Cambridge School Volunteers’ outdoor STEAM program currently runs with students at the Tobin Montessori School. CSV trains mentors in techniques of nature journaling with children and matches them with a student. Mentors volunteer for one-hour and two hour-sessions in a structured, supervised program in which the entire class participates in field study. CSV staff, an embedded drawing instructor, and the CPS classroom teacher supervise these outdoor sessions. Together, the mentor and student develop and extend their observation skills, make discoveries in private and public open space in Cambridge, practice drawing and recording information, and learn about nature journaling from a science illustrator. 

Volunteers are paired with students in Grades K–5 for in-class math support or one-to-one weekly tutoring.

Volunteers work one-to-one or with small groups of students, in Kindergarten through third grade, to improve reading and writing. Classroom volunteers assist with reader’s and writer’s workshops. During workshops, volunteers assist with conferencing to reinforce effective strategies and specific skills. Training for volunteers is provided on relevant topics.

Three decades strong, the program pairs corporate volunteers with fifth-graders at the Kennedy-Longfellow School. Mentors teach students about their work, career paths, and responsibilities while promoting writing and computer skills. Students and KeyPal mentors exchange emails every 2–3 weeks between January and June, in addition to having four face-to-face meetings. The program takes place during the school day.

This program pairs teams of volunteers from CSV’s corporate partners with first-, second-, or third-graders to forge a love of reading through the read-aloud experience. During weekly or bi-weekly sessions, students benefit from building a relationship with their adult buddy, who dedicates time and energy to helping them explore, discuss, and enjoy a variety of books during class. Reading Buddies is a program at Kennedy-Longfellow School and Fletcher Maynard Academy.