VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
Read to a Child Location ______Company ______
First Name ______Preferred Name for Nametag______
Last Name ______
Work Phone ______Mobile Phone______
Primary Email ______Personal Email ______
Home Address ______
City State Zip
Are you a (circle one): NEW or RETURNING Volunteer Date of Birth ______
Gender Identity (circle one): M F
Ethnicity (circle one): African American Caucasian Hispanic
Asian Other ______I prefer not to share
Supervisor ______Position ______
Work Address ______
City State Zip
Please provide two references (business and personal):
1.) Name______Phone______
2.) Name______Phone______
Child Gender Preference (circle one): BOY GIRL EITHER How did you hear of us? ______
NOTE: Two volunteers may alternate, reading every other week with the same child. Alternates must both complete an application and select the same reading day.
I want to alternate with another volunteer: NO YES If yes, list alternate’s name: ______
School Selection (if known) ______Preferred Reading Day (depends on your school): ______
Other Possible Reading Days: M T W TH F
Do you have any restrictions with regard to the time of day of your reading session (lunchtimes can vary)? If so,
please explain here ______
What is your level of experience working with elementary school children (circle one)? HIGH MEDIUM LOW
Please list any comments, special skills, interests, and/or languages ______
______
We try our best to accommodate volunteer preferences. However, be aware that sometimes we are limited by factors out of our control.
THE LUNCHTIME READING PROGRAM - HOW DOES IT WORK?
· Once a week (or every other week if you are alternating with a colleague) at lunchtime, you will go to a local elementary school.
· You will be greeted by Read to a Child’s School Coordinator, go to your designated reading room, and read aloud to the same student throughout the school year.
· You will choose a preferred reading day from the options provided at your school. However, if a scheduling conflict arises, you have the option of changing to one of the other days offered at your school as long as you notify School Coordinator ahead of time.
PROGRAM POLICIES
1. Be reliable and maintain a regular schedule, committing to the same lunchtime every week until the end of the school year. Students who are disappointed by inconsistent volunteers may have difficulty behaving or paying attention and are much less likely to benefit from the program. Please consider your ability to commit before you agree to volunteer.
2. Call your School Coordinator with plenty of time if you must cancel or reschedule your session, and give notice if you must withdraw from the program. We understand that unexpected things happen, but a child will be counting on you. You must contact the School Coordinator if you cannot make your session. Your School Coordinator should let you know the latest s/he needs to be informed of a cancellation in order to get that information to your student in time. If you need to resign from the program, please notify Read to a Child with anticipation to ensure proper closure with your student. The positive impact of our program depends on good communication and sound closure between student and mentor.
3. Be considerate in the reading space. There may be many reading pairs sharing a small reading space and we ask mentors to be conscious of their reading volume and any other action that might affect another pair’s reading session. Also, please help return the reading space to the condition it was in before the program began.
4. Never be alone with your student. If you find yourself alone with your student, please find your School Coordinator who will be able to help you find another space.
5. Only see your student at school during the lunchtime reading program. For the protection of students, mentors and Read to a Child, contact between mentors and students outside of scheduled reading time is not permitted, including during summer break.
6. No gifts or special foods. Students may have special diets or food allergies, so please do not give any food to your student. Giving gifts can distract other students or make them feel left out and puts pressure on other volunteers. Volunteers are there to give the gift of time and attention, and giving material gifts can cause students to misunderstand the purpose of the program. However, at the end of the year, we invite all mentors to give their students a special book to take home, and sometimes we facilitate group book giveaways during the year. Cards or letters are always fine, especially if you have to miss a session (you can send along with a colleague).
7. Read only to your assigned student. It can be confusing for other students and disappointing for your assigned student if you read to another volunteer’s student, especially if this means reading to more than one student at a time. The one on one relationship that develops between mentors and students is an important aspect of our program’s success. For this reason, we will not match your student with another volunteer when you are absent.
8. No photographs. For the safety and privacy of our students and their families, mentors are not permitted to photograph their students at any time. Throughout the year, staff, partners, or media may photograph reading pairs for publicity or programmatic purposes with explicit permission from parents/guardians.
Please initial and sign below:
______I understand the Program Policies (explained above) and agree to adhere to them.
______I will represent my organization and Read to a Child with professional demeanor.
______I will inform Read to a Child if there is a change in my availability, employment status, or contact information.
______I give Read to a Child permission to use my picture in a variety of media efforts.
Signature______Date______
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