Teens tutor Spanish-speaking elementary students in English

Jared Delgado reads simple phrases from a children’s book. “I like to run. I like to sleep. I like to eat,” he says, reading aloud in Southport Elementary School’s ocean-themed library on Monday. Jared practices writing the alphabet. He can also count. And the 5-year-old can do it in two languages – English and Spanish. Jared, a native Spanish speaker, is one of six students at the school tutored on Monday mornings by high school students studying Spanish at nearby South Brunswick High School. The teens help the children read, write and count in English. The tutors are part of a pilot program that started in January to see whether more teen tutors should be added to help native Spanish speakers learn English as the number of students speaking a foreign language in the district grows. Teens from South Brunswick also tutor non-native English speakers at Bolivia Elementary School