AmeriCorps has more than 30 years of history supporting programs that help target education needs at all grade levels and postsecondary education. AmeriCorps has leveraged public-private partnerships to provide cost-effective services that address students’ needs through national service opportunities that engage more adults in student support roles.
AmeriCorps Invests in the Future of Youth Through Education
The youth of our nation are our country’s future, and AmeriCorps believes there is nothing more important than investing in our future leaders. AmeriCorps’ return on investment study of Breakthrough Central Texas showed such national service programs can return up to $55 for every federal dollar invested. Breakthrough Central Texas programs offer out-of-school learning opportunities and help students earn college degrees. AmeriCorps members serve as caseworkers, providing academic support, guidance, and resources students need to succeed. The program commits to working with each student for 12 years to guide them and their families through the complex process of preparing for, enrolling in, and completing college. One of the key benefits of Breakthrough Central Texas is also growth in high school and college graduates among program participants.
But that’s not all. The return on investment value represents more than reducing barriers to education in local communities; it’s also about supporting educational opportunities for those individuals in service roles in their local communities. We know that higher education is an engine of social mobility, but tuition costs each year serve as a blockade preventing some Americans from enrolling in college. To combat this issue, AmeriCorps has increased college access and affordability by offering educational benefits like the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award in return for service to this country.
Since 1994, AmeriCorps members have earned education awards totaling more than $4.8 billion. Furthermore, AmeriCorps members can postpone student loan payments while they serve and may be eligible to have their interest payments covered by AmeriCorps. To date, more than 330 higher education institutions in the U.S. have signed on as Schools of National Service, providing financial and other incentives to AmeriCorps alumni.
AmeriCorps Members and AmeriCorps Seniors Volunteers Answer the Call to Serve
Studies demonstrate that AmeriCorps programs have improved school readiness, attendance, graduation rates, reading and math scores, and more. However, none of this would be possible without the extraordinary AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers who selflessly dedicate their time to make these programs successful.
Last year, more than 55,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers served at more than 10,000 K-12 school campuses to help students in ways like tutoring, mentoring, and service learning.
Gladys, a retired teacher and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer from the Navajo Nation serves in the Foster Grandparent Program to mentor and tutor students at Leupp Elementary School in Arizona. For more than 60 years, the Foster Grandparent Program has utilized national service to enhance the quality of life for children in schools by pairing older adults with youths in the community. Apart from tutoring, volunteers like Gladys share their knowledge and help keep the Navajo traditions and language alive for the community and generations to come. Gladys said her role has created a bond between her and the students she mentors, and she said she is honored when they refer to her as their grandmother.
“I’m a grandma everywhere,” she said. “If I go into town and they see me, then they call me grandma. I’m happy being in the classroom; that’s my family. It brings happiness when you help somebody learn something.”
For Kai, an AmeriCorps member in the VISTA program with the City of Austin’s early childhood education program in Texas, service helps make a positive impact from an administrative level. Kai provides training to early childcare providers and finds resources to help families in need.
Kai initially committed to the VISTA program for one year but served for more than four years after finding a passion for service.
“When I first started my AmeriCorps service in 2017, I was fresh out of college and was new to Austin and didn’t know anything,” Kai said. “I was interviewing people about hunger as part of my service and I learned a lot about the communities I serve in Austin and the realities they face, and I learned a lot about the world. I got a fresh look on reality that was very sobering, and I think that was some good growth for me.”
AmeriCorps Has a Place for Everyone
During AmeriCorps Week, we celebrate our members and volunteers who raised their hands and pledged to strengthen and unite their communities. AmeriCorps works for America, and there is a place for everyone in national service. Learn how you can make a difference in your own community and ignite your passion for service.
