Who can participate in the NYAS Afterschool STEM Mentoring Program?
Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows engaged in science, technology, engineering, math, and education can apply to participate in the Program as Academy Education Fellows. Our Fellows currently comprise masters, certificate, doctoral students and postdocs united by the desire to gain more hands-on teaching experience and enrich science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning in middle school classrooms across New York City and Newark, NJ.
We currently partner with afterschool programs designed to engage students in 4th-8th grades and funded by the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) through their Beacon and Out-of-School Time (OST) programs. In Fall of 2011, we will partner with Citizen Schools to offer a pilot program in Newark NJ.
Please note that there are two applications, one for Newark and one for New York City.
Is there a stipend?
No, this is a volunteer program.
What days will I work?
Mentors will schedule the dates and times of their classes with their afterschool programs. Programs run Monday thru Friday.
Generally, what times do the classes meet?
The classes meet on weekday afternoons between 3pm and 6pm.
How does the program work?
Graduate students and postdocs engaged in STEM fields apply to the program through our online application about two to three months before Fellows begin instructing classes. We accept about 50 Fellows each semester and an application does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
For more information on how to apply, please email swortel [at] nyas.org
Training & Instruction
Once accepted, Fellows participate in two full-day training sessions. One session provides an overview of the curriculum; the other is a workshop focused on youth development and classroom management. Once Fellows successfully complete training, they are matched with afterschool providers who have applied to receive an Education Fellow. Matches are coordinated based on geography and curriculum choice.
Once a Fellow and an afterschool site are paired, both are expected to work together to schedule the day and time of the weekly lessons.
How can my afterschool program apply?
In New York, we place mentors in afterschool programs funded by the Department of Youth and Community Development. Afterschool program providers may apply through the DYCD. An application does not guarantee that a site will receive an Education Fellow, and programs who do receive Fellows are alerted as soon as a Fellow is assigned to the site.
What are the curriculum choices?
Genetics
Human Body Systems
Afterschool Universe (Space Science)
Earth Science
Robotics
Mathematics
What age group do you work with?
The curricula are aimed at students currently in the 4th-8th grades.
Where do the curricula come from?
We work with partner organizations to design the curricula and train the Fellows. Our partners include Cold Spring Harbor, Cornell University, NYU and FIRST.
What is the expected Fellow time commitment?
The curricula are seven to nine weeks long and we expect Fellows to teach one hour each week; many Fellows teach for more than one hour each week and many choose to continue teaching after nine weeks.
Fellows are encouraged to work closely with their afterschool providers to ensure that the lessons occur on a day and time optimal for both the Fellow and the site.
What is required of the afterschool program providers?
Afterschool sites who are matched with a Fellow must assign a staff member to work closely with the Fellow to implement lessons. We expect that the Fellows and staff member will review the lessons together and plan out each class.
Afterschool site staff should expect to attend both the Youth Development Training and the Kick-Off Mixer to meet their mentor.
What is the Kick-Off Mixer?
The Kick-Off Mixer is a reception held at the beginning of each semester to introduce the afterschool sites to their Fellows. While it is a casual event, we expect the matches to meet, share their schedules, talk about the program, and schedule an initial meeting at the site.
Why do I need to be fingerprinted?
All volunteers who work in DYCD sites must be fingerprinted and have a background check completed through our program. Previous fingerprinting and background checks are not accepted.
