OAKLAND, Calif. - May 31, 2018 - PRLog -- Faith Network of the East Bay, which provides personalized tutoring and other learning resources to underfunded Oakland public schools, announces the launch of Kids Count, a new tutoring program to meet needs of students who fall below California math standards.
Set to start in the 2018-2019 academic school year, Kids Count is designed to replicate goals of the organization's current Succeeding by Reading tutoring program, which provides 140 tutors in 18 elementary schools and reaches over 300 students. Sixty-seven percent of students who receive 10 or more tutoring sessions advance two grade levels.
Currently, a pilot math program of 13 tutors in two elementary schools, serves 54 students with free math tutoring. By partnering with the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), Faith Network will scale the program with the goal of reaching 200 students annually in the next two years. The newly enhanced math tutoring program is supported through private donations and foundation grants, and may include minimal cost-sharing with the OUSD.
"We have seen struggling students who receive personalized tutoring advance dramatically if we intervene at critical learning points," said Jim Wambach, executive director of Faith Network. "By reaching students in the second grade, we help them attain grade-level math skills so they can catch up to peers and be successful in the future."
Kids Count responds to an expressed need for math support in schools served by Faith Network. In 2017, 64 percent of OUSD second-graders and 74 percent of fifth-graders tested below California standards. Kids Count was developed to increase the number of students who reach California grade-level math standards.
The program offers an opportunity for students to receive crucial child-centered, in-school tutoring. OUSD leaders have expressed enthusiasm over Faith Network's effort to connect with and align the program to work with its vision for mathematics, providing the necessary formula to support children across the District.
Faith Network was started in 2001 to align a network of churches and community partners with at-need urban public schools. The agency now offers an array of services to 36 under-resourced public schools in Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley, Hayward and San Pablo, including reading and math intervention tutoring, library support, science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) labs, and career workshops and internships.
"By tapping and aligning volunteer resources from a broad coalition of community partners, we are able to help struggling students succeed in school and in life," explains Wambach. "Our volunteer programs are successful because we train, support and nurture our tutors so they can make a difference in the life of a child."
A video of a Kids Count tutoring session can be found at: www.faith-network.com/what-we-do/kids-count/. Original interview sound bites and b-roll are available upon request.
About Faith Network of the East Bay
Faith Network of the East Bay is an Oakland-based 501C(3) non-profit organization founded in 2001. The agency focus is to build healthy families, schools and neighborhoods by rallying community support for under-resourced urban public schools. Currently Faith Network offers an array of services to 36 under-resourced public schools in 5 main program areas – Career Bridge, Health4Kids, Kids Count, Science Horizons, and Succeeding by Reading. More information can be found at www.Faith-Network.com
Media Contact
Eric Steckel
***@faith-network.com
415-944-8988
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