Strengthen our Community by Working With Students
The Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) AmeriCorps Program is excited to begin its eighth year of providing services to the students of the district. The primary goal of this program is to increase graduation rates by working with students to improve their academic performance and increase their engagement to school. AmeriCorps members will serve as a tutor in an elementary school or as a mentor in a middle school. While serving in these primary roles, members will also participate in community service projects and help recruit and coordinate volunteers for their school buildings.
Tutoring:
The DMPS AmeriCorps tutoring member will collaborate with school staff to improve and maintain reading proficiency for elementary students in Kindergarten through Fifth grade. Members will receive training and ongoing technical assistance during their term of service to provide evidence-based tutoring interventions and maintain best practices with students and staff. Members will be expected to use a computer literacy program, Lexia Core5 and My Lexia, that helps assess the needs of the students in real time and provide specific materials to use for tutoring sessions.
Mentoring:
The DMPS AmeriCorps mentoring member will collaborate with school staff to help increase student engagement and improve academics for middle school students. Members will be trained and will receive on-going technical assistance to ensure Check & Connect fidelity and to maintain best practices with students and staff. Check & Connect is an evidence-based mentoring program model that identifies students displaying risk factors that can be altered through regular intervention.
To apply to become an AmeriCorps member, click on the position listing in the right-hand menu.
Benefits of Becoming an AmeriCorps Member
- Members gain hands-on experience in a professional setting working with the school district and community organizations.
- A living allowance is provided to all members. The amount of this payment is related to the level of service a member performs.
- All members may qualify for student loan forbearance during their term of service.
- Full Time members may be eligible to receive health care coverage and childcare assistance through AmeriCorps during their term of service.
- Members can have employment outside of the time commitment to their service term.
- After successfully completing a term of service, members are eligible to receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. This award can be used to repay qualified student loans or to pay education costs at qualified institutions of higher learning. The education award may be used up to seven years after the term of service has ended.
- Members at least 55 years of age at the beginning of their term of service may choose to transfer their education award to a child, grandchild, or foster child.
The AmeriCorps Commitment Options
An individual can choose from the following terms of AmeriCorps service:
Full-Time Service Term (A minimum of 1700 hours of service over 12 months)
- Living Allowance for Term of Service: $15,000
- Education Award: $5,815
Half-Time Service Term (A minimum of 900 hours of service over 9 or 12 months)
- Living Allowance for Term of Service: $7,500
- Education Award: $2,907.50
Reduced Half-Time (A minimum of 675 hours of service over 9 months)
- Living Allowance for Term of Service: $5,000
- Education Award: $2,215.24