Part-time Mentoring and Literacy Program Coordinator

Title: Program Coordinator

Location: On-Site at Detroit Merit Charter Academy, Detroit, MI

Schedule and Hours: RAMP sessions run Wednesdays & Thursdays. Hours will vary between approximately 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on these days during the school year from August/September to June. Also, some availability outside of these times for data entry, communications, and meetings as needed. An average of 8-10 total hours per week.

This role may also function as a substitute either in person or virtually, as needed, for additional hours for the planned absences of Program Coordinators at any of the other Metro Detroit Schools (Detroit Leadership Academy , 13550 Virgil St, Detroit, MI, Hope of Detroit Academy, 4443 N Campbell St, Detroit, MI, Whitman Elementary School, 125 W Montcalm St, Pontiac, MI).

Programs in these locations run on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Additional hours will include on site training at each location.

Position Overview

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 daily operation, including relationships, record keeping and scheduling, of this program at a designated school or alternate program site. Depending on the needs of the school, coordination of the RAMP 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.

Specific Job Responsibilities Will Include All or Some of the Following (will vary by Region & School/Site)

• 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 tasks
• Communicate regularly with supervisor
• Notify students, teachers and potentially parents/guardians of volunteer mentor cancellations or schedule changes
• Communicate regularly with volunteer mentors, including regular program updates, and notification of student absences or changes in schedule
• Provide ongoing support and guidance to volunteer mentors on a general and case by case basis to address specific challenges as need arises (with input from supervisor)
• Provide volunteers with book ideas. If 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, which may be in-person and/or virtual, to ensure smooth operation of 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 the database
• Collect mid-year volunteer mentor surveys, and year-end surveys and assessments from volunteer mentors, students and teachers, as applicable
• Plan and implement year-end celebration (in person or adapted for virtual setting), as applicable. Assist students in making Thank You cards for their mentors.
• Attend required Program Coordinator training sessions and 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 the Performance Evaluation and goal setting process

Essential Job Duties For In-Person Positions

• This person working in this position will be in a school setting. It involves constant movement throughout the building and designated session areas guiding students to their reading session. Depending on the school, this may require occasionally ascending/descending stairs. It also requires frequent positioning of books and/or program materials of various weights and sizes on a rolling book cart, as well as rolling the book cart to/from various locations within the school.

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

Benefits: Employee Leave, 401k, flexibility and countless non-monetary rewards

Desired Start: February 2025

Interested Applicants Contact Information
Please email with a resume and cover letter explaining why you are a good fit for this position, as well as how the hours work for your schedule.

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.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $19.00 per hour

Expected hours: 8 – 10 per week

Work Location: In person

Salary : $19