The University of La Verne is one of the only private universities in Southern California to offer both a Reading Specialist Credential and Reading Specialist Master's degree. ULV students within the program meet State requirements by tutoring area-students in reading. All Literacy Center tutors are fully credentialed teachers with fulltime classroom experience.
We offer one-to-one tutoring for 1st-12th grade students, identified by principals, teachers, or counselors as being able to benefit from our services. Children meet with tutors for one hour, one day a week. In addition to reading tutoring, we conduct reading assessments, with result information returned to the student's school teacher.
Children recommended to the program should meet one of the following classifications:
NOTE: At this time, The Literacy Center is not able to provide services for students in Special Day Classes.
The number of available openings is solely dependent upon the number of ULV Reading Specialist Students enrolled in the program. Children admitted to the program are held to a strict attendance policy, with replacement occurring upon the second absence. We are non-profit, with the only charge to parents being a non-refundable, one-time (per student, in the case of siblings) materials fee, which goes towards snacks, drinks, incentives, testing supplies, teaching materials, and postage for correspondence to home and school.
Teachers, administrators, or counselors who know of a child who is reading at least two years behind grade level and is in need of tutoring are welcome to recommend the child's placement to the Center Coordinator. Interested parents/guardians must have the child's teacher, principal, or counselor make the recommendation, based on real need. In the event of no vacancies, the child will be placed on our waiting list. All student recommendations must come from the school; we cannot accept recommendations initiated by parents. Please note that placement in the Literacy Center's program is a ONE TERM ONLY placement.
If you would like to recommend a child to the center, please download the Recommendation Form. To recommend an RSP student, please download the RSP Recommendation Form. You may return it by fax, mail, or as a completed email attachment to jdecker@ulv.edu.
Please discuss the tutoring opportunity with the parent or guardian of the student before submitting student information. The Coordinator will make a follow-up call to the family to introduce herself and the clinic at the time that the child nears placement from the waiting list.
The goal of the Literacy Center is to provide each child in our program with the opportunity to develop and strengthen his or her reading abilities while fostering positive reading experiences. Parents/guardians are an important part in the partnership towards this goal. What follows is a brief summary of The Literacy Center's policies and procedures, which are explained in greater detail during each term's mandatory meeting, and which also must be acknowledged and agreed upon, in writing, by each parent and child upon entering the center for service. Placement in the Literacy Center program is a ONE TERM ONLY placement.
Should you be aware ahead of time that your child will be absent or late for a session, please call the Clinic Coordinator, at (909) 593-3511, ext. 4660.
What you and your child can expect
The Literacy Center charges a one-time (per student, in the case of siblings) non-refundable materials fee of $35. This fee goes directly towards supplies for the children: snacks, drinks, reading incentive prizes, testing supplies, postage for information that may be sent to you or your child's school regarding your child's tutoring/assessments.
To ensure the safety of all the children, we require parents/guardians to log their children in and out with the correct times of arrival and departure. Once a child is signed into the center, we must know where s/he is at all times; incorrect sign out times create potential problems in our ability to keep track of the child that you are entrusting to our care.
The Literacy Center allows for a ten minute pick-up delay with no fees due. However, the center does not have the staff, nor the facilities, to allow for long waiting periods; therefore, we must encourage prompt pick-up. The late fee for pick-up occuring after the allotted ten minute grace period is $1 per minute.
Replacing a student is something we always want to avoid--it puts the original child at a disadvantage and breaks a bond between the tutor and child; the tutor must go through an introductory period with another child, and the child filling the original spot does not get the full number of tutoring sessions.
Each student must have a completed emergency card on file at all times. The emergency card lists your address, contact phone numbers, child's allergies, doctor's name and phone number, and insurance company.
Both parent and child must read and sign the Behavior Expectations and Agreement form. The form is an agreement to meet behavior rules in the clinic, and failure to acknowledge the behavior rules will result in the student's removal from the program.
In order to design instruction for your child, The Literacy Center needs access to assessment information. Your child's teacher possesses valuable information about your child's reading needs that will help the tutor develop an individualized tutoring plan specifically for your child. The Assessment Exchange Permission Form enables us to exchange testing results between the center and your child's school, allowing us to make the best use of our time with your child and eliminate redundant testing.
This is a quick form that lists your child's name, teacher's name, principal's name, school, and district. The completion of this form speeds our ability to request and receive your child's assessment information.