Program Assistant

About the U. S. Dream Academy

U.S. Dream Academy has a 24-year history of academic skill-building, character development, and dream-building

through mentoring trained staff and local/national partnerships to uplift youth experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACES) with a special focus on children of incarcerated parents (COIP). These youths often live in under-invested communities with high crime rates, high poverty rates, and limited high-quality educational opportunities. We currently operate in seven cities in partnership with schools and churches located in high-poverty communities in Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore, MD; Houston, TX; Orlando, FL; Salt Lake City, UT; San Bernardino, CA; and Washington, DC; and this past year we expanded our mentoring program to reach more children impacted by incarceration to include Chicago and Atlanta through our partnership with Prison Fellowship Ministries.

Basic Function

Under the direction of the Center Director, the Program Assistant is responsible for assisting with the academic enrichment program, social values building program, as well as various administrative tasks. To perform this job successfully, the Program Assistant must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the competencies, knowledge, skills, abilities, and education required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Must have a pleasant attitude;
• Ability to communicate effectively with both children and adults;
• Understand issues surrounding incarceration and the impact on families;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Ability to manage multiple tasks/projects to meet simultaneous deadlines; and
• Demonstrated proficiency in MS Office applications, database, and spreadsheet software, and internet and social media applications.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

1) Assist Education Specialist with the preparation of resources and materials for daily lesson plans, activities, and other coordinated projects:

• Prepare and distribute snacks as instructed;
• Complete weekly documentation of food services/snacks;
• Assist with transitioning students through activities;
• Assist with student’s homework, multimedia courseware, and other activities;
• Regularly update attendance in Salesforce;
• Assist with managing student behavior;
• Ensure student work areas and common areas are clean and free of clutter; and
• Ensure that instructional supplies are in stock (paper, pencils, art supplies, etc.).

2) Assist the Education Specialist in delivering the daily curriculum which encompasses the Dream Academy’s three core elements of student enrichment; skill-building, character-building, and dream-building.

3) Assist the Education Specialist with implementing pre- and post-academic assessments.

4) Assist with generating academic assessment reports using Achieve 3000.

5) Maintain an accurate filing system (student registration, mentor applications, etc.)

6) Monitor daily attendance records, mentor session attendance, daily sign-in sheets, and other student files as required by Center Director.

7) Monitor the efficient functioning of computer software applications and hardware, promptly report problems, and assist with alternate plans to work around technology issues.

8) Assist the Center Director with student recruitment initiatives (e.g., DALC special events, community, and school events).

9) Attend annual National Staff Training conferences.

10) Support Center Director with the collection of report cards, school day attendance, standardized test scores, and parental consent forms as needed.

Job Requirements

• Must be passionate about youth development; and support and work with youth in high-risk communities and their families.
• Must have personal transportation with a non-suspended driver’s license.
• Must have experience working with pre-teens and/ or teens.
• Flexible and able to work the hours necessary to complete all assignments according to agreed-upon timelines, and can demonstrate leadership ability when an assignment or deliverable needs to be renegotiated.
• Organized, efficient, and able to successfully function in a fast-paced and demanding work environment supporting multiple key staff.
• Exceptional ability to write clearly, effectively, and informatively; demonstrating accuracy and thoroughness.
• Understand issues surrounding incarceration and the impact on families.
• Working knowledge of “best practices” in the field of Standards of Mentoring, mentoring programs, volunteer management, and youth development.
• Able to effectively manage competing demands, and multiple tasks/projects, and meet deadlines on time and within budget.
• Ability to skillfully create and present PowerPoint presentations using MS Office applications, databases, and spreadsheet software.
• Proficient in internet navigation and social networking technology.
• Proficient in data collection, data entry, and documentation.
• Possess critical thinking skills to analyze and proactively question and offer recommendations.
• Demonstrate professionalism, political savvy, and skills to ensure that all tasks and deliverables are completed in an efficient, timely, and high-quality manner.

Education and Experience

• High School diploma or equivalent;
• 2 – 3 years of experience working with children in an academic setting;
• Previous experience working with children who live in at-risk communities; and
• Previous clerical experience.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

The work environment and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, lift, use hands to finger dexterity, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, talk, and hear.

• Required to sit and/or stand for long periods of time.
• Intermittent physical activity includes bending, reaching, standing, climbing stairs, kneeling, and/or stooping.
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision; color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Lifting twenty-five (25) pounds or greater is standard for this position.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None.

Employer’s Rights

This position description provides a general overview and may not list all the duties of the job. You may be asked by your supervisor to perform other duties related to your position and based upon organization priorities. You will be evaluated in large part based upon your performance of the deliverables and tasks listed in this position description.

The employer retains the right to revise this position description at any time. The position description is not a contract for employment; either you or the employer may terminate employment at any time, for any reason. The purpose of this position description is to provide you with a clear idea of the role and responsibilities of this position.

We follow CDC guidelines to protect staff against COVID-19 infection.

Language Skills

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret documents such as policies, and procedure manuals, and research a variety of information
• Ability to speak effectively and present information
• Ability to prepare and present routine reports and correspondence
• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints