Giving back to our host city has become an annual tradition for ACA National Conference attendees and exhibitors.
The 2024 ACA National Conference Planning Team has chosen to collect items for Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR) as the service project for this year's conference.
STAIR’s mission is to improve the self-esteem and reading skills of lower elementary public school children. STAIR achieves it’s mission by recruiting and training volunteer tutors to work with public school students during critical developmental years.
Second grade is a critical turning point in a child's educational development. Through second grade, children learn to read; after second grade, children read to learn. STAIR students are matched with a dedicated volunteer for weekly tutoring sessions. These one-on-one tutoring sessions are tailored to each individual student's ability. STAIR is offered to families at no charge.
Building relationships between the student and tutor is key to what they do. Each child works with the same tutor every week and receives caring, undivided attention during the session. They read together, play word games, complete writing exercises, and practice basic literacy skills such as phonics and vocabulary.
STAIR provides all students with new books and school supplies necessary for their tutoring sessions. All staff, tutors, and volunteers must complete a comprehensive background check and ongoing training. Together, tutors and students work on reading comprehension, decoding skills, interactive reading, and other activities in conjunction with STAIR's proven curriculum.
Since it’s founding in 1985, Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR), has made a difference in the lives of more than 8,500 second and third graders from Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parish public elementary schools. Over the past three decades, thousands of community volunteers have donated their time and talents to serve as reading tutors, testers and workday helpers. Despite Hurricane Katrina and a re-organized public school system, the STAIR program has maintained its preeminence as one of the most effective children’s literacy programs for students, parents and guardians, family members, teachers and principals in the New Orleans area.
Our conference service project goal is that attendees will support STAIR by making a donation or purchase specific books needed for the upcoming semester's reading program.
We will have a QR code at the hospitality table for making direct donations to STAIR. Please contribute as much as possible to help our host city with this very worthy cause.
STAIR has also provided a link to a site where attendees can make a donation or purchase the specific books needed for the upcoming semester's reading program prior to the conference.
Thank you for giving back to our host city....ACA helping local youth....A great partnership!
Your 2024 ACA National Conference Planning Team