DC Reads Program
The George Washington University
Information Manual for Community Partners
2012-13
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2012-12 DC Reads Community Partner Manual
Contents:
1.
2.
3.
4.
DC Reads History
DC Reads Today
DC Reads Program Staff
DC Reads Program Information
a. Information for Prospective Partners
i. Forming New Partnerships
ii. What We Look for in Partners
iii. Responsibilities of DC Reads and of the Partners
iv. Other Commonly Asked Questions
b. Information on DC Reads Tutors
i. Recruiting Tutors
ii. Selection of Tutors
iii. Tutors’ Site Placement and Schedule Assignments
iv. Tutor Start and End Dates
v. Expectations of Tutors: The Tutor Contract
vi. Tutor Attendance Policy
vii. Tutor Vacations: The GW Academic Calendar
viii. How to handle problems with tutors
c. Federal Work Study (FWS) Information
i. What is Federal Work Study?
ii. FWS v. Volunteer Tutors
iii. The Hiring Process
iv. Hiring Paperwork and Potential Problems
v. How are tutors paid?
vi. Timesheets
vii. Payroll Calendar
5. Annual Renewal of Partnerships
p. 3
p. 3
pp. 3-4
pp. 5-15
pp. 5-6
p. 5
p. 5
pp. 5-6
p. 6
pp. 7-12
p. 7
p. 7
p. 7
p. 8
pp. 8-10
pp. 10-11
p. 11
p. 12
pp. 12-15
p. 12
p. 12
pp. 12-13
pp. 13-14
p. 14
p. 14
p. 15
p. 16
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1. DC Reads History:
DC Reads started as a citywide grassroots program in the mid-1990s in response to the America Reads
challenge. The mission was to ensure that every child in the District was literate by the end of third
grade. It was organized by Communities in Schools of Washington, DC, in partnership with the
Corporation for National Service, District of Columbia Public Schools, American University, Catholic
University of America, The George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University,
Southeastern University, Trinity College, and the University of the District of Columbia.
GW’s program, which started in 1997, quickly grew to become the largest university tutoring program in
the District – a distinction it still holds. Although it started as a literacy-only initiative, it expanded to
include the improvement of math skills, in addition to reading skills.
2. DC Reads Today:
DC Reads tutors spend several hours each week for at least one semester working with elementary
school children one-on-one or in small groups through our partnerships with public schools and nonprofit tutoring organizations. Our current partners include two public schools (Francis Stevens
Education Campus and Thomson Elementary) and 6 non-profit tutoring organizations (AnBryce
Foundation Saturday Institute, CentroNia, For Love of Children, Higher Achievement, Reading Partners,
and Turning the Page).
In the 2011-12 academic year, 326 GW tutors contributed over 27,000 hours of tutoring in the District!
3. DC Reads Program Staff:
Team Leaders:
Each site is assigned one or two Team Leaders who act as liaisons between the site and the DC Reads
office for an entire academic year. They are heavily involved in recruiting and facilitate the interview
process for new tutors. Throughout the school year, they stay in contact with the tutors at their site to
address questions and concerns, organize reflection opportunities, and stay in touch with community
partners to give them any updates and to get information relevant to DC Reads tutors/staff members.
They also will be organizing monthly training opportunities for the DC Reads tutors as a whole. They are
on site every week and attend meetings with the Program Manager every week, and they are great
aides in communication between the site and the office. They are the first point of contact for their
site’s tutors.
Program Manager:
The Program Manager is an AmeriCorps VISTA who serves with the DC Reads Program on a full-time
basis for a 12-month period. The Program Manager provides the organizational support and guidance
for the Team Leaders to formulate program goals, and directs their work to ensure program
improvement and sustainability. She coordinates and oversees the day-to-day program work and is in
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charge of DC Reads recruiting, hiring, training, and special events. The Program Manager meets with the
Team Leaders weekly to get updates, to evaluate tutoring and DC Reads events, to plan upcoming
events, and to provide any needed support. He is also in contact with the entire cohort of tutors on at
least a biweekly basis to provide updates and ensure their connection to the program as a whole.
