IMPACT
Inspiring Mentors, Parents And Children Together
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Preparing Ypsilanti Preschool children for success.
IMPACT ensures that Michigan's preschool children will be given a foundation of education based on the Grade Level Content Expectations and benchmarks. By providing extraordinary attention in yearlong one-to-one relationships, IMPACT inspires children to learn, parents to teach and communities to progress together.
IMPACT is a federally funded program through Michigan Community Service Commission and Michigan AmeriCorps.
Work Study Study Get Paid!!
Receive an Educational Award of $1,000 for Completion of Program!!
At IMPACT, our goal is to build literacy, math, readiness, and social skills in young children. We do this by pairing college students, called Corps members, with preschool children in caring and supportive one-to-one relationships for an academic school year.
For eight-months each year, our college student Corps members attend weekly, IMPACT sessions at a preschool. In a large-group setting, Corps members lead children in activities that combine literacy, language and social interaction, such as singing, finger-plays, and movement games. During Circle Time, children are welcomed and made to feel like a part of the IMPACT community. The Corps member also works one-to-one with preschool children at their site on the fundamentals of Michigan's Grade Level Content Expectations. Each one-to-one session consists of three elements:
- One-to-One Reading: Children choose books to read with their Corps member. During the readings, Corps members and children engage in meaningful dialog, discuss vocabulary and learn pre-reading skills.
- Math: By utilizing the Michigan Department of Educations Grade Level Content Expectations, children will be introduce to math concepts and skills that are necessary for children to be successful in Michigan's public schools.
- Readiness Skills: .Children will have the opportunity to engage in pre-writing activities, science, social studies and other general knowledge and comprehension lessons.
The one-to-one activities allows IMPACT to reach more individual children, and also allows Corps members to gain valuable early childhood education experiences.
IMPACT college students serve in three different roles: Corps Member, Volunteer Coordinator, or Site Leader.
Corps Member and Returning Corps Member
The IMPACT Corps member position is open to college students committed to serving Michigan Preschool population, who are able to serve 10-12 hours per week (for a total of at least 300 hours) during the school year. Corps members partner with children from our local preschool programs to help them build skills crucial to school success. Responsibilities include participating OMPACT sessions each week with partner child and team, participating in planning meetings each week, serving four to six hours each week in a preschool classroom during the regular school day, communicating with partner child’s family and sharing strategies for helping the child, participating in intensive pre- and in-service training, and attending periodic service days.
Site Leader
The IMPACT site leader position is open to Corps members and alumni who have completed at least one year of service. In some cases, it is also open to undergraduate or graduate students who have early childhood education backgrounds and can serve in a team management role. The team leader serves 12-16 hours per week (for a total of at least 300 hours) and manages a team of Corps members to provide educational activities to young children and families. Responsibilities include planning and implementing effective sessions, and facilitating meetings.
Volunteer Coordinator
The volunteer coordinator position is open to college students committed to engaging the EMU and Ypsilanti community in providing services to non-profit organizations and local preschool partners. Volunteer Coordinator must able to serve 8-10 hours per week (for a total of at least 300 hours) during the school year. The volunteer coordinator’s main role is to recruit, assist in training, and manage volunteers for various IMPACT service projects.
Resources for Students:
