Literations

Literations Literations pairs highly-trained volunteer literacy coaches (aged 50+) with 1st-4th graders to deliver evidence-based, one-to-one literacy interventions.

Our students significantly improve their reading and social-emotional skills. For over 20 years, we have made a difference in young lives. From the start, our mission has always been to help young students become literacy proficient. We believe children have the most to gain from achieving literacy proficiency by fourth grade, to be confident learners, and equipped for lifelong success. Our interg

enerational model, pairing caring, highly-trained older adult volunteers with young students, is key to achieving our positive outcomes. We are poised to meet the need for increased 1:1 literacy support in the Greater Boston area.

09/03/2026

Oh, the places they’ll go! As students return to school this month our Literations community has some big hopes and dreams for them. Our trained and supported Literacy Coaches will set hundreds of student in grades 1 - 4 on a path to success this year that starts with developing critical literacy skills and leads to a lifelong love of reading.

🛣️ Help us pave the path with a donation to Literations in honor of our young readers! YOUR gift provides the urgent literacy support students need to keep reading, keep growing. The impact of your gift will go twice as far thanks to a dollar-for-dollar, matching gift of up to $10,000 from one of our generous supporters. https://bit.ly/4gALgEc

📣 Why not drop YOUR wish for Greater Boston’s young readers in the comments while you’re here!

09/01/2026

It’s back to school time 📚 and the Literations community has some big wishes for the hundreds of young readers - in 1st - 4th grade - that we will support in schools across the Boston Public Schools, Chelsea Public Schools and Framingham Public Schools, as well as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston this year.

🤩 Help us make these wishes come true with a donation to Literations in honor of our young readers! YOUR gift provides the urgent literacy support students need to keep reading, keep growing for a lifetime of success. The impact of your gift will go twice as far thanks to a dollar-for-dollar, matching gift of up to $10,000 from one of our generous supporters. https://bit.ly/4gALgEc

📣 Why not drop YOUR wish for Greater Boston’s young readers in the comments while you’re here!

08/21/2026

Attention MetroWest folks!
Framingham students are headed back to class — they've got teacher assignments, school supplies, and backpacks... now they just need YOU.

Volunteer with Literations this fall and make a positive impact on your community while having fun!! As a Literacy Coach, you'll provide one-on-one reading support to students in grades 1-4 who need it most.

NEW THIS YEAR: We're expanding to TWO new Framingham schools — more students, more need for volunteers like you.

👉 Sign up for an info session today: https://forms.monday.com/forms/bf6fdc77f949f21099d1fcd7cb4ef818?r=use1
📍 Aug 25, 10:30AM – Wayland Public Library
💻 Aug 26, 10:00AM – Virtual
💻 Sept 9, 12:00PM – Virtual

Huge thank you to our friends at Citizens Private Bank for spending the day with us at Literations! 📚Their volunteers ro...
08/20/2026

Huge thank you to our friends at Citizens Private Bank for spending the day with us at Literations! 📚

Their volunteers rolled up their sleeves and assembled 300 literacy toolkits for our coaches, set up 360 student tracking folders for every one of our program sites, and organized high-frequency word flashcards for our youngest readers, all to help us start the school year strong.

Citizens Private Bank has been a proud sponsor of our annual event for years, and seeing their team show up in person to volunteer alongside us made the day even more special. Partnerships like this are what make our work possible.

Thank you for everything you do for our students, coaches, and community!

One of our literacy coaches shared this reflection when we asked about their most memorable experience this year:“My fou...
08/18/2026

One of our literacy coaches shared this reflection when we asked about their most memorable experience this year:

“My fourth-grader (with whom I worked last year as well) asked me at the end of November if I would be doing Literations sessions with him next year. When I told him that Literations only works with 1st-4th graders, he said “I wish I could reverse time”. He felt better about next year (without Literations) when he remembered that at their school, 5th graders get to work with a kindergarten buddy during ‘What I Need’ time. He’s looking forward to that.”

That's the kind of impact a coach can have, one that a student carries with them, even after Literations.

Curious what it's like to be a volunteer literacy coach with Literations? Sign up here for one of our info sessions:

https://forms.monday.com/forms/bf6fdc77f949f21099d1fcd7cb4ef818?r=use1

We asked our literacy coaches what experience had the biggest impact on them this year and here is what a coach had to s...
08/13/2026

We asked our literacy coaches what experience had the biggest impact on them this year and here is what a coach had to say:

“Observing the children start from being shy and unsure of themselves to blossoming into confident readers (at their respective levels) has been one of the greatest privileges of my year! Everything changes - their facial expressions, body language and self esteem gets a boost. I'm thrilled to have been even just a small part of that evolution”

Our coaches often say this is the part of the role you can't fully describe until you've lived it. Watching a child transform in front of you is something you carry with you.

Curious what it's like to be a volunteer literacy coach with Literations? Sign up here for one of our info sessions:

https://forms.monday.com/forms/bf6fdc77f949f21099d1fcd7cb4ef818?r=use1

While everyone is soaking up the last few weeks of summer, our team is hard at work getting ready for another year of li...
08/11/2026

While everyone is soaking up the last few weeks of summer, our team is hard at work getting ready for another year of literacy programming. New sites, new students, same mission: every child deserves the chance to become a confident reader.

Behind every school year at Literations, there is a lot of quiet prep work.This week, a team of volunteers from Houghton...
08/06/2026

Behind every school year at Literations, there is a lot of quiet prep work.

This week, a team of volunteers from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt spent the day at our office getting us ready for the fall. They organized site bins, stocked each with the school supplies it needs, and assembled student tracking materials and folders for every one of our sites.

All of it matters. Every label, folder, and supply bin is one less thing standing between our coaches and the students they will meet this fall.

Thank you to the HMH team for showing up and getting hands on with the details. This is what it looks like to build the infrastructure behind "one coach, one student, all year."

Last week our team sat down with Dr. Gary Bailey, MSW Program Director at Simmons School of Social Work, for a session o...
08/04/2026

Last week our team sat down with Dr. Gary Bailey, MSW Program Director at Simmons School of Social Work, for a session on Race, Trauma, and Collective Healing.

He walked us through the history behind conversations we're still having today, and how far we still have to go to get to the root of them. We also looked closely at privilege and identity, and how they shape the access and experiences each of us carries.

This work only holds up if we understand the full picture. Grateful for the chance to sit with hard history and come out with a clearer sense of purpose.

"It's hard to narrow it down to one thing. I really appreciated the training, I love working with my student, and I real...
07/30/2026

"It's hard to narrow it down to one thing. I really appreciated the training, I love working with my student, and I really enjoy the camaraderie and conversations with my volunteer colleagues and the Literations staff."

That's what one of our coaches shared when asked about what experience had the biggest impact on them this year, and honestly, it captures what makes this experience so meaningful. The training, the student relationships, the community. It all adds up.

You're never on your own as a Literations coach. From training to your first session and beyond, our staff and literacy coach community are there every step of the way.

Curious what it's like to be a volunteer literacy coach with Literations?
Sign up here for one of our info sessions:
https://forms.monday.com/forms/bf6fdc77f949f21099d1fcd7cb4ef818?r=use1

Address

70 Franklin Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA
02110

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16174236633

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