Read to Succeed expands high-impact tutoring program to Niagara Falls City Schools

Highly trained and supported volunteers will tutor and mentor students in Niagara Falls City Schools to increase 3rd grade reading proficiency

Press Release

Read to Succeed Buffalo (RTSB) is expanding its AARP Foundation Experience Corps Program to serve students in first and second grade in Niagara Falls City Schools. Since 2016, RTSB has been recruiting and training older adult volunteers as literacy tutor/mentors for students, pre-K-third Grade, in the Buffalo Public Schools.

This school year, Experience Corps volunteers have already provided nearly 10,000 individual tutoring sessions to nearly 400 Buffalo Public School students. RTSB is actively recruiting more volunteers to serve as tutor/mentors in the 2025-26 school year in both Buffalo and Niagara Falls city schools. Prospective volunteers can fill out a volunteer interest form and learn more about this opportunity at: https://www.readtosucceedbuffalo.org/volunteer-interest-form.

Read to Succeed Buffalo Executive Director Anne Ryan said, “RTSB Experience Corps high-impact tutoring is a national best practice that capitalizes on the social capital of retirees in the Buffalo Niagara Region. In partnership with the AARP Foundation RTSB recruits, screens, trains and supports older adult volunteers to provide one-to-one literacy tutoring and mentoring to below grade-level elementary students. One-on-one tutoring has been shown to have better outcomes than much more expensive strategies, including reduced class size or computer based ed tech programs,” Ryan stated.

Experience Corps tutor/mentors meet individually with each student two-three times per week for 30 minutes per session, every week of the school year. Sessions are very structured and focus on building fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills in students in first through third grades through repeated reading practice and models of fluent reading. Experience Corps tutor/mentors receive significant training in the science of reading and are supported on-site at schools with an RTSB literacy coach.

“One-on-one individualized literacy tutoring from a highly trained, committed and supported older adult is exactly what will help some of our students achieve grade-level proficiency in reading,” Niagara Falls City Schools superintendent Mark Laurrie said. “Achieving literacy skills at a young age builds the foundation for future success, and we are very excited to get this results-driven initiative started in our schools.”

Experience Corps volunteers – people aged 50 and older – provide the instruction and support that can help change a child’s life. Read to Succeed Buffalo provides peer networking, training sessions, and evaluation that guide tutor/mentors through the school year.

“Tutoring not only benefits children, but our volunteers have reported they have an increased sense of purpose in life, and mental and physical health improvements,” Ryan said. “The program is a win-win for the community, and we are very proud to be expanding it into the City of Niagara Falls.” 

Visit https://www.readtosucceedbuffalo.org/experience-corps to find out more or email ryana@rtsb.org.

More about Read to Succeed Buffalo

RTSB began in 2007 in response to the literacy deficits among the citizens of Buffalo. Today, RTSB sharpens its focus where it can have the most impact – increasing early childhood literacy and third-grade reading scores by preparing children for kindergarten and the early grades through improved exposure to developmentally appropriate, literacy-rich environments wherever they are, including child care, Head Start, public school, or home with a parent or caregiver. The nonprofit organization works to develop models for improving literacy that create systemic change in how the Buffalo community prepares children for success in school and supports them once they enter public school. For more information, visit www.readtosucceedbuffalo.org.