Become A Tutor
Thank you for expressing interest in being a volunteer tutor. The San Diego Council on Literacy partners with a variety of literacy programs throughout San Diego County. These programs provide one-on-one, small group, computer assisted, and classroom tutoring services for adults, youth, and families. Volunteers do not need to have previous experience to be a tutor. Patience, flexibility, a sense of humor, and a love for reading and helping people are characteristics of a successful tutor. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older to tutor with most of our literacy programs.
Use our convenient online registration form to register, or you can call the Literacy Referral Line at 888-850-READ (7323) for more information.
Alternatively, please forward your name, address, phone number, and the program you are interested in to Contact@literacysandiego.org.
Your personal information will ONLY be shared with a partner literacy program.
Following are general descriptions of available opportunities:
Adult Literacy – Tutor adults one-on-one.
The time commitment is 2, 1 ½ -hour sessions per week. Most programs ask volunteers to commit to tutoring for at least 6 months. Tutor training ranges from 12 – 15 hours depending on the program. Hours and locations are flexible throughout the county.
Youth and Children – Tutor children one-on-one. Most opportunities to tutor children require volunteers to be available during the school day. There are a limited number of programs that have tutoring opportunities available during evenings and weekends. The time commitment is one hour a week for a period of 3 – 4 months. Tutor training sessions are usually 3 – 5 hours.
ESL (English as a Second Language) – Tutor adults to improve their mastery of English. The time commitment is one day a week for 2 hours. Locations and times vary throughout the county. Tutor training is approximately 12 hours.
Classroom Instruction – Assist in a GED (General Education Development), ESL, or Adult Basic Education class.
Family Literacy – Work with parents and children ages 0 – 5. Help parents improve their literacy and parenting skills. The training, time commitment and available hours vary depending on the program.
They are community members just like you. They are professional men and women, college students, homemakers, retired citizens – people who wish to have a positive impact on the community.
Training is provided through all literacy programs. You do need to have any previous experience. Volunteers should have good reading and writing skills in English. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older to tutor with most literacy programs. Limited opportunities are available for people under 18 years of age. A love for reading and desire to help people are good traits for a volunteer tutor to have.
Literacy Programs throughout the county need volunteers.
Yes, we have programs that serve all ages.
Most literacy programs provide materials for you to use. These materials are specifically designed to meet the needs of the individuals being tutored.
The training required for literacy programs varies for each individual literacy program. Once a volunteer is placed at a literacy center it is the program’s responsibility to provide the volunteer tutor with the proper training. Generally most of the children’s programs require 3 to 10 hours of training. For adult programs training requirements range from 5 to 15 hours. Training length depends greatly on which population of learner you choose to tutor.
The time commitment required varies for each individual literacy program. Generally, for the adult programs there is a minimum time commitment of 6 months, tutoring 3 hours total a week. This time is usually split up into 2, 1 ½-hour sessions per week. For the children’s programs it is usually a minimum time commitment of 6 months, tutoring 1 to 1 ½-hours per week.
More than 444,000 adults in San Diego County read at or below a 4th grade level. By devoting a few hours a week, you can help improve your community and build a stronger, more literate San Diego. Tutoring a parent makes an even larger impact and helps to stop the cycle of illiteracy. Research shows that parents who read are more likely to raise children who read. Volunteering gives a person the opportunity to become involved in the community and interact with people. If you are a college or high school student, volunteering is always a great asset to an application or resume.
If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities in San Diego County please fill out our easy online registration form. Someone will contact you within 24-48 hours after submission of the form. If you do not receive an email, please look in your junk folder for an email from contact@literacysandiego.org .
