Connecting Over Books & Breakfast
Books & Breakfast Training Sessions: 1/8 & 1/9 at 8:30 a.m. in The Source
All students are invited to a screening of Stolen School, a film confronting desegregation's impact on Evanston, on 1/19 at 3 p.m. in Norris's McCormick Auditorium.
Local nonprofit brings Northwestern students into Evanston schools to tutor, build relationships with elementary schoolers
Every weekday morning, Northwestern student tutors file into Evanston’s schools and sit down with elementary students to help with homework, read books and chat about life.
These students are volunteering through local nonprofit Books & Breakfast, which has provided before-school tutoring to elementary students for 11 years. For the past nine years, the program has partnered with Northwestern, allowing students to volunteer at least one morning a week at one of seven local elementary schools. This partnership has strengthened over the years, drawing more than 100 new tutors this fall.
“I love working with kids, and being able to see them on a regular basis means a lot,” one tutor shared. “My worldview is much more expanded, and I’m not stuck in the campus bubble.”
Volunteering through Books & Breakfast is a unique service opportunity, according to Associate Director of Leadership Development & Community Engagement Val Buchanan.
“All the Northwestern student has to do is show up in their body and be attentive to kids,” Buchanan said. “...You get loved on by the kids as you are loving them, and then you go off to conquer your day at Northwestern, emboldened and boosted by the love of these students.”
Tutors volunteer for one morning a week, typically from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the school they are assigned. While they can’t indicate a preference in location, they may request to volunteer at the same school as a friend or be assigned to a two-way immersion school if they are bilingual in English and Spanish.
Those assigned to a school further away from their residence will be given a Ventra card each week to transport them to and from the school free of charge.
When the quarter changes, and tutors’ schedules shift, they can change the day they tutor, ensuring they can stay involved at the same school with the same students in a way that fits their schedule.
The training process for new Books & Breakfast tutors involves two sessions: An overview of the mission, vision, values and history of Books & Breakfast and the role of the tutor and a role-playing session where tutors do interactive reading, practicing for when they meet with elementary schoolers. Tutors are also required to be fingerprinted ahead of volunteering, which happens during the training process at Norris.
Onboarding takes a few weeks, according to Buchanan, and from there, tutors volunteer once a week at the school they are assigned.
Buchanan has implemented additional education opportunities for tutors throughout the year, giving them important context about the history of Evanston schools. Past events include a bus tour around the city, teaching the history of each elementary school. On January 19 at 3 p.m. at Norris's McCormick Auditorium, there will be a screening of Stolen School, a film about the history of the Foster School, an elementary school in Evanston’s historically Black Fifth Ward that was closed, sending these students to schools across the city. 
A new Foster School will be opening next school year, but context like this is crucial for students to know before entering Evanston schools, understanding that students may be from a different neighborhood or may be switching schools next year.
“This is why Books & Breakfast got started, to try to rectify it. It doesn’t solve the underlying problems, but it gives these kids a sense of belonging or connection to the school,” Buchanan said. “We give them a whole hour of love so that they can walk into their school day prepared, feeling loved, feeling like they have a sense of belonging.”
All Northwestern students, according to Buchanan, have something to give.
“Being authentically yourself in the space and being fully intentional and engaged with the children and giving your whole heart to them, and being consistent—that creates the best experiences,” Buchanan said.
Many Books & Breakfast tutors say their time with students is their favorite part of the week.
“I help tutor students in the Evanston community and have created strong bonds with so many of my students, but the impact I have on them does not compare to the impact they have on me,” one Northwestern student said. “I help them develop reading and math skills and help form positive memories in the school setting, but they remind me to be proud of myself and to spread kindness.”
Interested in joining Books & Breakfast to get more involved in the Evanston community? Come to one of the first training sessions on January 8 or January 9 at 8:30 a.m. in The Source at Norris University Center to get involved.