Washington Campus Coalition for Public Good to support CWU’s elementary reading program

Central Washington University has been chosen as a partner for the Washington Campus Coalition for the Public Good’s 2023-24 Civic Leadership and Engagement Corps (CLEC) program.

The partnership will support CWU’s Reading Intervention Center through AmeriCorps Student Fellowships, a program that rewards 300 hours of public service with a $1,459 AmeriCorps Education Award. The total value of the CLEC’s contribution to the Reading Intervention Center is approximately $171,720.

Two AmeriCorps Outreach Coordinators and 12 CWU student tutors will be funded through the partnership, expanding the Reading Intervention Center’s weekly capacity by about 75 students and providing CWU students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience.

Reading Intervention Center Director Heath Marrs says the positions will provide students with valuable experience in a broad variety of fields.

“The experiences in the center will help CWU students develop knowledge and skills for their future work in education, psychology, and various human services areas,” said Marrs, a CWU Psychology professor. “CWU School Psychology graduate students are able to work on their assessment, intervention, and consultation skills, while undergraduates benefit from the professional development and opportunity to work collaboratively with graduate students and CWU faculty.”

The Reading Intervention Center is a service of CWU’s School Psychology graduate program, offering tutoring services for children from kindergarten through fourth grade who need assistance in acquiring fundamental reading skills.

The program was developed in 2021 by Marrs and CWU Associate Professor of Psychology Rich Marsicano, in response to the loss of learning many children experienced as a result of the pandemic. Marrs and Marsicano also collaborated on applying for the CLEC partnership this summer.

Student tutors will serve for six to 10 hours a week during the academic year, providing 45-minute lessons for two to four students on a weekly basis. The lessons will be one-on-one, tailored to each student’s unique needs and skills, as determined by a brief assessment during the introductory session.

Outreach coordinators will work 40 hours a week to spread the word about the program and get community members engaged in initiative. Because the center’s services are free to the public and available online as well as in person, Marrs said the program will promote equity through opportunity.

“This project will support equity and inclusion by providing access to reading tutoring throughout the region, even to children from rural areas who may not have access to tutoring in their community,” he said. “Early intervention and support can hopefully help foster educational achievement, leading to improved outcomes for young people in the Central Washington region.”