Professional Development and Parent Engagement AmeriCorps VISTA

A position at Department of Extended learning Time, Afterschool, and Services (DELTAS)

The Professional Development and Parent Engagement VISTA works to support the adults who most impact a child’s life. This position will coordinate events, provide resources, and organize trainings for out-of-school time staff and parents.

Hours: Full-time

Salary: $950/month + $200/monthly housing assistance
Education: Bachelor (BA, BS, etc.)
Location: Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, United States
Type: Full time
Last day to apply: July 15, 2008

Description:
In January 2006, the Boston Public Schools created the Department of Extended Learning Time, Afterschool, and Services (DELTAS). The mission of DELTAS is to ensure that every student in the Boston Public Schools has access to quality out-of-school time activities and extended services. DELTAS helps remove barriers to learning and promotes well-rounded, successful students through collaborations with community agencies, health organizations, higher education institutions, families, and other government agencies.

DELTAS focuses on three strategic areas: professional development; capacity-building and expansion of OST programs and extended services; and system-building that will eventually result in a citywide cohesive network of services for students. All DELTAS activities are grounded in the establishment of partnerships between schools, families, and community agencies. DELTAS currently oversees 40 comprehensive OST programs that serve over 4,000 students annually. Through its professional development efforts, DELTAS trains over 400 OST professionals, school administrators, and teachers yearly. The department has also created a set of quality standards and other tools to foster high quality programs.

With the support and oversight of the Generations Incorporated AmeriCorps *VISTA Program, DELTAS seeks to build its capacity to strengthen the quality and reach of its services. The Professional Development and Parent Engagement VISTA works to support the adults who most impact a child’s life. This position will coordinate events, provide resources, and organize trainings for out-of-school time staff and parents.

Responsibilities:
Recruitment
• Develop a strategy to cultivate and catalog a pool of potential site-based employees for the 50 Triumph Collaborative afterschool programs to address the challenge of experiencing 50% annual staff turnover.
• Specific responsibilities will include collecting listings of job openings from sites; determining ways to advertise job listings to those seeking employment including area career fairs, and collecting and posting resumes of potential employees.

Coordination
• Help determine effectiveness of professional development and plan future offerings by tracking afterschool provider participation in professional development and compiling and analyzing evaluations.
• As member of team with other VISTA and DELTAS staff and partners, assist in the coordination of resource fairs that expose families to out-of-school time offerings.
• Identify other parent needs for support and information, and develop strategy to address these needs
• Provide logistical support for professional development opportunities for service providers in Boston including identifying potential training spaces, helping to advertise regular offerings, assisting with registration, working with presenters to arrange duplication of materials, equipment, and room set-up.

Other
• Help with other special events sponsored by DELTAS office including the annual S.L.A.M. (Science, Literacy, Arts, and Math) Showcase which profiles the accomplishments of DELTAS afterschool sites.
• Other duties as assigned by the Senior Manager

Hours
• 40 hours/week, Mon.-Fri. Evenings and weekends as needed.
• 12-month term of service.

Benefits
• Participate in the Generations Incorporated VISTA Program that engages twenty-five AmeriCorps VISTA members in service to Boston non-profit organizations. Members attend a specialized Pre-Service Orientation (PSO), receive the support of a VISTA Leader, attend monthly in-service trainings, and are linked to a network of AmeriCorps VISTAs. Learn more at http://www.generationsinc.org/vista.htm.
• A taxable living subsistence allowance of approximately $950 per month
• Generations Incorporated housing assistance of $200 per month
• May be eligible to receive either a taxable $4,725 education award or end-of-service taxable stipend of $1,200.
• 10 days of vacation time and 10 days of sick time (in addition to holidays)
• Limited health benefits
• Transportation-pass for local travel (“Combo” pass)
• May qualify for Student Loan Forbearance
• May qualify for payment of accrued interest on Student Loans
• May qualify for Food Stamps (value of up to $130 per month)
• May qualify for childcare allowance
• May qualify for relocation expense reimbursement

Additional Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s Degree
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent “people skills”
• Work well with a diverse group of community partners, volunteers, and the staff
• Good organizational skills and attention to detail
• Creative thinking and can take initiative
• Work independently. Be reliable.
• Develop and execute long-term plans with minimal guidance
• Adaptable to perform a variety of duties and meet deadlines
• Research skills, including ability to search the Internet and library resources
• Strong computer skills and able to learn new computer programs quickly
• Understand the limitations modest financial and human resources nonprofit organizations

How to Apply:
For more information contact:
Molly Hurt, VISTA Leader
(Tel) 617-399-4666
(Fax) 617-422-0626
Email: mhurt@generationsinc.org
Web: http://www.bpsdeltas.org/
http://www.generationsinc.org/vista.htm