JCCA’s Continuum of Care: Making a Difference

By providing one-on-one attention, volunteer tutors from JCCA’s award-winning Two Together program are turning young people who are falling behind in school into eager students.

It was baseball that really brought them together, recalls Helene Krasner, a tutor in JCCA’s Two Together program, about her nine-year-old student Lucas Baez.

“Lucas barely spoke, but I found out we have similar birthdays and I bought him a Mets cap. That broke the ice and we started arguing about our teams,” laughs Ms. Krasner, a diehard Yankees fan. “All of a sudden, he opened up.”

What’s more, Lucas started to make tremendous strides academically. He had started Two Together below grade level in both math and English, and was falling further behind in school. Working with Ms. Krasner, Lucas’s reading comprehension improved, as his did his math skills. At the end of the year, he scored far higher than anyone expected on his standardized tests. His teacher even called home to say that Lucas was now the shining star of his class—a motivated, responsive learner who was improving every day.

Lucas’s success is not unusual for Two Together. 75% of its 120 students improve at least one level in reading and math by year’s end, and most improve two. Every student is tested at the start and end of the year and school report cards must be shown to tutors. Workshops for parents, cultural experiences, and educational projects reinforce the program.

Two Together is totally volunteer based and attracts tutors of all ages. Many are young professionals working on Wall Street, others are retired. Corporations like Goldman Sachs, Chase, Citicorp, and Deusche Bank support Two Together. All tutors are screened and specially trained.

“Our tutors are role models and mentors, and the relationships they form with their students are as important as the learning that goes on,” explains Two Together director Bonnie Lichtman.

Two Together, founded in 1971, operates at JCCA’s Wall Street central office in Manhattan; in Rego Park, where it reaches out to many young immigrants; and in a pilot project at PS 134 in Manhattan. Two Together students, aged 8 to 18, come from all over the city. Over the years, the program has won numerous awards for its innovation. Two years ago, a grant from the Robin Hood Foundation enabled it to significantly expand.

Helene Krasner, who works for SONY, tries never to miss a Two Together session. “Lucas is a special kid, and it’s been a real joy to see him grow into such a confident little boy. At the beginning of last year, he wouldn’t read with me—now it’s the first thing he wants to do.”