America Reads is a national campaign that was initiated in 1997. It challenges every American to help our children learn to read well and independently by the end of elementary school. Colleges and universities across the country independently participate in the America Reads Challenge.

The A.S. Community Affairs Office and local school districts work together to implement UCSB’s response to the America Reads America Counts challenge. America Reads America Counts (AR/AC) is funded through Federal Work Study and trains 35 UCSB students to be tutors. Each tutor is expected to encourage students in the subject areas of Reading and Mathematics, and support children in their school development.

Tutors work directly with kindergarten through sixth grade students to improve their reading and math proficiency skills. Tutors perform one-on-one work with individual students, group work, or class activities. In the 2008-2009 academic year AR./AC services were provided to 15 classrooms and 3 after school programs. In 2009-10, AR/AC provided services in 22 classrooms and 3 after school programs at Isla Vista Elementary, El Camino Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Cesar Chavez Charter Elementary, and La Casa de la Raza.