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Evaluation results in a tutored literacy program described earlier turned up an unexpected effect: children who had been engaged in the program and benefited from it were disappointed and unhappy when the tutors left at the end of the academic session. Since tutors were university students who would not be returning to the program, there was an abrupt break in all the fledgling relationships that had developed. A procedure was immediately added to soften this parting so that children’s attitudes towards the reading experience were not coloured by it. Each tutor wrote a special goodbye letter that explained why the tutor was leaving, talked in detail about what they had done together, praised the child’s effort and accomplishments and set out a plan for the future, e.g., ‘I hope you keep practising what we have done together and read before bedtime every night.’ Tutors also shared their reading strategies with parents to enable them to continue what the children enjoyed. That small change improved attitudes toward the program, left children happier and more motivated to continue their efforts and increased communication between parents, teachers and tutors.