We Believe in Educational Access For All

Imagine arriving in a foreign country without speaking the language and being expected to perform at the same level as native speakers in your age group with minimal support. How would anyone be expected to succeed under those circumstances? That is the exact situation our students face when they arrive in public schools and get placed in a grade level based on age. 

San Diego Refugee Tutoring is the only program of its kind to serve refugee children and their families for free. We assess students annually to measure academic growth and to find gaps in a student’s education to make each tutoring session impactful. We provide specialized materials individually tailored to each student’s academic needs. And we offer training for volunteers who want to expand their tutoring experience. 

Our students establish long-term connections with their tutors of all ages and backgrounds, who come from across San Diego County to become trusted volunteers and bridges to American culture. What our students accomplish in such a short time is extraordinary, and they need your support.

For many of our students, they have limited opportunities to leave their neighborhood and experience the many incredible sights and events around San Diego County. As we venture into new experiences with our students together, not only are their horizons broadened, but they also certainly learn more English! We value gathering outside of tutoring to connect on a different level, meet family members and have fun. These events and field trips build the sense of community that is the heart of SDRT.

Annually, we host a handful of events including a Thanksgiving Feast, holiday activities and a Back to School Event. Additionally, we venture out into the community with our students to share the joys of American pastimes such as bowling and ice skating. 

We often provide families and students with holistic support at these events which could look like groceries, new shoes, hygiene products or school supplies. SDRT also partners with dentists and optometrists to support our kids.

As our families integrate into life in the United States, they also must learn to access an entirely new educational system for their children. Parents have varying degrees of education and often very little English to start, making the transition to schools in America very challenging. SDRT works to bridge the gaps by providing support and education for our families in their own language.  Our Family Academic Liaisons meet with families in their homes to follow through with family support throughout the year. 

SDRT holds community advisory councils, where parents are given a voice to share with us how they are doing and how we can best meet their children’s needs. We organize parent workshops with translation on meaningful topics such as how to understand your child’s assessment results, how to create a culture of reading at home, and healthy habits to help your child do well in school in America. SDRT provides support for families as they apply for summer school and other specialized academic programs. We also provide thousands of dollars in books over the course of each academic school year for each of our families’ at-home libraries. 

Best put by a dear friend, Jodi Maroney was “an actual superhero in a baggy, dirty flight suit, messy hair and a flak jacket. She was a Division One athlete, Marine Corps Aviator, Squadron Tactical Flight Instructor, Combat Veteran, World Traveler, Mountain Climber and Volunteer. One of her superpowers was fierce kindness that she used for the good of people around her. And, like a real superhero, this wasn’t just kindness for her friends. but for anyone who needed it.”

SDRT had the privilege of receiving this superpower of fierce kindness at SDRT for several years as Jodi Maroney passionately volunteered as a tutor with our students. Now, in her honor, her legacy lives on in our students who are pursuing education and opportunities beyond high school, in her name. The Jodi Maroney Memorial Scholarship Fund supports our students’ future endeavors from community college to trade schools to four-year universities in amounts ranging from $500-$2500 per year. To date, this fund has distributed over $40,000 in support to SDRT students.