Empowering Children Bay Area

Empowering Children Bay Area offers reading tutoring for children who need extra help in reading. The program matches each child with a volunteer tutor who is at least 50 years old, and most tutors are between 65 and 85 years old. Students in the program are often a half to a full year and a half behind in reading when they start.

• Ages: 6–9 years old

Empowering Children Bay Area matches volunteer tutors aged 50 and older with children in 1st to 3rd grades who need extra help in reading. No experience is necessary to become an ECBA tutor, and volunteer training and continuing support are provided. The program conducts annual and ongoing data collection and reporting to measure student progress using standardized assessments, and a designated staff person collects and analyzes this assessment data. Empowering Children Bay Area serves thousands of students throughout Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Sonoma counties and serves 16 schools. The program launched in 2007 in a single school. Empowering Children Bay Area has been recognized as a Program of Merit by Generations United for its intergenerational impact. The mission of the program is to “Make a difference in a child’s life.” ECBA is part of programs through which thousands of Bay Area seniors maintain their health, live independently, and participate in educational and cultural activities. Paul Chilvers is the contact for schools in the Bay Area regarding bringing Empowering Children Bay Area to students.

Last updated June 26, 2026.