The California Lottery formed a partnership in late 1993 with a Sacramento school, Dos Rios Elementary, located two blocks from Lottery Headquarters. More than 60 employees currently provide tutoring and mentoring to students in the program who are identified based on their need for assistance. Of the 230 students at Dos Rios School, more than 96 percent come from families living below the poverty line. For every hour of vacation an employee uses to volunteer at the school, the Lottery matches that hour, up to 20 hours per school year. The program tailors each lesson to the student's needs.
Employees volunteer one hour per week to tutor students.
Each tutor works with two students for half an hour each week. The most popular program among employees and students is the Lunch Buddy mentoring program. Employees spend one lunch hour per week, or every other week, with their student buddies. The purpose of the Lunch Buddy program is to provide positive adult role models for at-risk students. Employees bring lunch for their students and spend time together talking about what is happening in the children's lives, playing games, reading or working on crafts.