Volunteer Opportunities
How Can I Help?
We have opportunities in all grades and subject areas from preschool through high school. We always have an unmet need for volunteers interested in middle or high school math or science classes! Depending on the teacher and grade level, you might be working with students 1-on-1, helping small groups of students, or working with the whole class on a special project or lesson.
Current Volunteer Programs:
- Classroom Volunteers
- WriterCoach Connection
- After School Programs
- Literacy Pals
- DEAR Day
- Libraries
- Special Education
- School Gardens
- Summer School
- Technology/Clerical
Special Program Arrangements: groups, students, and partners.
* Programs marked with an asterisk require attendance at a sixty-minute, New Volunteer Orientation before placement in a program. Parents of current BUSD students and current BSV volunteers do not need to attend an orientation. We usually hold orientations once a week from September through April, and several in June to accommodate the summer term. See our Orientation page for complete information.
Volunteer Opportunities
Classroom Volunteers*
Volunteers are needed in pre-school through high school in all subjects. Classroom volunteers must commit to a regular schedule, working at least two hours per week. Volunteers are assigned to one classroom under the supervision of a credentialed teacher. Duties include one-on-one tutoring, small group assistance, and special projects.
Volunteers are trained as writing coaches, offering personal writing coaching to middle and high school students within each student’s English class. WriterCoach Connection has its own training requirements in addition to attending Berkeley School Volunteers’ New Volunteer Orientation. BSV’s Orientation is the first step in the training requirement. Attend a BSV Orientation and indicate WriterCoach Connection on your registration form and contact WCC directly to get started.
After-School Programs*
Volunteers help students after school, assisting in completion of homework assignments and providing extra help in reading or math. Volunteers also provide supervision to after-school recreational activities in elementary schools. Help is needed between 1:30 and 6:00 p.m., one or more days a week.
Literacy Pals
If you can’t make it to school during the day, you can help in this “pen pal” program! Volunteers and middle school students exchange monthly letters about books in this classroom-based program that encourages reading, develops letter writing skills, and links students with caring adults. Important information about the LitPals program:
- Program starts in mid-Fall and continues through late Spring.
- Program is run by the teachers participating (BSV recruits, teachers manage/send letters.)
- Teachers at King Middle and Longfellow Middle Schools participate.
- Availability is limited to the number of students enrolled in participating classes and can change during the school year.
The LitPals program has already begun for the the 2009-2010 school year. If you wish us to add your name to the waitlist, please contact us.
Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Day
On Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 9:30 a.m., over 150 volunteers will drop what they are doing and read to children in Berkeley elementary classrooms for half an hour. This is a fun, one-time opportunity to share your favorite stories and your own love of reading with classes guaranteed to be packed with avid listeners. Contact the BSV office for more information and a registration form.
Special Education*
Volunteers can provide valuable help to students facing a variety of challenges ranging from physical impairments to learning disabilities. Volunteers work in both traditional and designated classrooms, assisting students with academics, socializing, and specially tailored activities.
Libraries*
Volunteers assist library staff with overall library operation and maintenance as well as providing assistance to students using the library. Opportunities exist throughout the school day, to assist classes visiting the library, and often special projects throughout the year. Please ask us about this very flexible, multi-disciplinary option!
School Gardens*
Gardens are thriving at nearly all Berkeley schools, and many hands are needed! Volunteers work alongside students to help maintain the gardens, sometimes in the kitchen cooking, and can also help teachers turn the experience into valuable lessons in science, nutrition and environmental education.
The Edible School Yard garden, nutrition, cooking program @ King Middle school always has a wait list. Although we can place you on the list, only the ESY staff have control over how many volunteers they wish to take and when. We will notify you if/when your name comes up on the list. Until then, we strongly recommend that you volunteer in another Berkeley school garden/nutrition/cooking program while you wait. Ask us about the opportunities!
The Edible Schoolyard program
The Edible Schoolyard program is an internationally renown program of nutrition, cooking and garden education at King Middle school. For more information and current program needs, please see the “get involved” page on the Edible Schoolyard web site.
The Edible schoolyard (ESY) program requests that all volunteers commit to at least one semester, and regret that we are unable to engage short-term volunteers. Gardening experience is helpful, but not necessary. All potential Edible Schoolyard volunteers must first complete the BSV orientation process in order to be placed on the waitlist, if one exists at the time.
Summer School*
Volunteers can help as tutors and program assistants in programs during summer sessions. The summer session operates on a very short schedule and we often do not receive teacher or school site leadership information until after the summer session begins. With that said, we traditionally have volunteer requests for many academic classroom teachers and afterschool programs that offer various other activity-based and tutoring opportunities. Please ask for summer information when you attend an orientation. If we do not have it at that time, we will contact you as soon as it becomes available.
Technology/Clerical Support*
Volunteers can help school staff by answering telephones, filing, collating, entering data, supporting technology labs, creating new systems–the possibilities are endless!
Special Program Arrangements: groups, students, and partners
Business/Corporate Partnerships and Community Groups
BSV can accommodate large groups in many of the placements listed above, but it will require prior arrangements. Please click through to our Group Opportunities to help you prepare to discuss your group’s needs and options. From classroom or after school volunteering, to one-time-only events and distance options, BSV is committed to designing a mutually beneficial and FUN experience for your group. Please contact us!
Student Partnerships: Internships, Future Teachers, Field Studies, etc.
We are open to working within internship, field-studies, future teacher and other school-related requirements. Please bring any relevant information to the orientation or contact us before you need a placement to arrange for a meeting to discuss options. Due to our policy with the BUSD, we can only place volunteers with teachers requesting them, which means finding an appropriate placement may take time–and is never guaranteed. With that said, hundreds of students volunteer through BSV each semester. Please attend an orientation to get started!
High School Students/Minors
BSV welcomes minors age 16 or older to volunteer in our schools, but they must have parent/guardian permission to do so. A PDF of our BSV Minor Permission Form is available here, which we need signed/completed in order to start the placement process. Please bring this to the volunteer orientation, or we will provide you with one there.
Minors are limited to placements in BUSD preschools and elementary schools (grades K-5th.) We recommend that all minors requesting placements have valid, current references (names and contact information) for our teachers/staff to contact regarding their maturity and ability to volunteer with youth.
UC Berkeley student options
In addition to the options listed above under student partnerships, we offer academic credit for volunteering, and team with the CalCorp office at CAL to coordinate other opportunities specifically for CAL students. Please click through to our CAL Student volunteer options page to hear more about other projects and options you have as a UC Berkeley student.