She also creates monthly newsletters to increase communication between sites.
The Program Manager will remain in direct contact with community partners throughout the academic
year with updates and to ensure that things are going smoothly at the sites. He will also periodically
make site visits. At the outset of the semester, the Program Manager will provide you with tutor
rosters, applications, and schedule information after making site assignments. If you have any concerns
or questions at any point, the Program Manager is available to address them.
Program Coordinator:
Emily Penprase has coordinated the DC Reads program (in addition to the Neighbors Project program
and, more recently, Alternative Breaks and Community Building Community) since 2010 and provides
important consistency through the many staff changes. Emily trains new staff members and directs and
oversees all aspects of the program. The Program Manager reports to Emily, and she makes
recommendations and provides guidance and assistance.
Emily also is the direct contact for payroll processes. She collects timesheets and makes sure they are
submitted in a timely manner, and she enters the records into the Kronos database in order for students
to be paid for their time. She also enters time into the Volunteer Match database, which collects hours
for credit towards the President’s Volunteer Service Award. (Students who contribute 100-174 hours
within the year receive a Bronze Level Award, 175-249 receive Silver, and 250 hours and more receive
Gold. Seniors who have served more than 100 hours in their senior year at GW will also graduate with
Service Cords. Time that is paid through FWS is still credited towards the award.)
Please direct any questions about timesheets or payroll to Emily, and contact her in the event of serious
concerns or any emergency situations.
Director of Community Service:
Sara De Ritter arrived in the summer of 2012 to direct the co-curricular community service programs of
the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service (also referred to as “the Center”) – including DC
Reads, Neighbors Project, and Special Service Events like Alternative Spring Breaks, Freshman Day of
Service, and MLK Day of Service. She is the former Associate Director of Service and Community
Partnerships at Northeastern University. She is currently completing her dissertation for her Ph.D.
Director of the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service:
Amy Cohen has directed and overseen the entire Center since its inception in 2010. She directs all of the
university’s major service initiatives, including one-time and ongoing community service programs and
partnerships, service-learning, our residential service group (Civic House), and GW’s service grants and
awards.
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4. DC Reads Program Information:
A. Information for Prospective Partners:
i.
Forming New Partnerships:
You may apply to become a partner by completing the Google document located online here:
http://goo.gl/BvdHy
This will allow us to learn more about your organization’s history; the demographics of the population
that you serve; staff positions available to support the tutoring program; your curricula; tutor training
and any resources provided; and how you assess tutees’ progress.
After reviewing your application, the Program Coordinator will be in touch to set up a meeting to discuss
the partnership and answer any questions about DC Reads, and to make site visits to tutoring locations.
If both parties agree to formalize the partnership, you will be asked to submit a Federal Work Study
Participation Agreement and a Tutor Job Posting Form (a copy may be viewed online here:
http://goo.gl/Lpbxd, with the Participation Agreement found on pp. 1-6 and the Tutor Job Posting Form
on p. 7). These must be signed anew by all partners at the start of each academic year.
ii.
What we Look for in Partners:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
iii.
Serve elementary school students behind grade level in literacy and/or math skills
1-on-1 or small-group tutoring programs
Curriculum-based programs
Provide tutor training and supervision
Ability to demonstrate program effectiveness through ongoing evaluation
Located within walking distance of a metro station in a safe area
Responsibilities of DC Reads and of Partners
DC Reads:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Recruit tutors
Interview and select tutors
Place tutors at sites based on their preferences and availability
Collect and keep on file all relevant paperwork. For tutors with Federal Work Study
(FWS) awards, ensure that they are hired through the Career Center.
Meet with Team Leaders on a weekly basis and coordinate their work
Collect and submit timesheet information to the Career Center to ensure FWS tutors are
paid
Work with community partners to resolve any problems with tutor performance
Provide monthly supplementary tutor trainings on topics such as education policy and
the effect of poverty on education, often by professors and experts in the field
Conduct site visits each semester and remain in contact via e-mail.
