As a First Year City Year AmeriCorps member, your service will focus on coaching and mentoring elementary, middle and/or high school students who are struggling in school. You will help these students earn academic success, improve their attendance, learn social-emotional skills and develop positive behaviors at school. You will plan and monitor individual student progress and also work with teachers on whole class instruction, breakout spaces and other in-class student assistance. With your team, you will support afterschool programming and develop whole school activities to promote a positive school climate and encourage schoolwide student engagement.
Service Activities
Role and Responsibilities
Experience in all these tasks is not necessary. We provide 2-4 weeks of training at the beginning of the year to support you. Plus, you will work with partner teachers and school staff every step of the way.
Support academic coaching and social emotional development for students:
• Work with identified students 1:1 and in small groups
• Develop literacy and/or math skills varying learning activities by student level, answering student questions and encouraging assignment completion
• Create and implement a behavior management system for students
• Develop social-emotional skills throughout their day, using proven strategies of learning, practicing, reflection and repetition
• Collaborate with teachers and team members to collect, record, analyze and monitor individual student progress, participating in facilitated reviews of student data collected and entered into City Year’s student data system
• Create an engaging, safe and healthy classroom space in collaboration with the teacher
Support Whole School initiatives to increase engagement with students and families:
• Support and/or conduct extended day and virtual programming for students before, during and after school including, but not limited to, academic enrichment and intervention, homework support, recreation and student clubs, service learning, and leadership development
• Create, support and/or co-lead events or programs that recognize and appreciate student growth and/or achievement in math, literacy, attendance, and behavior
• Engage students, parents/guardians, and/or community members in education or social issues through member led themed events at schools or on virtual platforms
Community Need Addressed
City Year helps students and schools succeed. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide support to students, classrooms and the whole school, helping to ensure that students in systemically under-resourced schools receive a high-quality education that prepares them with the skills and mindsets to thrive and contribute to their community.
Position Outcomes
Cultivating strong, positive relationships:
Research confirms what many educators have long known: learning happens through relationships, and they’re foundational for our AmeriCorps members to support students. Strong relationships between students and adults who work with them are critical to fuel student growth, resilience and education equity.
Weaving academic, social and emotional skill building:
Learning is like weaving a rope. All of us pull together different strands of social, emotional and academic skills to solve problems and express new ideas—you can’t improve one skill without focusing on the others. City Year provides integrated interventions that help students weave together strong skills ropes.
Enhancing belonging and engagement
Student success coaches work with educators to help create a welcoming school environment, which is essential for whole school improvement. Some ways we do this include school-wide events, lunchtime clubs, and Whole School Greeting, where AmeriCorps members greet students and faculty as they enter the school building, setting the tone for the day and sending a clear message of joy and belonging.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Relocation allowance (if applicable), Stipend, Student loan forbearance, Training
City Year Benefits
You will receive:
• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Curalinc Employee Assistance Program
• Talkspace Therapy Program
• Benefit Advocate Center
• Bi-weekly living stipend
• Workers’ compensation
• Relocation support
• Benefits specific to City Year location
• City Year Alumni Association
• University partnerships and scholarships
• Career partners
• City Year / AmeriCorps Uniform parts
AmeriCorps and other federally-issued Benefits
You will be eligible for:
• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
• Child care benefits paid by AmeriCorps
• Loan forbearance and interest accrual payments for qualified student loans
• Time accrual toward the U.S. Department of Education’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, (see Reduction of Education Costs)
• Income-based Loan Repayment Plan (IBR)
Skills you will gain
Development of Civic Leadership skills is focused on six areas of competencies: Civic Knowledge & Fluency in Education Practice & Reform, Communication, Executes to Results, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Successful Relationship Development, and Team Collaboration & Leadership. A Performance Management Plan will be established by the corps member and supervisor at the beginning of the service year, and used to evaluate progress in these areas at the middle and end of the program year. In addition, corps members participate in an ongoing reflection curriculum focused on leadership development. Corps members will engage in a rigorous training and learning experience focused on in-school tutoring skills, personal leadership development and civic engagement. Prior to school placement and throughout the school year, corps members are trained on research-based tutoring methodologies and student support strategies. They are also equipped with tools and resources used to promote student learning and success. Corps members will be observed and coached regularly to improve service delivery.
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Turn taking, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Derive consensus, Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Evaluate customer or client satisfaction, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment