Volunteer As A Homework Help Tutor At The Seattle Public Library
release date: August 6, 2024
Support literacy and learning by volunteering for The Seattle Public Library’s free after-school tutoring service, Homework Help (www.spl.org/HomeworkHelp), for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.
Homework Help volunteers support K-12 students with their homework assignments and learning skills when Seattle’s public schools are in session. The Library requests a volunteer commitment for the school year, specifically from Sept. 16, 2024 through June 12, 2025. Volunteer shifts are available Monday through Thursday between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and each shift is approximately two hours.
Homework Help will be offered at nine Library locations for the 2024-25 school year, but volunteers are especially needed at the Columbia, High Point, Lake City, Rainier Beach and South Park branches.
To apply, please contact the Library’s Volunteer Services Coordinator at volunteer@spl.org. Prospective volunteers are asked to submit their application now for the upcoming school year's Homework Help Program, but volunteer applications are accepted throughout the year.
Volunteers must be 18 or older. Having competence in another language, especially Amharic, Tigrinya, Somali, Oromo and Spanish, is also helpful. The majority of students served by the program are youth of color, with 90% of students reporting their parents speaking a language other than English at home.
Volunteer tutors receive an orientation and additional materials about working with youth and concepts such as social-emotional learning and growth mindset.
HOMEWORK HELP: "A GREAT SPACE TO LEARN AND BE CURIOUS”
The Seattle Public Library has offered free after-school tutoring for students in grades K-12 through Homework Help for over 30 years, and volunteers are essential to its success.
During Homework Help sessions, volunteers help students with homework, play learning games, read to students or work with them on academic worksheets. Volunteers work with students individually and in small groups. High school students can get help with not just academic subjects but with other priorities such as college essays.
Because Homework Help is a drop-in program, students can show up any day to receive help, and they do not need to have a Library card to attend. Snacks are provided at every Homework Help session, courtesy of The Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Hunger Intervention Program.
During the 2023-24 school year, 1,100 students used Homework Help more than 4,400 times, aided by more than 180 volunteers. In surveys, 70% of Homework Help students report having a better understanding of their homework assignments as a result of Homework Help, and 60% report better grades.
Comments from participants also highlight the benefits of Homework Help. As one mother said, “Homework Help provides my two sons a great space to learn and be curious.”
MORE INFORMATION
The Library believes that the power of knowledge improves people's lives. We promote literacy and a love of reading as we bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community.
Contact the Library’s Ask Us service by phone at 206-386-4636 or by email at www.spl.org/Ask. Staff are ready to answer questions and direct you to helpful resources and information.
The Library is recovering from a recent cybersecurity event. Check our blog at www.spl.org/Update for regular service updates and www.spl.org/Today for daily schedule updates.