January 15, 2026 – Leonardtown, Md. – St. Mary’s County Library is recruiting literacy volunteers to utilize Story Champs curriculum to work with small groups of children on reading comprehension in afterschool programs in the Lexington Park area. St. Mary’s County Library will provide volunteer training and support for selected literacy volunteers.
The Story Champs curriculum is designed to help students learn information retelling, vocabulary learning, and writing in a fun way. It’s a structured program, no teaching experience required. These story skills are fundamental in learning to read well. Students need background knowledge about the world to be able to understand what they read and the Story Champs program helps children understand the process of learning new words.
Volunteers should fill out an application on the Library website.
Requirements for volunteers:
- Apply and be interviewed for an afterschool program site
- Pass a background check
- Commit to attend two trainings, held on January 25 and February 1, 1 – 5 p.m.
- Commit to six months of leading small-group tutoring sessions with provided curriculum (January – June 2026) one weekday per week, 3 – 5:30 p.m. Grade levels range from kindergarten to 8th grade.
- Have the patience and flexibility to work with struggling readers!
“Reading is so fundamental and we want to support children with their reading skills so that they find joy in books and learning,” said Amy Ford, Branch Manager of the Lexington Park Library. “We are grateful to the Maryland State Library Agency for funding for this initiative and to our afterschool program sites for hosting this project.”
For questions or additional information, contact Amy Ford, Branch Manager of Lexington Park Library at 301-863-8188 or aford@stmalib.org. ###
