Literacy Tutor, RISE Part Time

HopeWell Inc. • Boston, MA

55d • Hybrid

About The Position

RISE (Readiness, Inquiry, Scholarship, Education) is HopeWell’s newest innovative solution to advance equity in education and improve educational opportunities for children experiencing foster care. The program aims to build students’ early literacy skills through a culturally responsive, evidence-informed curriculum designed to meet the unique needs of children in foster care by integrating literacy learning, social and emotional skill development, and a trauma-informed approach. The Tutor is a dynamic, collaborative, and results-oriented service provider who will partner with foster care-involved youth and their caregiver(s) to support them as youth build literacy, social, and emotional skills. We are seeking someone who is passionate about education, child welfare, and social justice and is enthusiastic about the idea of piloting, strengthening, and growing a brand new education program that delivers real results. This individual will believe that all children can learn and have the strong ability and desire to work well with BIPOC youth. This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing and engaged team to work toward closing the opportunity gap for foster care-involved youth. RISE offers an innovative solution, turning the typical model on its head. With tutoring and other educational supports specifically designed around the unique challenges faced by foster care-involved children, RISE is a home-based service that follows children as they move and incorporates supports for any caregivers involved in a child’s life (e.g. foster parents, biological parents, kinship caregivers). This provides children with continuous academic support, even as they experience changes in their placement and permanency goals. RISE launched during the 2021-22 school year and is currently supporting students who join RISE in kindergarten through 3rd grade in the Greater Boston area, and will be growing in size and scope in the coming years.

Requirements

• Bachelor’sdegreerequired.
• One year experience serving youth who have experienced trauma and implementing support strategies that use student-centered and trauma-informed approaches preferred.
• Must be comfortable working in community settings.
• Strong reading and writing skills and a high degree of effective oral and writtencommunicationsskills.
• High levelof personal accountability for the quality and impact of work anddemonstratedability to effectively organize, plan, and prioritize work.
• Demonstrated understanding of and competence in serving BIPOC youth.
• Demonstrated flexibility and entrepreneurial spirit; thoughtful, curious, and open-minded approach to learning, growth, and change.
• High levelof professionalism in work and interpersonal interactions with both internal and external contacts.
• Computer skillssufficientto perform essential functions.
• This role involves some home-based and community-based work, some office-based work, and some remote opportunities. During home and community visits there are possible environmentalexposuresincluding pets.
• Daily access to an automobile isrequired.
• Driving isrequiredin and out of the catchment area.
• A valid MA State Driver’s License.
• Clearing ofbackground checks as required by state and federal law.
• Remain current in all requiredtrainings.
• Other duties as assignedtosupport quality care.
• Part time work schedules will be negotiated at hire based on programmatic need and candidateavailability, butwill typically involve 10 – 25hours per week during the afternoon and early evening. Staff will be asked tomaintainavailability at least between the hours of 4 pm – 7 pm, ideally Monday through Friday, with someadditionalavailability for weekly RISE staff meetings before 4 pm. Staff schedules can shift over time as youth needs, staff caseloads, and program needs change.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience with child welfare involvedyoutha plus.
• Prior experience inpubliceducation systema plus.

Responsibilities

• Implement assessment and intervention tools with anin persontutoring caseload of K-3 youth and their caregiver(s).
• Use standardized assessment tools (literacy,socialand emotional learning) to continuously measure youth skills and learning gaps.
• Observe and assess youth’s home environment toidentifyand engage in opportunities for improving learning (e.g.creating a cozy andrelatively quietnook to read for fun).
• Collaborate with RISE Education Support staff to assess and develop a plan to address any needs foradditionallearningsupports(e.g.an IEP that wouldbenefita youth and is not yet being provided).
• Collaborate with RISE leadership to individualize RISE curriculum learning routines and approaches to best meet each youth’s educational needs based on assessment and observation data, as well as information and feedback from caregivers, school staff, and other providers.
• Implement individualized version of core tutoring curricula through frequent, in person, one-on-one tutoring sessions with youth, typically in their home.
• Ensure high fidelity of the RISE curriculum model and employ a trauma-informed approach.
• Partner with RISE Education Support staff (whereappropriate)to communicate and collaborate withcaregiver(s)aboutyouth’sprogress and about how they can best promote youth’s educational progress.
• Communicate regularly and collaborate effectively with community providers, including but not limited to school staff, Department of Children and Families staff, and mental health providers.
• Whenappropriate, partner with RISE Education Support staff toparticipatein meetings related toa youth’seducational goals (e.g.IEP meetings, informal school conferences). Communicate about youth’s needs and goals and uphold youth’s rights before, during, and after the meeting.
• Complete documentation including, but not limited to,intakepaperwork and consents, needs assessments, service plans, case notes.
• Activelyparticipateinprogram and agency internal(e.g.collaborating with colleagues, staff meetings, town halls) and external meetings (e.g.collaborating with other providers, schools) both in person andvirtually asassigned.
• Other duties as assigned. RISE is abrand newprogram, and as such, the program model will be subjected to a continuous cycle of analysis and assessment as it launches. It will change iteratively as we learn more about how to best support youth needs, and as a result the roles and responsibilities of various team members willlikely adaptand change as the program is launched and evolves.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level