Edhat Staff
Source: City of Santa Barbara
This fall the Santa Barbara Public Library will be expanding their free education services to children and their families in grades K-6 with the opening of the Homework Help Program at the Eastside and Carpinteria Libraries.
The Homework Help Program launched at the Central Library in late 2012 and provides comprehensive learning support for families by matching K-6 students with trained volunteers who provide daily one-on-one learning experiences. Students can sign up for 20 minute individual sessions with trained tutors, who are combination of volunteers such as retired teachers, UCSB students, high achieving high school students, and library staff.
Homework Help is available at the following days and times at each location:
Homework Help – Central
40 E. Anapamu St
Mondays: 3:30-6:30 pm
Tuesdays: 3:30-6:30 pm
Wednesdays: 2:30-6:30 pm
Thursdays: 3:30-6:30 pm
Homework Help – Eastside
1102 E. Montecito St
Tuesdays: 3:30-6:30 pm
Thursdays 2:30-4:30 pm
Homework Help – Carpinteria *Begins September 6th
5141 Carpinteria Avenue
Mondays: 3:30-5:00 pm
Wednesdays: 2:30-5:30 pm
Volunteering for the Homework Help program is a perfect way for teens to earn community service hours and for adults to support the learning of children. Training for volunteer tutors for the Carpinteria Library will be offered Wednesday, August 30th, from 3:30-5:30 pm at the Carpinteria Library. If interested in volunteering in the Carpinteria Library, contact Molly Wetta at (805) 564-5642 or mwetta@santabarbaraca.gov.
Training for volunteers for the Central and Eastside Libraries will be offered Saturday, September 16th from 1:00-3:00 pm at the Central Library. If interested in volunteering at Central or Eastside, contact Karla Centeno at (805) 564-5681 or kcenteno@santabarbaraca.gov.
In the Santa Barbara area, persistent academic achievement gaps exist between socioeconomically disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers. Literacy and educational achievement are not only important for a child’s current school success, but studies show that 3rd graders who can’t read at grade level are four times less likely to graduate high school than their peers. Alternately, high school graduates are more likely to pursue further education, be employed, have higher income levels and enjoy better health than those who drop out. The Santa Barbara Public Library looks to support families and the community in bridging this divide by expanding the popular Homework Help Program to more sites so it can accommodate more children. “We are excited to expand this evidence-based education program to more children and families in our community,” stated Library Director Jessica Cadiente.
In previous years an average of 460 students engaged at the Central Library in the Homework Help Program during the school year, and on a typical day the program served 35-40 children and their families.
The Homework Help program has shown to be a success. Surveys and evaluation speak to improvements in the quality of life of participating families. Not only have caregivers noted positive changes in their children’s reading motivation, behavior and skills, but children have also reported feeling more capable: 78% of children reported their reading had improved and 68% reported reading more frequently.
One parent commented in Spanish, “thanks to [the library’s] help with reading and math homework, my daughter is reading and doing math at a higher grade level, and she is more enthusiastic about reading.”
Empowering families to help their children do better in school not only improves the quality of life of individual families, but of the community as a whole. We all benefit from engaged, informed youth who are well-prepared for active citizenship in our local communities and across the nation.
Information about Santa Barbara Public Library System locations, hours, events, and programs is available at SBPLibrary.org. All Library programs are free and open to the public.
