For nearly 40 years, Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR) has helped thousands of second and third graders from all across South Louisiana discover the joy of literacy. The program’s one-on-one weekly tutoring sessions help students build reading, vocabulary, and comprehension skills at a crucial time in their development.
Avenue spoke with Jennie Merrill Boudreaux, who has served as the organization’s executive director since November 2023. Thanks to her previous involvement with One Book One New Orleans, Boudreaux had experience in the literary space, and she was thrilled to continue this organization’s mission.
“I think the reading one-on-one is kind of the magic of the whole program,” said Boudreaux. It allows students to receive undivided attention from an adult without the distractions of a large classroom or siblings. The tutor’s entire focus is on reading with and listening to the student. In addition to increasing their reading comprehension, ability, and fluency, this also helps increase the student’s self-esteem, as Boudreaux explained. Although improving test scores is part of the goal, the program helps children feel care and attention as well.
STAIR exists for second and third graders. They now have five in-person sites, and about half of their students are divided among those locations. Current in-person tutoring sites include: Audubon Charter (Uptown and Gentilly locations), Morris Jeff Community School, YACS Lawrence D. Crocker, and Martin Berhman Elementary. While the in-person tutoring offered at these locations is incredibly effective, they also began offering virtual tutoring during the pandemic. With this option, second or third graders whose reading scores are below grade level can do virtual tutoring, even without access to one of the physical locations.
Beyond the curriculum, the team also offers plenty of extracurricular materials to keep students interested. Their collection of writing journals, poetry, decodable texts, skills sheets, and more additives take the one-on-one reading experience and expand on it. Lastly, the students are given a collection of books to take home for their personal library. All of these materials are provided to the program’s participants for free.
Every semester, the team receives feedback about the positive way that STAIR impacts entire families. Students bring their free books home, enjoy their library, read to siblings, and generally draw the family into their new habits. One parent remarked that her child began reading out signs when they were driving around the city.
“And that is why literacy is so important,” said Boudreaux. “It is not just reading a book or information; it is how you navigate through life.”
The team also started a summer pizza program with Reginelli’s called Book Up. Students can receive a free pizza kit after reading five books and completing online summaries about them. This entices families to read together (and enjoy pizza).
As the STAIR team celebrates their 40th anniversary next year, they will host some events for the neighbors and community who have helped make it possible. Keep an eye on their website and social media for news about upcoming events.
In addition, one of Boudreaux’s goals for the organization just happened: opening a location in Algiers. The program at Martin Berhman Elementary is just getting started, and the team is working to help them grow. The team’s next goal is to open a school in New Orleans East. Boudreaux is looking for a partner school for the upcoming fall or spring semester, and she is also building a tutor base for the area.
Lastly, bringing some new, exciting books into the curriculum is another plan. “Literacy is having quite the moment right now, and our curriculum has always been diverse,” said Boudreaux. By incorporating many different disciplines of literature, the team is able to keep students engaged with the material.
Get Involved
In order to expand and recruit new tutors, the STAIR team needs donations. In particular, the team needs more tutors who can commit to helping out the students once a week for approximately one to two hours at a time. Tutors who are flexible with placement are especially helpful. For the most part, support is the most important way to get involved. Boudreaux encourages everyone to tell others about the program, especially anyone with a child who has reading difficulties in the second or third grade. The STAIR team wants to provide resources for students and help them create a lifelong love of reading.
Contact
stairnola.org
info@stairnola.org
