One To One Literacy Society

ONE TO ONE is a unique children’s literacy program that provides one-to-one tutoring by trained volunteers to young elementary school students who struggle with reading. These students are identified by their classroom teachers as needing a boost in their literacy skills. They are not reading at grade level and often do not receive literacy support at home. These are the students that would otherwise fall through the cracks in the system. Each student spends 30 minutes, twice a week, with a trained ONE TO ONE volunteer during normal school hours, providing these children with an opportunity to practice their reading in an environment where it is okay to take risks, make mistakes, and learn at their own pace. Our approach is to initiate early, critical intervention into the lives of at-risk children, which is an issue for children in all areas of the city. Children who are not read to, don’t have books in the home or are not exposed to correct English, fall behind in reading and literacy skills and never catch up. ONE TO ONE improves the reading ability and confidence of these students, opening the door for future academic success and improved economic opportunities throughout their lives. Our program began in 1989 as a collaboration between the Vancouver School Board and the Junior League of Greater Vancouver. We boast a strong history of success and are known and respected by the public for our work with children. Now proudly celebrating our 25th anniversary, ONE TO ONE’s 300+ volunteer tutors provide reading instruction to almost 1,000 students in 70 schools in Vancouver, Burnaby and North Vancouver. The program is available to any student in one of our participating schools. There is no cost to schools or students. The ONE TO ONE Literacy Society is a registered charity and the program is completely funded by grants and private donations. Our mission: “Through one-to-one tutoring, we help children develop literacy skills for life.”