Seniors for Schools: Effective Practices Guidebook is a compilation of information, tools, and materials used by Seniors for Schools project directors as they launched a new child literacy initiative over the past two years.

The core elements of the Seniors for Schools initiative have been established so that common objectives can be shared and consistent methods for achieving goals are maintained. The core elements are:

• Service Activities Focused on Reading and Literacy for Young Children
• Critical Mass: Number of Volunteers
• Priority on Intensive Service: Number of Hours
• Diversity of Participants
• Team and Corps Concept
• Service-Learning
• A Range of Incentives
• Leadership Development
• Collaboration
• High-Quality Volunteer Experience

The guidebook is available in sections in PDF format for download. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view and print these documents.

Download Seniors for Schools: Effective Practices Guidebook

• Table of Contents/Introduction (PDF)
• Chapter 1: Common Start-Up Issues and Concerns (PDF)
• Chapter 2: Recruiting and Retaining Senior Volunteers (PDF)
• Chapter 3: Volunteer Training and Development (PDF)
• Chapter 4: Partnerships with Schools (PDF)
• Chapter 5: Choosing and Using a Literacy Model (PDF)
• Chapter 6: Creating a Literacy Rich Environment (PDF)
• Chapter 7: Parent and Community Outreach (PDF)
• Chapter 8: Building Sustainability for Your Project (PDF)
• Chapter 9: Evaluation and Record Keeping (PDF)
• Chapter 10: Resources (PDF)