Program Coordinator, Waltham, MA

Program Coordinator for Read Aloud Mentoring Program (RAMP) serving Henry Whittemore Elementary School,  30 Parmenter Road, Waltham.

Hourly Rate: $19.00 per hour

Desired start date in March 2025.

Hours: 3 days a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, hours will vary between approximately 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from September through June. Also, some availability outside of these times for data entry, communications, and meetings as needed. Up to 15 hours per week.

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.

The current open Program Coordinator roles are on-site positions working in schools directly with students. Successful candidates must be comfortable working in an in-school environment and in keeping with all COVID-19 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.

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

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

Diversity Statement: Read to a Child is a national literacy and mentoring non-profit that fosters a love of reading, improves literacy skills, and supports socio-emotional well-being in students from under-resourced communities. We believe that varied perspectives and backgrounds create a rich work environment and enhance our ability to pursue our mission. Join us as we continue to build an organization that fosters a work environment where people from all backgrounds are welcomed and valued. We are continuously motivated to act on our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion among reading mentors, board members, and staff.

To Apply: Please send a resume and cover letter outlining why you are a good fit for this position to alison.gontarz@readtoachild.org.

NOTE: Applications without cover letters will not be considered.