You are viewing a preview of this job. Log in or register to view more details about this job.

(Paid Position) Preschool Tutor

Organization Overview 
Colorado Youth for a Change (CYC) is an educational nonprofit organization with a statewide scope. CYC’s mission is to solve Colorado’s dropout crisis. CYC provides a continuum of services from Prekindergarten through High School to help students find success through tutoring, case management, and outreach to help in-school youth remain in school or out-of-school youth return to school. Reading Corps is the first step along that continuum to support students. 
 
Program Overview 
Colorado Reading Corps is an AmeriCorps program with the mission of ensuring that all students in Colorado are reading proficiently by the end of third grade. Colorado Reading Corps is replicated from the successful Minnesota Reading Corps.  
 
Nationally, the Reading Corps program is a breakthrough AmeriCorps program that is changing academic outcomes for thousands of students. With more than 1,900 tutors serving in 12 states and Washington D.C., Reading Corps is helping more than 40,000 students each year become successful readers. It combines the power of national service with literacy science to deliver proven approaches that help struggling learners transform into confident students – something that translates into all areas of their lives. 
 
Because Reading Corps tutors are in the schools full-time, they are providing consistent, daily tutoring, which is the reason why this model has a greater impact on student success. Tutors commit to a term of service, and receive rigorous training plus ongoing expert literacy coaching throughout the year. With the use of rich data assessments, they ensure their efforts produce the desired results – helping children achieve grade-level reading proficiency. 
 
Position Summary  
The Preschool Tutor is embedded into a classroom of children ages 3 – 5 and serves alongside a teacher to develop children’s early literacy and math skills in preparation for Kindergarten. Tutors are trained in research-based early literacy strategies and collaborate with the classroom teaching staff to enhance daily literacy and math opportunities and conduct literacy and math assessments to increase the number of children on target with early reading and math predictors. This is an AmeriCorps service member position with the AmeriCorps program, Colorado Reading Corps.  
 
Essential Functions 
Early Literacy and Numeracy Instruction and Assessment 
  • Engage in meaningful and fun literacy and math activities throughout the day, focusing on skills that give children the opportunity to talk, read, count, write, and play.  
  • Implement elements of the Literacy and Math Rich Schedule, including greeting children at arrival, helping children write their name at sign-in, having back and forth conversations at mealtime, conducting a Repeated Read Aloud in small group settings, journaling, enhancing literacy and math during choice time, leading one on-one and/or small group targeted strategies daily for select children, and leading literacy and math-rich transitions.  
  • Provide additional support to a minimum of 7 children daily in a one-on-one and/or small group setting using scripted early literacy or early math strategies; achieve a high degree of fidelity to the scripted strategies.  
  • Assess, with high level of accuracy, child outcomes and progress using tri-annual benchmark assessments and ongoing progress monitoring assessments.  
  • Identify students who qualify for targeted one-on-one and/or small group Reading Corps tutoring services based on assessment data with direction from the teacher and coaches.  
  • Provide complete, accurate, and timely documentation of students’ progress scores and strategies using an online database; maintain confidentiality of all student data.  
  • Participate in regular coaching sessions (includes observation of tutor) to review student progress, plan, problem-solve, and set goals; act on constructive feedback from coaching sessions.  
  • Provide opportunities for family literacy and math partnership for Reading Corps children, including implementing the Reading Corps family engagement literacy and math strategy – “Talk, Read, Write, and Count with Me!”  
 
Communication 
  • Communicate and interact with students in an age and developmentally appropriate way. 
  • Communicate regularly and effectively with coaches, Reading Corps staff, classroom teacher(s), and site personnel. 
 
Attendance 
  • Demonstrate regular, timely attendance and adherence to hours as scheduled.  
  • Commit to service for the full service term, serving the total commitment of hours (1,200 for tutors starting in the fall, reduced terms with proportionate benefits may be offered to tutors starting later in the school year) within the term. 
  • Participate in all required Reading Corps sponsored training sessions, meetings, and coaching sessions, including peer professional development/cluster meetings, and member meet-ups; travel as necessary. 
 
Secondary Functions 
  • Represent Reading Corps at site-sponsored activities (e.g., family night) and provide education about Reading Corps and general literacy and math awareness. Recruit community volunteers to participate in site-based events or literacy and math focused programming.  
  • Attend service projects, as applicable, commemorating September 11, 2001, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Cesar Chavez Day. These may include occasional evening and/or weekend hours. 
  • Collaborate with other program participants to complete group service projects. 
  • Complete and maintain hours plan to ensure completion of service hours in collaboration with coaches, and Program Staff. 
  • Complete additional tasks as part of an action or professional development plan as assigned by coaches, or Program Staff. 
  • Complete Service Reflections, success highlights, and other outreach activities. 
  • Support Community Needs through COVID-19 Response in the following ways: 
  • support students/families/communities with accessing technology needs while schools are closed 
  • support students/families/communities with accessing food while schools are closed 
  • support students/families/communities with accessing hygiene and basic needs resources while schools are closed 
  • serve at community organizations, food banks, and faith based institutions that are responding to community needs 
 
Service Conditions 
  • The service is performed primarily in a school setting, however, there are a few service days that may be performed under other conditions, such as outside in a park, at a donations sorting center, or in a conference center for training and professional development. 
 
Training Requirements 
  • AmeriCorps Orientation  
  • Reading Corps Institute 
  • Mandated Reporter Training 
  • Additional training and coaching provided on a monthly basis throughout program year 
 
Benefits 
  • Living allowance of $618.42 pretax distributed semi-monthly up to $11,750 for the service term 
  • Eli Segal Education Award of up to $4,441.50 for the 1200 hour term. Can be used to pay back student loans or saved for future educational expenses.
  • Transit assistance for service related travel outside of normal commute (in the form of mileage reimbursement or public transit assistance) 
  • Federal Loan Forbearance 
  • Ongoing professional development 
 
Minimum Qualifications 
  • Must be 18 years of age or older by start date. 
  • Must have at least a high school diploma or recognized equivalent by start date. 
  • Must be either a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States. 
  • Must pass mandatory pre-service background check. 
  • Must not have served 4 or more prior terms of service with AmeriCorps. 
  • Speak, read, and write English fluently. 
  • Interest in education, specifically helping young children develop early language and literacy skills. 
  • Dedication to community service. 
  • Basic computer skills, including the ability to navigate online systems and email. 
  • Energetic, results-oriented, student-focused style. 
  • Strong planning and time-management skills. 
  • Strong capacity to be flexible and adaptable to varied circumstances, paired with a conscientious commitment to adhere to the Reading Corps tutoring model with fidelity. 
  • Consistent follow-through. 
  • Ability to accept and incorporate constructive feedback from coaches and program staff. 
  • Ability to work with diverse personalities. 
  • Ability to adapt to a sometimes challenging and high-pressure environment. 
  • Strong personal standards of excellence, ethics, and integrity. 
 
For additional information on the benefits provided and commitment required, please visit http://youthforachange.org/services/colorado-reading-corps/ . 
 
CYC and Colorado Reading Corps is committed to inclusion and prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, national origin, age 40 and over, religion, disability, or any other applicable status protected by federal, state or local law.  
 
CYC and Colorado Reading Corps will make reasonable accommodation for otherwise qualified individuals with known disabilities or whose service requirements interfere with a religious belief unless doing so would result in an undue hardship or a direct threat to CYC/Reading Corps. Please contact Human Resources at 303.292.2779 to request accommodation or for questions/concerns regarding this policy.