Read With Me, a literacy outreach program overseen by the Riverside County Office of Education, presented its work to the Coachella Valley Unified School District board on June 26 and described volunteer tutoring and book distribution in district classrooms.

Sean Webb, Read With Me director, said the program supplies volunteers who work one‑on‑one and in small groups and provides books for students to take home. He reported cumulative program numbers and recent awards: “To date, our partnership from 2004 to 02/2024 … 3,000 unique volunteers … over 90,000 hours provided … over a million dollars spent in books,” and said the program had 253 volunteers in classrooms in the most recent year.

Webb and regional coordinators proposed deeper partnerships with the district’s expanded learning programs and suggested district staff consider Literacy Field Days and other community engagement events. A board member noted Read With Me’s reported outcomes: Webb said the program’s internal comparisons show students working with volunteers “their scores go up at least 66% or better,” and trustees thanked the group for its service and for bilingual book distributions.

Read With Me representatives said regional coordinators work with site staff to recruit volunteers and coordinate logistics; the nonprofit asked the board to consider formal partnerships for expanded learning and community events in the coming year. Materials sample bags were made available at trustee seats for classroom visits.