 In addition, Team Leaders serve as liaisons between our office and yours and
organize twice-a-semester reflection events for the tutors at your site.
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
All community partners are also invited to nominate tutees to come to GW for
an Annual Spelling Bee competition, held in April or May.
Partners:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
iv.
Communicate with tutors to make weekly schedule assignments
Train tutors in your curricula and topics like behavior management
Provide supervision at all times for tutors at the site
Track attendance and notify a DC Reads staff member in the event of unexcused or
excessive absences
Track tutors’ hours via timesheets provided by the DC Reads office
Submit timesheets on a biweekly basis, by fax, e-mail, or delivery by a Team Leader
Inform the DC Reads office immediately in the event of any problems or concerns and
work collaboratively to resolve them
Remain in regular contact via e-mail
 If you choose to, you may also do your own recruiting with the assistance of
your Team Leader(s) and by manning a table at the Community Service Fair
and/or Federal Work Study Fair at the beginning of the Fall semester.
 You may also supplement our selection process with your own (such as agencyspecific applications).
Other Commonly Asked Questions:
a. My organization is located near a bus stop, but I see that you require community
partners to be within walking distance of a metro station. How flexible are you on this
requirement?
Our experience over the years has proven that the metro is a more reliable, more frequent, and
easier method of transportation for our students to travel. If you are willing to provide
transportation from a metro station to your organization we would consider the possibility of
partnering with your organization. The safety of our students is paramount and will be taken
into consideration when making decisions about transportation/travel off-campus.
b. Our program is looking for homework help, and we do not use a curriculum. Are we
eligible to apply?
No. Tutors often have no background in teaching or tutoring, so we partner with programs that
are curricula-based. While some homework help may take place, most of the tutoring is focused
on assisting students who are behind in class in literacy and math skills. Curricula ensure that
tutors are using materials proven to be effective, and that the tutees’ progress is easily
monitored.
c. Do I have to pay the tutors anything?
Funding for the FWS DC Reads tutoring program comes from the federal government. As long
as the tutoring is for K-6th grade students on literacy and/or math skills, 100% of the tutors’
payment is covered, up to the amount of their Federal Work Study award. If a tutor exceeds the
award, they must finish the semester as a volunteer. New tutors are paid $12 per hour.
Returning tutors and Team Leaders are paid $13 an hour.
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B. Information on DC Reads Tutors:
i.
Recruiting Tutors:
In the Fall semester, you will be invited to participate in the Federal Work Study Job Fair and in the
Community Service Fair. This is a chance to talk with students about your organization and explain
why they should get involved in tutoring. You will also be required to submit a Job Posting form to
the Career Center, and the opportunity will be listed in the GWork database of FWS opportunities.
Many students find out about DC Reads this way.
The Team Leaders, with the support of the DC Reads staff, work hard to promote the program and
get more students involved – not just at the site they work with, but at all of our sites. They will be
tabling on campus, writing chalk messages on sidewalks, and posting flyers on campus and in dorms.
They also ask friends who have leadership roles in various student organizations and fraternities and
sororities to share the information with their group. In the past, we have had great success with
these methods and have generated a lot of interest (though the number one way method students
cite for having heard about the program is
If you choose to post agency-specific flyers on campus, but please work with your Team Leaders to
do so, as the contact information and logos of DC Reads must be on any ads (a GW, not a DC Reads,
policy).
ii.
Selection of Tutors:
Tutors are required to complete an online application (the Google document can be viewed here:
http://goo.gl/32MnO) and, if invited, participate in a group interview and a DC Reads Orientation
session. We discuss the responsibilities and emphasize the commitment, but for the most part, we
are not screening for any particular skills or background – though we work with our partners if there
is a specific need, such as language skills. The tutors give us information about their first preference
for site, as well as other sites they would be able to tutor with if their first choice is not available.
We also ask for their availability and the number of hours they would like to commit to each week.
