Volunteer with Storytime Connection!
Fill out an APL Volunteer Application for Storytelling!
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/libvol.htm
Volunteers are the heart and soul of the Storytime Connection program - quite simply, our program would not be possible without the generous donation of time from our volunteers. The volunteer experience is a way to give back to the community and to provide support to the literacy development of young children in Austin. The personal connections built between volunteers and children touch both lives in immeasurable and positive ways.
Below is a more complete description of the requirements for Storytime Connection volunteers.
The Volunteer's Responsibility
Each Storytime Connection volunteer will:
- Attend orientation and storytime training sessions.
- Pass a criminal background check.
- Present weekly storytimes at an assigned childcare center location.
- Keep track of the numbers of children and adults present at each storytime.
Each week, on the regularly scheduled morning, the Storytime Connection volunteer will present toddler and/or preschool programs at the center. During the course of their service, the volunteers will develop a relationship with the staff and the children during these weekly visits. It is through this relationship that the Storytime Connection mission of developing literacy skills will be achieved.
The Center's Responsibility
Teachers are to remain with the children throughout storytime. Discipline during storytime is the caregiver’s/teacher’s responsibility. Volunteers are told that if a problem develops, to continue with the program by staying focused on the other children. However, if the caregiver does not attempt to improve the situation, the volunteer will quietly suggest, “Perhaps you could step outside with him/her for a few moments until s/he is ready to return.”
The volunteer is responsible for only those programs that are assigned to them. If additional programs are desired, please contact Rebecca Beechwood, Storytime Connection Coordinator.