Child Development AmeriCorps

Service Position Title and Type: Child Development AmeriCorps (Half-time, 900 hours)

Purpose: Our House – Founded in 1987, Our House is a comprehensive program for the working homeless, serving over 1,400 clients annually. Operating on a 7-acre campus in central Little Rock, Our House empowers homeless and near-homeless families and individuals to succeed in the workforce, in school, and in life through hard work, wise decision-making, and active participation in the community.

Service Position Summary: The Child Development AmeriCorps Member will serve at Our House’s child development center, called Little Learners, which serves 65 children ages 6 weeks-5 years old. The Child Development AmeriCorps Member will serve in one of four classrooms (Toddler 1 and Toddler 2 or PreK3 and PreK 4-5), each led by a Lead Teacher. The Child Development AmeriCorps Member will serve with the teacher to help plan and implement activities for the children, ensure the safety of all children in the program, and create an enriching, fun, and safe environment for the children helping them to meet their developmental goals and milestones.

The Child Development AmeriCorps Member will serve to meet established outcomes goals for Our House’s AmeriCorps project, including serving at least 75 children in Little Learners; help at least 50 children ages 1-5 meet the developmental milestones on the developmental assessments.

Essential Functions of Position:
-Provide hands-on support to children in the Little Learners Child Development Center to help them meet developmental goals and milestones.
-Assist in implementing curriculum-driven activities that reflect Arkansas’ Child Development and Early Learning Standards.
-Adopt and Implement Conscious Discipline in the classroom to enhance the social-emotional growth of all children
-Contribute to the education of children through a unique lesson and activity planning
-Participate in and seek out professional development that will further advance pedagogy skills
-Organize service projects to benefit the children and parents of Our House, including developing partnerships with outside organizations, recruiting volunteers, recruiting participants, and other activities necessary for successful service events.
-Design and implement health and wellness, arts, and STEM enrichment activities for Little Learners.
-Assist in collecting performance measurement data to track and analyze progress towards the above outcomes.
-Facilitate parent engagement programming for parents of Little Learners children quarterly, i.e., Family Fun Night.
-Serve collaboratively with other AmeriCorps members, VISTA volunteers, and staff members to implement programs, achieve and track outcomes, and other activities to benefit the clients and programs of Our House.
-Participate in AmeriCorps Days of Service and additional service projects as approved by the program director.
-Attend Our House National Service meetings led by the VISTA Leader.
-Attend program, all-team, and committee meetings as assigned by the supervisor
-All members will undergo all required criminal history checks: NSOPW, FBI, and Arkansas State Police, as well as other states, as necessary.
The above functions may be completed with or without reasonable accommodations.

Marginal Functions of Position: When called upon, members may be asked to support disaster response and/or recovery efforts as needed by the State of Arkansas.

COVID-19 Response Activities: Assisting with classroom/equipment sanitization, assisting with client health entry screening, or providing virtual support to adult and youth clients receiving resources from home.

Community Outreach Activities: Members may engage in activities that directly support the AmeriCorps Program. For example, assist with member recruitment; assist with public relations to introduce the AmeriCorps program to the community and develop community partnerships; assist with efforts to build a culture of service in Arkansas.

This position does not duplicate the work of previous or existing employees or volunteers, supplant the hiring of workers, or include service or duties that have been performed or were performed by a current employee, an employee who recently resigned or was discharged, an employee subject to a reduction in force, or an employee who is on leave.

AmeriCorps Eligibility: AmeriCorps eligibility requires that participants must be at least 17 years of age at the commencement of service; be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States; be high school graduates, GED recipients, or working toward attaining a high school diploma or GED during their term of service; and satisfy the National Service Criminal History Check criteria.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required: The Child Development AmeriCorps Member will be thoroughly committed to Our House’s mission. All candidates must enjoy working with children, have a positive attitude, and serve as role models for the children in the program.
Other Requirements: AmeriCorps members serving at Our House must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or willing to get vaccinated upon acceptance of the position. We will consider accommodations for disability- and religious-based reasons.

