Read to a Child Program Coordinator, Cambridge, MA

Location: Morse School, 40 Granite Street, Cambridge, MA

Read to a Child’s Read Aloud Mentoring Program (RAMP) pairs a volunteer mentor with an elementary school student for a rewarding weekly read aloud experience either during the child’s lunch or other non-instructional time.

The Program Coordinator is responsible for the planning and the daily operation, including relationships, record keeping and scheduling, of this program at the designated school. Depending on the needs of the school, coordination of the Read Aloud Mentoring Program may be conducted in-person, virtually, or a combination thereof. The Program Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that volunteer mentors, students, and school staff have a positive and meaningful experience.

The current open Program Coordinator role is an on-site position working in school directly with students. Successful candidates must be comfortable working in an in-school environment and in keeping with all safety protocols required by the school.

This role is extremely important to the program's function and success and will be an integral part of a fun and collaborative team! Our Program Coordinators are truly the face of our program and make a real difference in the lives of our students every year.

Responsibilities may include some or all of the following, depending on the program's needs:

• Ensure that the program starts smoothly, including maintaining the partnership with the school/administration (relationships ,space, scheduling, absences, etc), solicitation of teacher referrals, student permission, re-matching or matching pairs, and other start-up
• Communicate regularly with Program Manager
• Notify students, teachers and potentially parents/guardians of volunteer mentorncancellations or schedule changes
• Communicate regularly with volunteer mentors, including monthly updates, andnotification of student absences or changes in schedule
• Provide ongoing support and guidance to volunteer mentors on a general andcase by case basis to address specific challenges as need arises (with input from supervisor)
• Provide volunteers with book ideas. If the program is on site (i.e. not virtual),maintain an organized and inviting book cart for volunteers
• Potentially provide logistical support to parents/guardians with respect to virtual sessions
• Facilitate and monitor reading sessions to ensure smooth operation of the program
• If coordinating on-site, ensure that state and school guidelines for hygiene and safety are followed carefully and that rooms are left clean and orderly
• Document reading session attendance and participant information changes in thedatabase
• Collect mid-year volunteer mentor surveys, and year-end surveys andassessments from volunteer mentors, students and teachers, as applicable
• Plan and implement year-end celebration (in person or adapted for virtualsetting), as applicable. Assist students in making Thank You cards for their mentors.
• Attend required Program Coordinator meetings
• Support volunteer recruitment efforts
• Facilitate other activities or tasks as requested. Interested Program Coordinators may be able to take on some Program Assistant roles (virtually or in person) at other schools
• Submit timesheets accurately and on time
• Participate in Performance Evaluation and goal setting process

Key Qualifications

• Commitment to Read to a Child’s mission, viability and growth
• Experience working with young children
• Enthusiastic about children’s books, willingness to become familiar with the Read to a Child book collection
• Preferred - Experience managing volunteers
• Communicates well in person, virtually, on the telephone & via email
• Commitment to actively and continuously working toward achieving the organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals
• Extremely organized and adept at successfully managing multiple projects simultaneously and prioritizing according to the organization’s strategic plan -- with flexibility and a positive attitude
• Comfortable working with and hosting group video conference platforms (eg: Zoom and/or Google Meets)
• Proficiency working with various technological platforms: E-mail, Google Drive, word processing, spreadsheets, E-book sources, and some data entry
• Access to transportation

Hours: Two days a week, approximately 10 am to 1 pm from September through June. Also, availability outside of these times for data entry, communications, and meetings as needed. 6-10 hours per week.

Hourly Rate: $17.50

Diversity Statement: Read to a Child is committed to providing resources to children most impacted by systemic inequalities. We have faith in our students’ ability to thrive when they are provided with equitable resources and choose to focus on their strengths rather than the barriers they face. We are motivated to continuously act on our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion among reading mentors, staff, and board members so as to best reflect and support the students we serve.

To Apply: Send resume & cover letter outlining your suitability to the tasks and schedule outlined above.
NOTE: Your application will NOT be considered without a COVER LETTER.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $17.50 per hour

Expected hours: 6 – 10 per week

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Schedule:

• 4 hour shift
• Day shift

Work Location: In person