Volunteer to change a child’s life through reading

Looking for a way to help HISD’s students? The district is resuming its popular “Read Houston Read” and “Real Men Read” programs this year. HISD recognizes the need to provide ongoing literacy support to students and is once again asking the community for volunteers to read to children.

Read Houston Read volunteers will work with the same student one hour each week for an entire year, either in person or virtually on the Microsoft TEAMS platform.

Houston Real Men Read is a mentoring program in which men volunteer at least one hour a month to read to students in third grade.

By donating just an hour, you can make a real difference in a child’s life. The goal of these literacy programs is to instill a love of reading in children, while giving Houstonians an opportunity to give back to their community. 

Both programs are part of the district’s Literacy by 3 movement, which aims to have all students reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade. Literacy by 3 is in partnership with the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation and the Children’s Museum of Houston.

How to register as a volunteer via VIPS:

Step 1:  Complete the VIPS (Volunteers in Public Schools) Volunteer Orientation Training online in English at http://houstonisd.org/vipslogin  or in Spanish at http://www.houstonisd.org/voluntarios.

STEP 2: Read the VIPS Volunteer Handbook and save/print the Certificate of Completion for future reference.

STEP 3: Complete the VIPS Volunteer Application, agree to the annual background check, and review the required documents (Code of Ethics, Code of Civility, Confidentiality Statement).

STEP 4: Create or update your account on Connect4Literacy to register for volunteer opportunities. Ensure you’re using the same email account you used for VIPS.

STEP 5: Wait 3-5 business days for the background check to process. Volunteers receive a confirmation of receipt upon submission and an approval or denial reply from donotreply@raptortech.com when completed.

STEP 6: Create a personal Raptor Portal Volunteer Account for the ability to track volunteer hours.

STEP 7: Once VIPS APPROVED, register for opportunities to volunteer using the BBHLF’s Connect 4 Literacy website at https://www.connect4literacy.org/.

That’s all there is to it! For more information, see this flyer.