District Seeks 135 Volunteers for Literacy Program
Sioux Falls schools want adult allies to help young students build reading skills at two more elementary schools.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Primary Education
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The Sioux Falls School District is seeking 135 additional volunteers to expand its Literacy Allies program to Garfield and Hawthorne elementary schools. The initiative pairs adult allies with kindergarten, first and second grade students for one hour each week.
Why it matters
Superintendent Jamie Nold said literacy is a critical need for the district's youngest learners. The district hopes the four literacy approaches will help students read by third grade.
Volunteers serve one hour weekly, and 18 Siouxland Libraries staff have participated so far. Business volunteers from Scheels, several banks and architectural firms have also joined the effort.
The players
Sioux Falls School District
The public school district serving Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which operates the Literacy Allies program across its elementary schools.
Jamie Nold
The superintendent of the Sioux Falls School District, who described literacy as a critical need for the district's youngest learners.
Jennifer Sammons
An elementary instructional coach in the Sioux Falls School District who trained Literacy Allies volunteers in reading instruction methods.
The details
Allies read with students and work on phonics, letter sounds and letter recognition. Elementary instructional coach Jennifer Sammons trained volunteers to teach reading skills rather than simply reading aloud to students.
Timeline
This year: Literacy Allies began at Anne Sullivan, Cleveland and Terry Redlin elementary schools.
Next year or two: The district plans to expand the program to each of its Title I schools.
Early Intervention
The program targets kindergarten through second grade, the window the district identifies as foundational before third grade reading benchmarks. The district cites the statistic that 70% of people in the state prison population read at a fourth grade level as a reason to focus early.
Sioux Falls residents with an hour a week can sign up as Literacy Allies to help kindergarten through second grade students build phonics and letter recognition skills. The district says the two new schools need 135 more volunteers to proceed.
The takeaway
Adults with an hour each week can directly support early reading growth, a skill the district says is foundational for students in Sioux Falls. Volunteering at a local elementary school is one practical way to help close the gap before third grade.
Further reading
Explore more Primary Education coverage in Sioux Falls.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Argus Leader.
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