Mentoring programs are great, but what about reading skills

Mentoring programs are a great thing.

They help kids — mostly kids in single-parent families — gain confidence, and learn leadership and life skills from adults.

I’ve seen first-hand how beneficial they are, first as a “big brother” in the Big Brothers-Big Sisters program, and then as a participant in the TeamMates Mentoring program.

My “little brother” was the first in his family to graduate from hi…