We use this information to make site assignments. After the tutors are assigned to sites, we send
our partners the students’ applications (which provide their contact information as well as why they
want to tutor and any special skills or talents they can offer) and their schedule information, and
they then contact the students to inform them of next steps (such as pre-service training and their
tutoring schedule).
iii.
Tutors’ Site Placement and Schedule Assignments:
Tutors are given the opportunity to specify which site is their first choice. They also fill out
information at the mandatory DC Reads Orientation to let us know what hours they are available
and how many hours they are hoping to work each week. After the Orientation and Interviews, we
take all accepted candidates’ preferences and schedules into account, as well as the needs and
requests of the community partner, and assign tutors to sites. We send each partner a list of the
applications from the tutors assigned to their site, along with information on their schedule
availability/requests. The partner then sends those tutors an e-mail to inform them of site-specific
next steps, such as the dates of training and any TB testing or background check requirements.
Partners work with the tutors directly to assign them to specific weekly schedules – though we also
may assign tutors to weekly tutoring schedules upon request.
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iv.
Tutor Start and End Dates:
Tutors apply and are selected for the program by late-September, and they are required to submit
all paperwork by early in October.
When a tutor is ready to start, she should give you a “Golden Ticket” that looks like this:
When you receive this, it signifies that the student has agreed to the contract, signed a liability
waiver, completed background check processes, and is ready to begin tutoring. Please do not allow
anyone to tutor before this point.
Tutors are not required to tutor after classes have ended for the semester. The final day of classes
in the Fall will be December 7th, and in the Spring it will be April 29th. While students may choose to
work over their winter or spring breaks (if they are in DC), the final day they may be paid for their
time through FWS in 2012 was April 28th, and the date will be similar for 2013.
v.
Expectations of Tutors: The Tutor Contract:
Each tutor must sign a copy of the Tutor Contract before they may begin, and they must put their
initials beside each separate responsibility to indicate their understanding and agreement. This is
what the contract looks like (front and back):
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vi.
Tutor Attendance Policy:
Each of our partner sites has its own attendance policy, and we fully support it. Please make sure that
the tutors are informed about your policy and understand it. You will either submit biweekly
attendance records or keep us informed in another way of any problems so that we can address them
with the tutor(s) involved. The tutors are responsible for contacting both their site contact and their
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Team Leader at least 3 weekdays in advance if they are not able to attend a scheduled session. They
are instructed to contact both parties as soon as possible in the event of an unplanned emergency or
sickness. (Please refer to the “DC Reads Attendance Policy” directly above, on page 10.) If this is not
happening, please let us know!
vii.
Tutor Vacations: The GW Academic Calendar:
For all GW holidays (including Spring Break), tutors are excused from tutoring – though if the site
approves tutors’ attendance in advance and we are notified appropriately and also give verbal or
written approval, tutors may continue to go to the site during these times. The Team Leader will try to
remind you of upcoming holidays, but please check the GW calendar (see below) regularly.
What is GW’s calendar?
http://www.gwu.edu/ac.cfm?y=12
Fall 2012:
Tues. – Aug. 28:
Classes Begin
Mon. – Sept. 3:
Labor Day, no classes
Wed.-Thurs. – Nov. 21-23:
Thanksgiving break, no classes
Fri. – Dec. 7:
Last day of classes, tutoring ends for the semester (though tutors may
choose to continue, with the agreement of the site)
Thurs. – Fri. – Dec. 13-21:
Final Exams
Spring 2013:
Mon. – Jan. 14:
Classes Begin
Mon. – Jan. 21:
MLK Day, no classes
Mon. – Feb. 18:
Presidents’ Day, no classes
Mon.-Fri. – March 11-15:
Spring break, no classes
Mon. – Apr. 29:
Last day of classes tutoring ends for the semester (though tutors may
choose to continue up until ___, with the agreement of the site)
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viii.
