Why did you sign up to volunteer?
I’ve always been invested in education, even completing a degree in early years education, but most importantly reading is a massive part of development at any age – from learning new things to building new worlds using your imagination! Being in a more corporate environment and seeing the opportunity to volunteer for Chapter One and support a little person’s development, I jumped at the chance to put myself forward!

Describe your first session - what surprised you?
How quickly the time goes and how easy the system is to use too - I really like being able to see my child’s screen at the same time as my own on the platform as that can help me check in with them and guide them where to look, as our screens do look a little different.

What does a typical 30-minute session look like?
We say hello and I always ask my pupil how they are. Previously we had our sessions in the afternoon so asking what they’d had for lunch always started off the call well. Now we do Monday mornings and it’s just as nice hearing about what they enjoyed doing at the weekend.

We then typically play a couple of the word games – my student does really well at the flashcards and the Three in a Row game (where we also practice numbers) – the pop-up stickers/animations are always well received!

Moving on to reading, my student chooses the book/s we read out of the available list – here we describe the picture and use the number to choose the book to make sure I select the right one, before they start to read. We use the highlighting feature to focus on/revisit tricky words.

Sometimes the order of the word games and reading may switch around session by session - I always give my pupil a choice so they can shape the session to what they’re interested in that day.

What keeps you coming back each week?
The support and consistency that the sessions give my student and seeing how they’re developing with their communication skills, reading skills and number skills too. It’s such a delight hearing their voice every Monday morning!

Tell us about your child - how were your first few sessions?
My child was very quiet at the beginning, but it was all about building that relationship and trust. I would take note of the little things they would say and always refer back to them, such as ‘I know you really like chocolate cake don’t you?’ and that they like Spiderman, or that their friend had a dog.

Reading wise, I found that using the highlighter on every word in a story so they could read along was useful (we now only use that feature to highlight tricker words).

What specific moment made you realise they were progressing?
The moment came when they started reading a sentence independently and didn’t need me to click along with each word; hearing them jump straight in, without hesitation!

How would you describe them now as a reader?
They are so much more confident than when we started back in September. Most of the time they choose the book (or books!) that they read during a session, and I love that they’re not worried about attempting new or difficult words and there is no hesitation in sounding out the letters clearly when they need to.

Using the flashcards feature on the system is a really good tool that encourages reading groups of words based on sounds and this has been something my little person really enjoys, with them always wanting to do more.

What's been your favourite session or breakthrough moment?
All of our sessions are great for their own reasons. More recently, indicating my little person is building their confidence, there’s been a surprise question or two to keep me on my toes!

I can think of three specific breakthrough moments:

1. When we were able to move up to different levels in difficulty.
2. When my little person said they were looking forward to the next session!
3. Receiving recent feedback from my pupil’s teacher saying how well their reading skills have come along in class.

What surprised you most about volunteering?
That such a small-time commitment (30 minutes a week) can make a real difference. The platform also enables volunteers to work on:

• Communication and confidence - I always make sure we catch up at the start of the session, finding out what they’ve been doing in school, what they’ve had for lunch, what they did on the weekend etc. Using the reward stickers available on the platform to acknowledge and celebrate good work helps embed the good work my pupil is putting into an activity or the overall session. I always support these moments with words of praise too and the combination of visual and verbal praise is really beneficial.
• Number skills - where numbers are shown, for example when choosing a book I ask for the number of the book they’d like to read. Or, if we play Three In A Row, I always ask for the number of the tile they’d like to go for. Just making numbers part of our conversation has really improved their confidence with using them.

How do you fit Chapter One sessions into your working week?
It’s a fixed time in my calendar each week and I do my best to adjust my working day around it. When planning my week, if I can’t make the scheduled session, I change it to a more appropriate time with as much notice as possible. I also let my pupil know when we’ll chat again so they know what to expect and build routine for them too.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about signing up?
Do it! The support that you can give in just 30 minutes a week to a young child is priceless. Whether you're office-based or a homeworker, Chapter One is an easily accessible, virtual programme to volunteer for. The system is a really easy to use and it's very likely your sessions will genuinely become the highlight of your week!

How can companies get involved in Chapter One?

Chapter One’s virtual, time-efficient, flexible model for volunteering will enhance your company’s employee value proposition, whilst fulfilling CSR or social value commitments around education, social mobility and inclusion. Employees can:

- volunteer online directly from their desks with no travel

- make a direct impact on the lives of children from disadvantaged communities

- support local communities across the UK

- improve their own well-being by helping others

- reconnect with your company’s social purpose

If you’re interested in joining us, we’d love to hear from you! You’ll find out who we currently work with on our partners’ page. You can contact us here or email karen.price@chapterone.org.