Literacy Tutor, RISE

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.

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.

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.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Tutor will:

• Implement assessment and intervention tools with an in person tutoring caseload of K-3 youth and their caregiver(s).
  1. Use standardized assessment tools (literacy, social and emotional learning) to continuously measure youth skills and learning gaps.
  2. Observe and assess youth’s home environment to identify and engage in opportunities for improving learning (e.g. creating a cozy and relatively quiet nook to read for fun).
  3. Collaborate with RISE Education Support staff to assess and develop a plan to address any needs for additional learning supports (e.g. an IEP that would benefit a youth and is not yet being provided).
  4. 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.
  5. Implement individualized version of core tutoring curricula through frequent, in person, one-on-one tutoring sessions with youth, typically in their home.
  6. Ensure high fidelity of the RISE curriculum model and employ a trauma-informed approach.
  7. Partner with RISE Education Support staff (where appropriate) to communicate and collaborate with caregiver(s) about youth’s progress 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.
• When appropriate, partner with RISE Education Support staff to participate in meetings related to a youth’s educational 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, intake paperwork and consents, needs assessments, service plans, case notes.
• Actively participate in program 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 and virtually as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned. RISE is a brand new program, 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 will likely adapt and change as the program is launched and evolves.

QUALIFICATIONS

This is a comprehensive list of qualifications that we believe will lead to success in the role. We strongly encourage candidates with lived experience with the foster care system to apply.

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• One year experience serving youth who have experienced trauma and implementing support strategies that use student-centered and trauma-informed approaches preferred.
• Prior experience with child welfare involved youth a plus.
• Prior experience in public education system a plus.
• Must be comfortable working in community settings.
• Strong reading and writing skills and a high degree of effective oral and written communications skills.
• High level of personal accountability for the quality and impact of work and demonstrated ability 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 level of professionalism in work and interpersonal interactions with both internal and external contacts.
• Computer skills sufficient to perform essential functions.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• 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 environmental exposures including pets.
• Daily access to an automobile is required.
• Driving is required in and out of the catchment area.
• A valid MA State Driver’s License.
• Clearing of background checks as required by state and federal law.
• Remain current in all required trainings.
• Other duties as assigned to support quality care.
• Part time work schedules will be negotiated at hire based on programmatic need and candidate availability, but will typically involve 10 – 20 hours per week during the afternoon and early evening. Staff will be asked to maintain availability at least between the hours of 4 pm – 7 pm, ideally Monday through Friday, with some additional availability for weekly RISE staff meetings before 4 pm. Staff schedules can shift over time as youth needs, staff caseloads, and program needs change.

WORKPLACE CULTURE AND BENEFITS

HopeWell has an unparalleled work culture, with an emphasis on diversity, belonging, inclusion, equity, and holistic wellness. At HopeWell, each team member is called to uphold and live daily the values of empathy, strength, learning, and integrity. HopeWell is an environment where we laugh and smile while handling serious, life-changing work.

HopeWell also offers a comprehensive rewards package that values employee wellness, work-life balance, and continuous learning. Benefits include student loan pay-down assistance, tuition reimbursement, funding for professional development, as well as a full suite of healthcare benefits, 401k plan, and generous paid-time-off.