Montana State University-Northern Campus Compact and AmericCorps/AmericaReads organizations have been hard at work preparing and implementing an after school reading tutoring program for Havre’s children in first through third grades. The program is entitled “”The After School Adventure Program (ASAP).”" We have six university students being paid as team members whose jobs are tutoring the children and assisting the team leader in planning and organizing the curriculum. Two other university students are being paid to find community and university student volunteers to read one-on-one with the elementary children.

This year, the program was held to allow three tutoring sessions, totally sixteen weeks of tutoring. There were forty-six different students tutored. Twenty-five different community and university volunteers were recruited. ASAP has opened up service opportunities for the teacher education majors on Northern’s campus. The community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive as measured by the thank-you notes, phone calls, and comments throughout the community. The program is in its second year and still evolving. Additional volunteers will be recruited and trained next year as the program is promoted through on and off campus activities. The university students who have been involved with ASAP have learned a great deal about volunteerism and its role in community life. Both the volunteers and paid helpers have spent countless hours developing materials and working with one another to strengthen their skills, resulting in, of course, improved learning for the students in elementary school, grades 1 3.

Community Service Center web site: http://www.msun.edu/grants/csc/