Growing Together Incorporated

THE ONLY PROGRAM FOR GROWING TOGETHER IS TUTORING UNDERPRIVILEGED STUDENTS IN READING, WRITING/ENGLISH, AND MATH WHEN THEY CANNOT GET THE INDIVIDUAL HELP THEY NEED ELSEWHERE. WE ALSO HELP PARENTS WITH CONTENT AND TECHNIQUE SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO HELP THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME. MOST OF OUR PARENTS COME FROM ETHIOPIA OR A SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY AND NEED HELP WITH SOME LANGUAGE BASICS. UNTIL THE PANDEMIC BEGAN, VOLUNTEER TUTORS WORKED WITH STUDENTS IN A ROOM SET ASIDE FOR US AT LONG BRANCH LIBRARY, SILVER SPRING, MD, FIVE DAYS A WEEK. WHEN THE PANDEMIC STARTED, SCHOOLS CLOSED AT THE SAME TIME LONG BRANCH LIBRARY CLOSED FOR RENOVATION IN MARCH, 2020. WE MOVED ALL OUR BOOKS, MATERIALS, AND STUDENT FOLDERS TO OUR DIRECTOR'S HOME, WHICH WAS ALREADY THE OFFICE FOR GROWING TOGETHER. WE CONTINUED TUTORING STUDENTS ON ZOOM USING THE SAME METHODS AS BEFORE, WITH ORGANIZATION AND INTERACTION WITH THE DIRECTOR BECOMING INDIVIDUAL RATHER THAN OFTEN IN GROUPS. IN 2021 WE WORKED WITH APPROXIMATELY 20 STUDENTS WITH MATERIAL RANGING FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 8. OUR PROCESS REMAINED THE SAME. STUDENTS WERE EVALUATED BY OUR DIRECTOR TO FIND THEIR SKILL LEVEL IN OUR SKILL BUILDING BOOKS FOR READING, WRITING/ENGLISH, AND MATH. PARENTS CAME TO OUR DIRECTOR'S HOME OFFICE TO PICK UP BOOKS ON THE RIGHT LEARNING SKILL LEVEL FOR THEIR CHILDREN. VOLUNTEER TUTORS RECEIVED TRAINING AND UPDATES RE THEIR STUDENTS INDIVIDUALLY ON ZOOM, WHICH WAS FREE BECAUSE OF OUR USE WITH INDIVIDUALS RATHER THAN GROUPS. THEY ALSO CAME TO THE HOME OFFICE TO PICK UP A COPY OF THE BOOK(S) TO USE WITH THEIR STUDENTS. ALL TUTORING WAS INDIVIDUAL. TUTORS SAW SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS WITH STUDENTS IN MOST CASES. STUDENTS IMPROVED IN ATTENTION SPAN AND OVERCOMING DYSLEXIA, BUT EFFORTS TO WORK WITH THE SCHOOLS IN ADDRESSING STUDENT NEEDS DID NOT USUALLY WORK OUT.