Becoming a Polk Reads AmeriCorps member allows you to do great things for the young struggling readers in Polk County while you grow as an individual and attain tangible benefits. Put your love for reading and helping kids to work through AmeriCorps Polk Reads! You will learn teamwork, communication skills, responsibility, and other essential skills that will help you for the rest of your life. And you’ll gain the personal satisfaction of taking on a challenge and seeing results. The students we serve need basic instruction in reading strategies that will help them to be successful readers.
Service Activities
• Serve at one of ten elementary schools in Polk County either as a reduced full-time member (1200 hours) or half-time member (900 hours) to provide one-on-one tutoring sessions (30 minutes) to students in kindergarten through 3rd grade.
• Develop daily lesson plans for each student that you serve (16 for reduced full-time and 8 for half-time)
• Assess the reading skills of each of your students every 5 weeks to monitor their progress and plan future lesson plans
• Participate in an annual beautification project at one of the schools
• Participate in an MLK Project at your school site
• Participate in Corps meetings (once a month)
Community Need Addressed
The Polk Reads AmeriCorps program places thirty-eight AmeriCorps members at ten different elementary schools in Polk County. The schools chosen for Polk Reads involvement have a “C, D, or F” rating indicating a need for support. The population of students at these schools are predominantly under-privileged (qualifying for free lunches) and represent diversity in their make-up.
Position Outcomes
Polk Reads AmeriCorps will train and support 38 AmeriCorps members who will provide best practices reading instruction to over 400 students in grades k-3rd to help bring them to grade-level reading by the end of the school year. By improving the reading skills of these students, there will typically be an improvement in the students’ self-confidence as well as an improved behavior.
Benefits
Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Training
CPR, First Aid Certificate
Education Benefits
College Degree
CPR and First Aid Certificate
Skills you will gain
timekeeping, time management, conflict resolution, planning, working with supervisors, teamwork, team building, giving feedback, communication - written and oral,
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, 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, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
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
Operate tools and equipment in accordance with established operating procedures, safety standards, and ethical guidelines
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, 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