Americorps programs searching for tutors

Back-to-school is still far from students’ minds. But organizations like the Math, Reading, and Early Learning Corps are preparing for fall.

The Americorps programs are looking for 34 tutors in the Duluth area and 1,700 across the state of Minnesota.

"After COVID especially, we’ve seen a gap in learning loss," Mikayla Karels, the program manager, said. "That’s our main goal is to help the community where they’re at."

Cathy Hill joined the Reading Corps two years ago.

"I retired, and I just felt like there was a hole in my life. And I know with COVID, especially, that maybe I would be able to make a difference, and I felt like … this would be the answer," she said. "And I have found it to be very rewarding."

So rewarding that she recruited her daughter, Amy Hill. Amy said her mom was right: The work is fulfilling.

"The relationship with the kids I get, the one-on-one," Amy said, "and then seeing them succeed, watching them be really good little readers."

The mother and daughter both opted for 35-hour-a-week positions. There are also 18-hour or 25-hour options. The positions are paid through a stipend and include a potential education award to be used for tuition or student loans at the end of the year. And tutors don’t need a background in education.

"I have tutors from all walks of life. I have college students, I have gap year students, I have retirees," Karels said. "We’re seeing a lot after COVID with career changes. People want to give back in a different way."

The Corps teaches tutors the lessons. Training for the fall starts in August.

To find out more or apply, visit readingandmath.org.