Oasis Institute

An Estimated 75 RSVP Volunteers Will Serve as Tutors in Public Schools in East ST. Louis, Cahokia, and Brooklyn School Districts. the Primary Focus Area of This Project Is Education. at the End of the Three-year Grant, 150 Out of 255 K-3 Students Will Have Improved Academic Performance as Measured by Reading Assessments Used by the Individual School Districts Such as Fountas and Pinnell, Gates Mcginitie, or Iready Diagnostic. the CNCS Federal Investment of $75,000 Will Be Supplemented by $13,753 From Funding From Corporations and Foundations. the Oasis Institute (oasis), a 501 (C) (3) Organization, Is Proposing to Implement a Senior Corps Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) in Southern Illinois, Specifically East ST. Louis, Cahokia and Brooklyn School Districts (IL-1X). the Mission of Oasis Is to Promote Healthy Aging Through Lifelong Learning, Active Lifestyles, and Volunteer Engagement. the Oasis Southern Illinois RSVP Program Will Recruit, Train, and Place 75 Volunteers Who Are 55 and Older by the Third Year of Program Operations. Building on Its Proven Model and Expertise in Engaging Older Adult Volunteers, Oasis Will Address the Primary Focus Area of Education to Improve Educational Outcomes for Economically Disadvantaged and Academically At-risk Children. There Is Consensus Among Education Experts That It Is Critically Important for Children to Read at Grade Level by the End of Third Grade. Research Has Demonstrated the Correlation Between a Student's Reading Ability at This Point and His or Her Subsequent Academic Success. Illinoisreportcard.com in 2016-2017, the State's Official Source for Information About Public Schools in Illinois Shows 53.8 Percent and 59.5 Percent of Third Graders in East ST. Louis and at Lalumier Elementary in Cahokia School Districts Respectively Do Not Demonstrate Readiness for the Fourth Grade in English Language Arts; 83.3 Percent of Third Graders at Lovejoy Elementary in Brooklyn School District Did Not Demonstrate Readiness to Advance in English Language Arts. to Meet This Need, Over the Course of Three Years, Oasis Will Recruit, Train, and Place 75 Unduplicated RSVP Volunteers Who Will Serve Directly in Schools (volunteer Stations) Providing Literacy Tutoring and Support to 255 Students in the Proposed Service Area. These Volunteers Will Provide More Than 14,280 Hours of Service. of the Students Served by Year Three, 90 Percent of Students (230) Will Complete the Program and 65 Percent of Those Students (150) Will Show Improved Academic Performance in Literacy as Measured by Pre- and Post-tests. the Oasis Southern Illinois RSVP Program Will Meet the Critical Community Need of Improving Students' Academic Performance in Literacy While Strengthening School Communities Through the Presence of Caring, Well-trained, Older Adult Volunteers.