City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Marc Nelson and other education leaders attended a pledge ceremony for 18 tutors on Monday. They gathered to celebrate the city’s launch of the AmeriCorps tutoring programs Math Corps and Early Learning Corps.
Beginning in September, Math Corps tutors will serve 500 students in kindergarten through third grade, and Early Learning Corps tutors will serve 325 preschool students. Placed in local schools and childcare centers, tutors work one-on-one or in small groups with students to help improve their academic skills. 16 additional tutors are needed in Poughkeepsie to help meet local needs.
The event was held at The Academy, a food hall and event space in Poughkeepsie, and was attended by Mayor Marc Nelson, Poughkeepsie City School District Superintendent Dr. Eric Jay Rosser, Deputy Director of EdRedesign Lab at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education Rob Watson, and Dutchess County Assistant Commissioner for Youth Services Karmen Smallwood.
During the ceremony, speakers welcomed the new tutors and congratulated them on their commitment to supporting Poughkeepsie students. Tutors raised their right hands as they took the AmeriCorps pledge:
I will get things done for America – to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier.
I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.
Faced with apathy, I will take action.
Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.
Faced with adversity, I will persevere.
I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond.
I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.
Tutors serving in Poughkeepsie will devote the school year to helping students build stronger skills. Trained in strategies proven to work, they’ll spend their days providing extra practice and skill building to help students succeed. “It’s wonderful to have such strong community support as we launch these programs in Poughkeepsie,” said Katrina Gobins, Executive Director of New York Programs with Math Corps and Early Learning Corps. “Working together, we are going to have an incredible impact.”
Now offered in 7 states, Math Corps and Early Learning Corps are national tutoring programs that have already helped more than 160,000 students. The evidence-based programs are launching in Poughkeepsie in partnership with the Poughkeepsie City School District, Little Water Prep Charter School, and local child care centers including DAY ONE Early Learning Community, Astor Head Start, and Community Family Development.
To learn more about helping Poughkeepsie children succeed in school, visit ReadingandMath.org. The next application deadline is October 4, 2023.