Springfield College AmeriCorps Program Having an Impact in Springfield Public Schools

The Springfield College AmeriCorps program started the celebration of AmeriCorps Week 2019 with a program information session and lunch on Monday, March 11, in the Cleveland E. and Phyllis B. Dodge Room in the Flynn Campus Union.

For 22 years, the Springfield College AmeriCorps program has provided the city of Springfield and Springfield Public Schools with student support and academic support specialists who provide mentoring, counseling, social-emotional reinforcement, direct interventions, and identification of risk factors that lead to dropping out of school. The Springfield College AmeriCorps program is the largest in Western Massachusetts.

Both Springfield College undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply to the Springfield College AmeriCorps program, as well as community members, and retired educators. Both half-time and quarter-time positions are available. Members receive a modest living allowance and, upon completion of their service, they earn Education Award funds that can be applied toward tuition or qualified student loans.

Springfield College AmeriCorps members have provided more than 20,000 hours of service this school year in more than 18 Springfield Public Schools leading to academic success in English and math, and improved results in attendance, and behavior. 

The AmeriCorps member experience can be summed up by the words of Nick Fouche (3 year member), “We wake up every morning knowing that there is more to give. So, we throw on our name badge and our quarter zip. The "A" we wear on our chest is no scarlet letter. It's something that we should be proud of - it says we make the world better."

The AmeriCorps program at Springfield College is supported in part by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S. Department of Education, the Massachusetts Service Alliance, the Funder Collaborative for Reading Success, and the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation.  

For more information about the Springfield College AmeriCorps program, visit springfield.edu/americorps or e-mail americorps@springfield.edu.

Springfield College is a private, coeducational institution founded in 1885. Nearly 5,000 students, including 2,500 full-time undergraduate students, study at its main campus in Springfield, Mass., and at its regional campuses across the country. Springfield College inspires students through the guiding principles of its Humanics philosophy – educating in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.