Academic and Experience Qualifications: High school diploma or GED required; Child development background and/or relevant college courses preferred.

Service Conditions: This service is performed primarily indoors. This is a physically active role where you will engage with children ages 1-5.
Commitment Required: 40 hours a week for a six (6) month term beginning September 6, 2022 to February 24, 2023 for a total of 900 hours.

Orientation and Training:
-On-site Our House Orientation
-First Aid/CPR
-Naptime Academy
-Conscious Discipline
-AmeriCorps Arkansas Training
Any other training deemed necessary by the supervisor and/or Program Director

AmeriCorps Program Benefits:
-Living Allowance of $7,550 over the course of the term of service
-$3,247.50 Segal Education Award at the end of a successful service term
-Healthcare coverage
-Student Loan forbearance

Evaluation and Reporting: AmeriCorps Members will participate in mid-term and end-of-term evaluation and review. AmeriCorps Members will submit their hours on a bi-weekly basis, write quarterly reflections, and attend quarterly meetings.

For more information:
Priscilla Barnes, Director of Human Resources 501-374-7383 ext. 137

For more information about AmeriCorps State and National, go to https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorps-state-national/become-member.

This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service

Updated June 2022

Service Activities

 Provide hands-on support to children in the Little Learners Child Development Center to help them meet developmental goals.

 Assist in the implementation of pre-kindergarten enrichment activities and programming.

 Organize service projects to benefit the children and parents of Our House, including developing partnerships with outside organizations, recruiting volunteers, recruiting participants, and other activities necessary for successful service events

 Design and implement health and wellness, arts, and STEM enrichment activities for Little Learners.

 Serve to meet established outcomes goals for Our House’s AmeriCorps project, including: serve at least 100 children in Little Learners; help at least 85% of children ages 2.5-5 meet the developmental milestones on the Kindergarten and Toddler Readiness Checklist; help ensure 50 children are developmentally ready to successfully advance to the next classroom.

 Assist in the collection of performance measurement data to track and analyze progress towards the above outcomes.

 Facilitate parent engagement programming for parents of Little Learners children, i.e. Family Fun Night.

 Serve collaboratively with other AmeriCorps members, VISTA volunteers, and staff members to implement programs, achieve and track outcomes, and other activities to benefit the clients and programs of Our House.

 Participate in AmeriCorps Days of Service.

 Attend biweekly Our House AmeriCorps meetings led by the VISTA Leader.

 Attend weekly Our House staff meetings and program development meetings as directed by the supervisor.

 The Arkansas Service Commission has determined that the probability of access to vulnerable populations is so great that all members will undergo all required criminal history checks: NSOPR, FBI, and Arkansas State Police, as well as other states, as
necessary.

Community Need Addressed

The Child Development AmeriCorps Member will serve to meet established outcomes goals for Our House’s AmeriCorps project, including serving at least 75 children in Little Learners; help at least 50 children ages 1-5 meet the developmental milestones on the developmental assessments.

Position Outcomes

The Child Development Member will serve with their assigned classroom teacher to help plan and implement activities for the children, ensure the safety of all children in the program, and create an enriching, fun, and safe environment for the children helping them to meet their developmental goals.

Benefits

Education award upon successful completion of service, Living allowance, Student loan forbearance, Training

Skills you will gain

childcare, teamwork, planning, communication skills, early childhood education

Competencies You Will Develop

• Activity Types Hands On Activities, Office Activities, Professional Activities
• Focus Areas Economic Security, Education & Youth, Homelessness & Housing
• Length of Service 6 Months
• Education Requirements GED
• Placement Individual and Team Placements
• Service Setting Community-based Nonprofit, Early Childhood Program, Homeless Shelter, Soup Kitchen, or Food Bank
• Weekly Training Hours 2