How to handle problems with a tutor:
Please inform a DC Reads staff member as soon as possible if there are any problems so that we can
work together to address them. The earlier that we learn of problems, the more easily they can be
remedied. We prefer to give tutors timely feedback so that they can correct mistakes, but we recognize
that there are some situations when second chances will not be appropriate. In the event that a tutor
needs to be let go, we will work together to ensure that this happens in an appropriate way.
C. Federal Work Study Information:
i.
What is Federal Work Study (FWS)?
According to the GW Career Center’s website:
“The Federal Work Study Program (FWS) is a federally-funded work program that allows
students who have received a Federal Work Study award from GW’s Office of Student Financial
Assistance to earn money while working at pre-approved organizations—GW departments, local
nonprofits, government agencies and community service employers.”
Awards are based upon financial need. The maximum amount a student can be paid is the value of
his/her award. In 2011-12, the highest (and also most typical) award was $2600 – allowing about 200
hours of work over the course of the year. Students must volunteer for the remainder of a semester if
they run out of money before that point.
We are always happy to have students without a FWS award participate as volunteers.
ii.
FWS v. Volunteer Tutors
We hold both FWS and Volunteer tutors to the exact same standards. The only difference between the
groups is that FWS students get paid for their time and volunteers do not. We still need to keep the
same records and follow the same processes for both. For instance, although the paperwork
requirements are slightly different (volunteers do not need to complete an I-9, which verifies eligibility
for employment or an Employment Authorization Form (EAF), which shows a student’s FWS award
amount), no tutor may begin before turning in the required documents and receiving a Golden Ticket.
We also track the time contributed by all of the students using the same timesheets, since their hours
count towards the President’s Volunteer Service Awards and, for seniors, Service Cords at graduation.
iii.
The Hiring Process
Once the tutors are notified that they are selected and of their site assignment, they must complete
paperwork requirements (and any additional requirements that the site has) in order to be hired.
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Required paperwork includes:



a contract and a liability waiver
I-9 receipt and copy of Employment Authorization Form (EAF)
TB Test results and fingerprinting confirmation (site-specific)
The tutors turn in all of the required paperwork at one time. The Program Coordinator then sends their
information onto the Career Center so that they can be hired. It typically takes 2-3 business days to
process the forms. Once the tutor is officially hired, the Program Manager and the Program Coordinator
are informed by e-mail. That e-mail is forwarded to the tutor. Any training or tutoring done from that
point forward is paid through the student’s FWS award.
iv.
Hiring Paperwork and Potential Problems
Required paperwork includes:





DC Reads Contract and Liability Waiver
I-9 receipt
Copy of Employment Authorization Form (EAF)
TB Test results (site-dependant)
Fingerprinting Confirmation (site-dependant)
The Contract and Liability Waiver are specific to our office. They are easily downloaded from our
website, and copies are available at the office. We have never encountered problems getting these
completed.
An I-9 is a federal form that verifies a student’s eligibility to work legally in the United States. The
student fills the information out at the Career Center and then brings the receipt (s)he is given upon
completion to our office. Problems sometimes occur because the tutor must submit ORIGINAL
documents, usually of either a passport or of a driver’s license and social security card. Copies are not
acceptable, so the tutors must get in touch with the person in possession and have the originals mailed
to DC if they do not already have them on campus. There are no exceptions.
The Employment Authorization Form (EAF) provides information about the amount of the student’s
Federal Work Study award (as of the date it is printed). It is easily downloaded and printed through the
tutor’s GW web account.
TB Tests ensure that tutors are not infected with Tuberculosis. Not every partner requires TB Test
results to be submitted, but all tutors working at a District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) site must be
tested. It takes 48 hours between the time the injection is made and the results are able to be read.
Occasionally, students believe they can have the TB Test performed and then immediately be
fingerprinted, not taking into account the 48 hour delay. Sometimes, too, a student forgets to take the
TB test results with them to the fingerprinting office, necessitating a return trip. Those few students
who test positive must then schedule an additional appointment to get a chest x-ray, to make sure the
TB is not contagious.
