer. Let us know if you know of other opportunities that we should add to our list.
Austin Partners in Education – www.austinpartners.org – an independent organization that partners with Austin ISD to turn volunteers into classroom coaches who encourage students and help teachers meet academic objectives.
Other mentoring programs include: Round Rock STARS Mentor Program – http://www1.roundrockisd.org/educationfoundation/programs/mentor/;
Leander – http://www.leanderisd.org/docs/1-mentorHB0910.pdf;
Pflugerville Community Partners – http://www.pflugervilleisd.net/community/partners.cfm;
Del Valle – http://delvalle.tx.schoolwebpages.com/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=3908
Big Brother Big Sisters – www.bbbscentraltx.org/
African American Men & Boys – http://www.aambharvestfoundation.com/ – Working with local school districts and institutions of higher education to identify the barriers preventing academic achievement and to eliminate the academic achievement gap between African-American and Caucasian students.
Other character building organizations worth checking out are groups like scouts and 4-H clubs.