MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS Family Literacy Support Specialist Service Location: Tucson, AZ CONTACT: 928.515.4454 or [email protected] Click here to apply! I. ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND Make Way for Books provides a full continuum of early literacy education, programs, and resources to make sharing books an important and enjoyable part of families’ lives. Our highest priority is to serve families with young children (birth through five) and early childhood professionals in under-served areas of Tucson and southern Arizona. Our vision is that all families and educators in our community will provide meaningful shared literacy experiences for the young children in their lives. As a result, all children will enter school with the necessary skills to be successful and will be inspired and motivated by a life-long love of books and reading. Make Way for Books seeks to affect change by working to establish a solid foundation for the young children in our community. We envision southern Arizona as a place where all children will thrive. Our organization was established as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization in 1998. We have been providing early literacy education and resources in the Tucson community for 15 years. During this time, we have worked with staff at 150 childcare centers and preschools, and an estimated 65,000 children and their families. Our programming in the more recent past has grown to include parent education and family literacy. Last year alone Make Way for Books provided educational opportunities and resources to over 25,900 children, their parents, and early childhood educators throughout Pima County. The quality of MWFB services is well known in the early childhood community. A growing waiting list exists for our programs. Adding a VISTA member to our team at this time will help us to increase our capacity to serve more families through our programming. II. PROJECT FOCUS AREAS AND ACTIVITIES A.) Volunteer Development: The VISTA member will increase the volunteer base for Blue Book House Project. This will include coordinating MWFB recruitment of volunteers for book drives, book delivery, and shelf building, and coordinating with schools, service organizations, and businesses to secure resources and volunteers for the Blue Book House Project. They will also assist with acknowledgement of Blue Book House donors and volunteers. B.) Program Expansion: The VISTA member will increase and maintain the number of host sites in Blue Book House Project by identifying potential Blue Book House sites throughout southern Arizona. They will also create brochures, fliers, and other print materials for potential sites, and they will create surveys and collect feedback from host sites on the impact of program, More info at www.arizonaserve.org or www.americorps.gov/vista 1 challenges, success, etc. Additionally, they will maintain a database of all Blue Book House activity. C.) III. Community Awareness: The VISTA member will work to increase awareness in southern Arizona of the importance of reading aloud to young children. They will identify potential public awareness opportunities, coordinate MWFB involvement in family-oriented community events, including Tucson Festival of Books, and assist in posting MWFB happenings on social media. Requirements and Benefits A. Education, Skills and Abilities  College Degree required or equivalent experience  18 years or older, no upper age limit. All ages are welcome and encouraged to apply  Spanish fluency REQUIRED  Background in Early Childhood Education  Proven project management skills  Ability to develop & implement a project work plan to achieve stated goals  Strong writing skills  Demonstrated ability to work independently and in a team setting in a consistent, energetic, positive manner  Group facilitation and public speaking skills  Self motivated; ability to work independently with minimal supervision  Documentation and organizational skills  Effective problem solving skills  Ability and desire to work with a variety of individuals  Ability to understand "big picture" while completing detail oriented tasks  Friendly and effective interpersonal skills  Healthy sense of humor  Must be willing to travel to various family literacy sites throughout Tucson  Consistent and reliable access to a vehicle is required  B. AmeriCorps VISTA Member Benefits (Full-time)  Living Allowance - $11,676 for year of service  Housing Subsidy - $100 per month  Choice of a $5,730 education award OR a $1,500 cash stipend upon completion of service  Limited Health Care Benefits  Relocation allowance (if relocating more than 50 miles to serve)  Student loan deferment and reimbursement of accrued interest on eligible student loans  Childcare assistance (if eligible)  One year non-competitive eligibility for federal employment following service  Certificate in Civic Leadership and Service through Prescott College  Team support More info at www.arizonaserve.org or www.americorps.gov/vista 2