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AARP Foundation Experience Corps is an intergenerational volunteer-based tutoring program that is proven to help children who are not reading at grade level become great readers by the end of third grade. We inspire and empower adults 50 and older to serve in their community and disrupt the cycle of poverty by making a lasting difference in the lives of America’s most vulnerable children.
The Experience Corps model is a proven intervention with measurable benefits for students, as well as positive mental and physical health benefits for volunteers who participate. By helping young students become better readers, Experience Corps seeks to ensure a lasting legacy of strong futures, supported schools and empowered volunteers.
Being able to read by the end of third grade is the crucial milestone in a child’s future success. Students who are unable to read at the end of third grade are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma. Only 29% of third graders in Casa Grande were reading at grade level in 2019, which was less than half of the statewide goal from the Arizona We Want Education Progress Meter. COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on student performance in elementary schools, especially when it comes to reading. Recent research shows that the pandemic has resulted in decreased time spent reading and lower reading scores. These studies are also confirming that the gap in reading achievement between low and high performing students is widening and that students living in poverty are at an increased risk of losing their reading skills.
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