Kamiak Elementary School now offers the same tutoring program three other local elementary schools already adopted about four years ago.

The Pullman School District K-5 Morning Tutoring Program at the newly-built elementary school operates the same way compared to the other schools, said Anthony Eddy, director of PSD K-5 Morning Tutoring Program.

Other schools that have the program in place include Jefferson, Franklin and Sunnyside elementary schools, according to an Evergreen article. The program is volunteer-based and helps students who need help with homework.

Some students might already receive help with homework from their parents, but others might benefit more if another person motivated them to do their work, said Paulina Abustan, co-founder of PSD K-5 Morning Tutoring Program. Abustan is also a WSU doctoral candidate for cultural studies and social thought education.

Abustan said for the past four years, she recruited over 100 WSU students to volunteer each semester. Students came from the WSU Department of Teaching and Learning as well as the human development department.

A lot of the volunteers in the program want to work with children in some way, such as by being a counselor or a life coach, she said.

Abustan said she is graduating in spring 2020 and came into her doctoral program hoping to learn and grow as an individual.

“I’m leaving as someone who has left an impact on the community,” she said. “I had no idea I could do something like that.”

There is a need for more resources and help when it comes to children’s education, Abustan said. She had to have tutors to help her when she attended school.

“Growing up, my mom worked two jobs, and I never saw her,” she said. “I couldn’t ask my mom for homework help. [I] kind of had to do it on my own.”

Abustan said the tutoring program provides an ideal partnership between the university and the community.

“That extra support from the community goes a long way,” she said.

Eddy said he plans to expand the number of tutors in the program in the near future.

“Sometimes they do dwindle,” he said. “There is room for more tutors.”

A lot of tutors have the ability to speak Spanish, which helps them communicate with children whose first language may not be English, said Sandra Casanova, co-founder of PSD K-5 Morning Tutoring Program.

An overall goal Eddy has for the program, he said, is to make sure the program has a good foundation to stand on when he needs to pass the torch.

“The last thing I want to see is this program going away,” he said.