Programs for Children

Programs for Children

1-2-1 Reading

ONE TO ONE Reading

ONE TO ONE Reading

KEY PHILOSOPHY: Reading is Empowerment

OUR MISSION:  Through one to one volunteer tutoring, we help children develop literacy skills to last a lifetime.

The ONE TO ONE program began over 30 years ago in one Vancouver school and has grown exponentially.  Since that time, ONE TO ONE has helped over 20,000 students grow into thriving readers.  Today, with the power of more than 1250 tutors, ONE TO ONE serves nearly 3000 students in 211 schools across British Columbia.

ONE TO ONE is a unique children’s literacy program working directly with teachers in BC schools to provide trained tutors for children who need a boost with their reading skills.  The program targets grey- area students – those who do not receive any other resource support directly from the schools (i.e., no designated learning issues) but are not yet reading at grade level.  Through ONE TO ONE these children can build their literacy skills in an environment where they can take risks, make mistakes, and learn at their own pace.  It is our goal to help bring these children up to reading at their appropriate grade level, providing them an opportunity for academic success and hope for a brighter future

There are over 50,000 elementary students in BC who struggle with low literacy.  That’s one in every 11 school children.  Research shows that a child’s reading level at the end of Grade Three is a more accurate predictor of school success than any other variable, including family income, educational attainment of parents, ethnic or cultural identity, or home language.  Our approach is to initiate early critical intervention into the lives of struggling readers.

Boosting literacy means boosting a child’s chance of success in school and a life in the following critical areas:

EMPLOYMENT: Strong literacy skills are positively associated with better employment opportunities and health outcomes in adulthood.

HEALTH: Higher literacy rates are linked to higher health literacy, which result in better health outcomes in adulthood.

CONNECTION: Reading together strengthens relationships and builds a healthy sense of self-esteem and self-confidence in budding young readers.

SELF-RELIANCE: Reading skills are a key component in the development of reasoning and problem-solving.

For more information, contact our Children’s Programs Coordinator, Keiko Taylor

Find out more about the program across our province at BC ONE TO ONE Literacy Program.

1,000 x 5

The aim of the program is to give the Island’s youngest members access to as many books as possible. It is based on the belief that if a child hears 1000 books by age 5, they are much better prepared to enjoy and succeed in learning.

Gift bundles consisting of 3 books each are sorted by appropriateness for age and subject, involving a great deal of expertise, time and effort by our wonderful Salt Spring volunteers, who are reading specialists and educators.

Where possible, books are purchased locally with generous discounts, and from Canadian publishers who support the program with discounts and donations. Some gently used book donations are also recycled through the program.

We also hope that as families outgrow the books they will donate them back to the program, using the red donation bins in the elementary schools and at Family Place. Funding has been provided through the Salt Spring Foundation, the Foundation of Youth, The Times Colonist and Salt Spring Literacy.

Beneficiaries of the program so far have been the Strong Start Program at Salt Spring Elementary School, families accessed through Family Place and the Transition House. It is the aim of SSL 1000×5 to expand the program, as possible, to all of the Strong Start Programs.

1,000 x 5

The aim of the program is to give the Island’s youngest members access to as many books as possible. It is based on the belief that if a child hears 1000 books by age 5, they are much better prepared to enjoy and succeed in learning. Gift bundles consisting of 3 books each are sorted by appropriateness for age and subject, involving a great deal of expertise, time and effort by our wonderful Salt Spring volunteers, who are reading specialists and educators. Where possible, books are purchased locally with generous discounts, and from Canadian publishers who support the program with discounts and donations. Some gently used book donations are also recycled through the program.

We also hope that as families outgrow the books they will donate them back to the program, using the red donation bins in the elementary schools and at Family Place. Funding has been provided through the Salt Spring Foundation, the Foundation of Youth, The Times Colonist and Salt Spring Literacy. Beneficiaries of the program so far have been the Strong Start Program at Salt Spring Elementary School, families accessed through Family Place and the Transition House. It is the aim of SSL 1000×5 to expand the program, as possible, to all of the Strong Start Programs.

For more information, contact our Children’s Programs Coordinator, Keiko Taylor