The Los Ayudantes Impact

Students who have achieved grade level proficiency in English language skills are MUCH more likely to graduate high school. 
​Consider the statistics:

  • Slightly more than 50% of the roughly 9,200 children served by the Redwood City School District are considered English language learners.
  • Kids who don't read proficiently by 4th grade are 4 times likelier to drop out of school.  
  • 42% of San Mateo county's 3rd graders, about 3000 children, are not reading proficiently.  This figure rises to 65% for Latino children, 59% for African American children, and 63% for Pacific Islander children.  
  • 88% of high school dropouts could not read proficiently by 3rd grade 
  • 42% of the county’s kids will struggle academically or may drop out. They are likely to be under-employed or unemployed throughout their lives. 
  • Limited reading skills, plus limited written and oral mastery of the English language can affect these students’ ability to learn new concepts and complete required assignments.

Impact for Students

  • Over 350 middle school students served during the 2019-20 school year.
  • Approximately 510 volunteer hours during the 2019-20 school year.
  • More individualized attention and time for in depth reading support.
  • Personal connection and encouragement that inspires students to persist in difficult learning
"Thank you for making it a safe and happy environment to read in, and thank you for helping me with my reading skills." -  MIT Student
Thank you for helping me read better and boost up my confidence for reading in front of others." - Kennedy Student

Impact for Teachers

  • 7 teachers supported over 13 periods per week for the 2019-20 school year. 
  • Multiply teachers’ ability to work one-on-one or in small groups with students
  • Engage students with interesting curriculum and personalized support and attention
"My students receive quality assistance in smaller groups than I could do on my own, and I have an opportunity to focus on the student who are left with me.  I notice an increase in the quality of work the students turn in after working with Los Ayudantes.  Its as if they see what is actually expected AND that they are able to work to that level. Then they seem to try to reproduce that level on later work." - Minda Hurd, Language Arts teacher at McKinely Institute of Technology

Impact for Schools

  • Helps schools to provide greater support for students who demonstrate limited English proficiency
  • Provides additional human and curriculum resources at no cost to schools.
"McKinley Institute of Technology is honored to have a continued partnership with Los Ayudantes.  Los Ayudantes' volunteer "helpers" have been providing reading support for many McKinley students. Their volunteers have been kind, flexible and always willing to go the extra mile to support students and their teachers.  We hope Los Ayudantes continues to expand and gain new mentors to support more Redwood City students." - Nick Fournagiakis MIT Principal
"Kennedy Middle School has partnered with Los Ayudantes for the past two years and is looking forward to continuing this relationship into the future. Each week, students look forward to working with the volunteers one-on-one or in a small group. Volunteers read with students, converse with them, help them with research and grammar skills, and work with them on their writing. Beyond that, they become role models and mentors for our students, which is so important during this middle school period where students are going through puberty and trying to figure out their identities." - Sabrina Adler, Kennedy Principal
1 Cullinan, Bernice E. "Independent Reading and School Achievement", American Association of School Librarians. Accessed February 2014.
2 California Department of Education’s DataQuest
3  Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Longitudinal Study of Youth
4 ProLiteracy and the National Assessment of Adult Literacy