Frequently Asked Questions
Click the + to view the answers to some of our most commonly-asked questions.
Have a question that's not on this list? Please contact your Site Coordinator or send an email to [email protected].
Students are selected for STAIR by their school's reading teacher. Teachers recommend students based on a number of different criteria, including current reading level, test scores, attendance record, and classroom behavior.
No. STAIR is a volunteer-driven tutoring program for second graders reading below grade level. Students with special needs or diagnosed learning disabilities may require more support than our program is equipped to provide. If you have a specific concern about your student, please discuss it privately with your Site Coordinator.
No. While young children often become quite attached to caring adults and may want to invite you to a birthday party, sporting event, or other activity, contact with students outside of STAIR is strictly prohibited.
Our insurance policy does not allow volunteers to provide transportation to students ever, for any reason. Your Site Coordinator will make every effort to reach a student’s parent, guardian, or emergency contacts in the rare event that a child has not been picked up within 15 minutes of the end of the STAIR session. All STAIR-Annapolis locations will have a designated employee from Anne Arundel County Public Schools (schools) or the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis (community centers) to wait with any child who has not been picked up.
Yes. Second graders are old enough to use the school restroom without assistance and do not need to be accompanied by a volunteer.
Serving as a STAIR volunteer is a commitment. Students thrive on the consistency of a trusting relationship with a caring adult they can count on working with week after week. However, we understand that unexpected illness or events beyond your control may occasionally prevent you from attending your scheduled tutoring session. Please contact your Site Coordinator as soon as possible if you will be late or can’t make your session so he or she can make arrangements for a substitute.
Any concerns you may have about your student’s progress, behavior, or needs should be discussed in private with your Site Coordinator.
Our goal is to make students feel good about themselves and to develop a love of reading through one-on-one interaction with a dedicated adult. You’re making a big difference in a child’s life simply by showing up every week and giving your undivided attention! It is not STAIR’s policy to share students’ reading scores or assessment results with volunteers.
Just like adults, second graders can have bad days, too! If your student seems tired, bored, off task, or less engaged than usual, it’s best to take a step back from the lesson and to keep trying new things to spark his or her interest. You can play a game together, read to your student while she sits and listens, or go over a concept he’s already mastered to give him a boost of confidence and a feeling of accomplishment. Make it fun and try again next time!
Of course! The lesson plan is only a guide to help you teach fluency, accuracy, and reading comprehension. There are many ways to work on these skills together, so we absolutely encourage you to be creative or to simply try again another day if your student is resistant to any of the material suggested in the lesson plan.
A healthy snack is provided to all STAIR-Annapolis students and helps children recharge after a long day at school. If your student has not finished his snack after 10 minutes, ask him to put it away to enjoy at home later. This will help your student stay focused on your session and better able to move through the day’s agenda.
STAIR provides everything you need to conduct a successful tutoring session with your student. In addition to our proven curriculum materials, we have an extensive on-site library of books for all reading levels and interests, educator-approved games to strengthen basic literacy skills, and plenty of resources to support tutor development. However, you are welcome to bring a favorite book from home to share with your student. Please check with your Site Coordinator first to discuss STAIR’s guidelines for appropriate books.
Our policy on gift-giving is “What we do for one, we must do for all.” Along with the new books for home libraries that STAIR students receive weekly as part of the program, there are several times during the year when we provide small gifts for every student enrolled in STAIR. It is inappropriate for volunteers to give gifts to individual students.
STAIR does not share students’ contact information with volunteers.
Any concerns you may have about your student’s progress, behavior, or needs should be discussed in private with your Site Coordinator.
Though many STAIR tutors are former educators, our mission is to complement Anne Arundel County Public Schools second-grade literacy curriculum, not teach it. Meeting with your student consistently week after week and giving her your caring, undivided attention will make an incredible difference in her reading proficiency. It is not our policy to facilitate conferences or meetings between AACPS staff and STAIR volunteers.
