CWU Reading Intervention Center prepares to expand facility, staff, services

The Central Washington University Reading Intervention Center (RIC) has provided tutoring services to elementary school students across the community since its inception in 2021.

Hosted by the CWU Department of Psychology, the RIC gives both undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to apply their skills in real-world scenarios while offering a vital service to Kittitas County families whose children struggle with reading comprehension.

This year, thanks to a grant from the Washington Reading Corps and additional funding from CWU, the RIC has been able to move into a larger space in the Psychology building and bring a full-time outreach coordinator on board.

Newly hired Outreach Coordinator Dakota Williams graduated from CWU in 2023 with a degree in Elementary Education Psychology and a teaching certificate. She’s excited to use the AmeriCorps-affiliated position to supplement her degree while giving back to the community she earned it in.

“I applied because it sounded like an interesting opportunity, and I really wanted to get my reading endorsement,” Williams said. “There has been a bit of a learning curve, but learning is what I’m here to do, so it has been right up my alley.”

In addition to running the RIC’s outreach program, Williams has also been spending time in classrooms across the Ellensburg School District since she started in September.

School Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator Heath Marrs explained that creating a deeper involvement between the center and local youths plays into Washington Reading Corps’ goals for the program.

“The Washington Reading Corps want to see members have a lot of direct service time, which in this case means going out to schools and participating in the work we do firsthand,” he said. “Dakota has been able to collaborate with local schools to work with their students in the morning, and then she helps kids here at the reading center in the afternoon.”

In the last year, the RIC has served over 50 students, often tutoring them multiple times a week as they seek to better grasp the written word. Williams said seeing these students steadily improve is one of the highlights of her job.

“When you go through the lessons, you can see students picking up words and letter sounds pretty clearly,” she said. “Every child learns at a different pace, but seeing them improve is very rewarding.”

In addition to Williams, the RIC will be bringing eight undergraduate interns on board in January, alongside its team of graduate students who provide both in-school and extracurricular tutoring. Marrs said the union of professional development and community service is what makes the center such a unique opportunity for everyone involved.

“Something that’s really important to us is making sure that our training efforts have real benefits to the community around us,” he said. “The reading intervention program is great for that because a big aspect of a school psychologist’s work lies in academic intervention. We get to help our students develop that skillset while also helping younger kids in the community reach their own milestones.”

Returning to Ellensburg, Williams has found that her experience as a CWU student gives her a deeper understanding of the local educational landscape, as well as a network of resources to fall back on when needed.

“Being familiar with Ellensburg has been a big help,” she said. “Going in, I knew how the local schools were laid out, and a lot of my old professors are still here, so I have people to turn to for guidance when I need it.”

As Marrs considers the long-term benefits of the RIC, he’s optimistic about what the future holds for his program and the community.