Tutor! Help kids achieve in central BK - Be the change!

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Is equal rights to a quality education important to you?

WE NEED TUTORS RIGHT NOW to start supporting underserved children so they can build skills to do well on standardized tests and for entry into competitive, quality middle and high schools.

We also seek a coordinator who can help us run this new program.

Every weekend and free time you can give, let us know. We will assign you a child and you must be dedicated to that student at least three months. You can share the responsibility with another, but it must be intense and helpful for aspiring, hardworking students who come from underserved schools.



Hours - Location will be at Grand Army Library or Eastern Parkway library or Medger Evers College or other location you can determine close to Flatbush, Crown Heights, Brownsville, Brooklyn.

We want to add this to our soccer program and our Hip2B Healthy program, so we are thinking Saturday mornings, 9-1 or Sundays 12-4 or anytime between 9 am and 6 pm on Saturdays and 1-5 pm on Sundays. We can find other times and other locations. Children come from central Brooklyn (Crown Heights, etc)

Background - We have an initiative with Seeds in the Middle to give every child a chance to learn the academic skills to gain entry into New York City's top high schools - starting as early as 3rd or 4th grade.


Why?
Despite increasing funding and initiatives, the percentage of African-American and Latino students in NYC is far below their numbers in the NYC population. See the article here - showing in 2017 that only 10 percent of the seats offered went to minority students.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2017/03/08/only-10-percent-of-offers-at-new-york-citys-specialized-high-schools-went-to-black-and-hispanic-students/

Who are we?

• Seeds in the Middle has been working with students, faculties and parents and the community in central Brooklyn since 2010. We have seen the challenges and want to work closely with people who care to give children real chances to get the same access to top colleges as those in more affluent communities.
  
  We think we have an innovative solution to helping students achieve so they can have an equal shot at these schools - including competitive schools like LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts or Midwood or Murrow or any other school recognized as top by the most competitive colleges.
  
  That's you! Help us create a new pathway for students! Empower real change.
  
  
• 2019-2020 - Volunteers who can help prepare students for the Specialized High School test are asked to commit at least two hours a weekend for as long as you can commit (at least a month)... Next test is in fall 2020.

ATTENTION - If you want to tutor younger ages or do anything further, read below

• For the long-term plan, WE ask for commitments of at least three months, or you can work for years with a student on special skills. You must:
• sign that commitment
• when you finish your term, explain to the next tutor what you are working on with the student
• confer with our certified educators for guidance so you know exactly what they need to work on.

STUDENTS - WE CAN GIVE COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS FOR THIS.

Locations?
May vary - it might be Brooklyn Central Library near Grand Army Plaza or a school in Brownsville, Flatbush or Crown Heights, Brooklyn or maybe right at Stuyvesant High School or one of the top high schools. If you have a location near a train, let us know.

Who are the students you will tutor?
Each student must write a letter or essay, saying why he or she wants to go to a top high school and signing, with a parent, their commitment to coming every week for as long as it takes. We are starting at 3rd or 4th grade, and offer this to students through 8th grade.

We hope to launch this on MLK weekend 2018 - so respond right away.

PS - We would like to ask every volunteer to donate $50 or anything to help support our efforts. If you just want to tutor and cannot give, that is okay. But this is an unfunded program, so we are asking for donations to pay the people who are creating and organizing these opportunities and to administer this. All donations are tax-deductible. If you are willing to fundraise at all - even a bake sale - for our efforts, we would truly appreciate. Our goal is $20,000 and we want to offer tutors to as many children who want it - can be 100 or more... you can see what we do at seedsinthemiddle.org and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/seedsinthemiddle/

What is our goal?
To get at least 20 students into any of these schools, maybe more. But our initial goal is to ensure at least 20 students get the education necessary to pass the specialized high school test or other tests to go to the school of their choice - who - WITHOUT YOU - would never get a chance to get in.

More info? Email - info@seedsinthemiddle.org

Please write us and tell us: Fill out questionnaire here at: bit.ly/tutorforkids

• Who you are
• Days you are available
• What is your commitment - how many weeks at 2 x a week
• Where are you willing to travel? Will you go to Brownsville or central library?
• Why you want to do this?
• If you are a high school student, please offer, if you can, a school advisor to vouch for you
• Can you help us fundraise at all?