Fingerprinting: Partners conduct background checks in different ways, and we work with you to make
sure any requirements are fulfilled by the students. DCPS requires anyone working or volunteering in a
public (but not a charter) school to be fingerprinted at their main office, on New York Avenue. (In other
words, tutors may not go to the police department for fingerprinting (as they do for some charter school
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sites), even if they are willing to pay the fee themselves, because the process is different.) In addition,
DCPS will not allow anyone to be fingerprinted through them if they are not assigned to a public school
site. Therefore, we need to identify which tutors fall into which category (and send a list to the DCPS
office) before this process can get underway.
Last year, the office was only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9 am to 3:30 pm. Students’ class
schedules are usually M/W/F or T/Th, so any student in class most of T/Th had to set up a special
appointment time to be fingerprinted. (Obviously, we do not encourage them to skip class.) In the fall,
because DCPS is doing fingerprinting for so many new staff members and volunteers, a special
appointment may not be available for a month or longer. And because there is no appointment process,
sometimes it is so busy that the tutor has to leave and return again.
We are not able to allow any tutor to start until they have finished these processes and submitted the
paperwork to us.
v.
How are tutors paid?
The Program Coordinator enters all of the FWS tutors’ work hours (as recorded in the submitted
timesheets) into GW’s Online Time Reporting System (called Kronos). FWS tutors who sign up for Direct
Deposit will have their paycheck amount automatically added to their bank account. Otherwise, they
will pick up a check at the Career Center on a biweekly basis. After the hours are submitted, there is a
two-week delay in payment. The federal government funds the FWS program in full, so you do not pay
tutors for their contributions.
Tutors without a FWS award are not paid, but participate as volunteers.
vi.
Timesheets
Tutors’ hours are tracked by paper timesheets. They are responsible for signing in when they arrive and
out before they leave the site. Timesheets for the semester will be delivered to you at the beginning of
the year by one of your Team Leaders (or, where necessary, by a DC Reads staff member or via mail).
They will be in a binder. Please keep these in the same location. (Tutors are NOT to include travel time
here.)
Timesheets must be submitted by the partner on a biweekly basis. The biweekly due date is noon on
the Friday before the Period End Date, which is a Saturday (please refer to the Payroll Calendar on p. 15
to see the relevant dates) . We will work with you and your staff to determine the most convenient
method of submitting these. Some partners fax them in, some scan and submit them by e-mail, and
others have the Team Leaders pick them up and hand deliver them. If you do not submit the timesheets
on time, we are not able to pay the tutors on time for the work they have done.
Although Volunteers’ time is not paid, it is still important that they complete timesheets like everyone
else. Their time will be tracked by the Program Coordinator through the Volunteer Match system as
credit towards the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Those who contribute 100-174 hours within
the year receive a Bronze Level Award, 175-249 receive Silver, and 250 hours and more receive Gold.
Seniors who have served more than 100 hours in their senior year at GW will also graduate with Service
Cords.
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vii.
Payroll Calendar
Students are paid on a biweekly basis. You can view the Biweekly Payroll Schedule online here:
http://goo.gl/SzoGD, and it is also pasted below.
The Period Begin and Period End dates indicate the timeframe during which FWS tutors are paid for the
hours worked. There is a 2 week gap between the last day of the period they work and the date they
are paid for that work. In other words, their paycheck will reflect NOT the two previous weeks of work,
but the two weeks before that. For example, if a tutor starts work on Oct. 3, any hours worked between
then and the 13 of October will be reflected on the Oct. 26 pay date. They are paid on Nov. 9 for any
work between Oct. 14 and 27.
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3. Annual Renewal of Partnerships:
We meet with each partner at the end of the academic year to discuss the program and changes that
should be made to improve the partnership. All DC Reads partners must complete a Federal Work Study
Participation Agreement and a Tutor Job Posting Form at the start of each academic year if there is
mutual agreement to continue the partnership. A copy may be viewed online here: http://goo.gl/Lpbxd
(with the Participation Agreement found on pp. 1-6 and the Tutor Job Posting Form on p. 7).
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