What is Experience Corps

What is Experience Corps?
How Does Experience Corps Work?
Volunteer Selection & Training
Who are Experience Corps Volunteers?
Publications
Support for Experience Corps
Staff

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What is Experience Corps?

Experience Corps is a national literacy program that mobilizes the time, talent and experience of older adults who work in teams providing reading and literacy support to children in Philadelphia elementary schools.

The Philadelphia Experience Corps program is coordinated and sponsored by Temple University's Center for Intergenerational Learning, a national leader in designing and developing effective, sustainable intergenerational initiatives that address critical social and community issues.

The Philadelphia Experience Corps program is the largest of 12 national Corps sites and has been designated as the lead site for a large-scale national expansion initiative. Funded by generous grants from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies and the Corporation for National Service, the Philadelphia Experience Corps program will expand to 50 school sites over the next few years. By 2006, the Philadelphia Experience Corps will coordinate the efforts of over 900 volunteers who will provide over 270,000 hours of service and support to more than 10,000 Philadelphia school children-each year.

For information on the national Experience Corps network and the expansion, please see the national web site at www.experiencecorps.org

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How Does Experience Corps Work?

Experience Corps is a partner in education with the host schools and the Philadelphia School District. The program provides an infrastructure for older volunteers to serve effectively and comfortably within the school setting. Volunteer recruitment, screening, training, placement and management are all coordinated and supervised by trained Experience Corps staff. Staff work closely with volunteers, school principals and teachers to ensure a smooth start-up and the continuous operation of the program during the school year.

If you are interested in receiving information about becoming an Experience Corps partner school, please contact Earnestine Walker, Assistant Director, (215) 204-3170.

One-to-One and Small Group Instruction:
Each Experience Corps volunteer is matched with 4-6 students who have been selected by the school as needing individual support in reading and literacy. Working with teachers, program staff develop tutoring schedules and instructional goals for each student. Using structured materials provided by the school and Experience Corps, volunteers work with individual children 2-3 times per week.

Student progress is assessed at intervals throughout the year. Each child’s year-end reading levels are compared to those from the beginning and middle of the year to assess the student’s progress. Over 80% of students tutored by Experience Corps volunteers significantly improved their reading levels.

Parent and Family Outreach:
In order to increase family and parental involvement, volunteers and program staff coordinate special events throughout the year that encourage parental involvement in their child's reading and learning. In addition, Experience Corps provides at-home materials and books for parents and children.

School Post Office:
The School Post Office is an exciting and fun literacy project tailored to meet the needs of each school. This unique project encourages children's writing and provides a new means of connecting parents to their child's learning while expanding the impact of Experience Corps throughout the school.

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Volunteer Selection & Training:

All Experience Corps members go through a comprehensive screening process. Candidates complete a program application and interview, criminal and child abuse background clearances and reference checks. Members also receive 20 hours of pre-service training and an in-school orientation before being carefully matched with students.

Pre-service training topics include:

· Early Childhood Development

· Early Childhood Literacy

· School Policy

· Teambuilding

· Leadership

· Tutoring

· Instructional strategies

· Read Aloud strategies.

Ongoing in-service and development workshops held at Temple University and school sites strengthen volunteer skills throughout the year.

There are a variety levels of volunteer opportunities:

Leadership: Leadership level volunteers provide intensive literacy tutoring for 15 hours a week. Leadership volunteers work closely with teachers and Experience Corps staff to supplement the standard School District Curriculum. Volunteers who commit to 15 hours a week an annual stipend between $2100 and $2600.

Semester of Service: Semester of Service volunteers work with students for a full semester – 4 months, providing literacy support 5 hours a week. At the completion of the semester, volunteers are awarded a $200 stipend.

Associate: Associate volunteers supplement the literacy activities provided by the Leadership and Semester of Service Volunteers. Associate hours are very flexible – anywhere from a few hours a month to a regular weekly schedule. Possible activities include storytelling, letter writing, word games and puzzles or other creative activities. Associate volunteers are reimbursed for their travel expenses.

Special Event: Special Event volunteers come to the Experience Corps schools a few times a year for special events such as Read Across Philadelphia Day, Black History Month and other holiday events.

If you are interested in becoming an Experience Corps volunteer or would like more information about the program or upcoming events, please contact Meg Guk, Coordinator Marketing and Volunteer Recruitment, (215) 204-8559.

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Who are Experience Corps volunteers?

Corps members have rich and varied backgrounds. Retired teachers, business owners, chefs, nurses, government employees, or homemakers, all have life wisdom and the experience necessary to effectively support the education and growth of children. Because they live in the neighborhoods of the schools we serve, Experience Corps volunteers provide a critical link to the surrounding community and serve to enrich the overall school climate by establishing a “critical mass” of caring and support.

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Publications

The Philadelphia Experience Corps has been highlighted in a number of national and regional publications, newspapers and books.