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Leading to Reading Volunteers

About the service

Leading to Reading is a literacy-based service that assists children in Grades 1-6 who are struggling with reading.

Through the assistance of adult and teen volunteers, the Leading to Reading service strives to turn reading and learning into a fun and positive experience. The service relies heavily on the assistance of volunteers. Volunteers admitted to the service are paired off with a child who they meet with once a week, for an hour, at the library. Under the supervision and guidance of Leading to Reading staff, the volunteer assists the child with further developing their reading skills.

Volunteering with this service can be an extremely rewarding experience for both the volunteer and the child they work with. Helping children to gain experience and confidence in their reading ability will have a far reaching and lifelong impact on the child. It will also provide volunteers with a sense of achievement that they have helped their community. Volunteering with Leading to Reading is about giving your skills, time and energy freely and with enthusiasm.

Please note that volunteer hours gained by volunteering with this service qualify towards the 40 hours of community service graduation requirement for Ontario high school students.

What the volunteer does

As a Leading to Reading volunteer you will be required to:

  • meet with your assigned child at the library for a one-hour weekly scheduled session
  • motivate and encourage them to read
  • read together, as well as play reading-related games and activities
  • help improve their reading skills
  • take notes on each weekly session
  • report to service staff as well as parents/guardians about the child's progress

Volunteer requirements

To qualify as a volunteer with the Leading to Reading service the following qualifications are required:

  • speak and write English fluently
  • relate and communicate well with children
  • work independently
  • act as a mature role model for reading
  • upon acceptance as a volunteer with the service, training will be provided. It is mandatory that all volunteers attend the training session
  • volunteers must complete and submit a valid Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) form before starting (paid for by TPL)

Volunteer benefits

  • Volunteer references and confirmation of hours can be provided upon request

Time and place

The volunteer and child meet for a maximum of one hour, once a week at a dedicated library space during service hours, under the supervision of library staff.

Locations and hours

Volunteer Application Form

To begin the application process please fill out an application form and submit it in person at your nearest local branch, or email it to LTRsubmissions@tpl.ca.

We thank all applicants and advise that only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Interviews are scheduled throughout the year when openings become available at selected branches. From the interview date, the recruitment process (including processing a Vulnerable Sector Police Check and completing volunteer training) will take four to six weeks to complete.

Volunteer Application Form (PDF Version)
Volunteer Application Form (Word Version)
Volunteer Profile (PDF)

For more information about the service and/or becoming a volunteer, contact:

East of Yonge Street

West of Yonge Street

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