EMLI Outreach, Communication and Fundraising Specialist VISTA

Help us equip children from marginalized communities with essential math skills to succeed in kindergarten and beyond! Empower parents to support their children’s education achievement and overall development! 

Children entering kindergarten from households experiencing poverty are nearly twice as likely to be unprepared for school entry compared to those from families with higher incomes. This alarming trend, particularly evident in mathematics, underscores the urgent need for intervention. Without it, we risk widening the achievement gap and potentially derailing academic and life trajectories for children from under-resourced communities.  We offer research-informed early math intervention programs for children, empower families, and provide enriching math learning experiences for young learners. Our mission is to create and support evidence-based intervention programs in math and language skills development for families of children in under-resourced communities. We are committed to fostering a future where children who attend our flagship program not only succeed academically in kindergarten and beyond but also thrive in their academic and personal lives. 

At Early Math and Language Initiative (EMLI), we offer research-informed early math intervention programs for children, empower families, and provide enriching math learning experiences for young learners. EMLI’s flagship program is the two-generation “Family Math” program for children 4-5 years old. This comprehensive sixteen-week, one-hour after-school program is designed to be engaging and effective and is offered in partnership with Title I schools and communities. Currently, we have two active programs in Lewiston, Maine and one in South Portland, Maine. 

Opportunity + Access = Success 

• Mission – Create and support evidence-based intervention programs in math and language skills development for families of children in under-resourced communities. 

• Vision – EMLI’s vision is a world where early, positive academic experiences fuel children’s intrinsic desire to learn, where parents of all backgrounds feel empowered to support their child academically, and where socioeconomic status is no longer a barrier to academic success. 

• Statement of Need – Decades of research show a direct correlation between early math skills and later academic success. However, the stark reality is that children entering kindergarten from households experiencing poverty are nearly twice as likely to be unprepared for school entry compared to those from families with higher incomes and are more likely to remain behind. This is particularly evident in mathematics, where trends indicate a wider achievement gap, potentially derailing academic and life trajectories for children from under-resourced communities. 

To learn more about us, our partners, board members, and advisory council members, head to our website at https://www.emlius.org/.

Your role will be to conduct community outreach to families in our programs to allow us to assess and then improve the program’s accessibility and feasibility in the communities we aim to serve! This task will require communication with families and EMLI leadership. The VISTA member will also create outreach material and content that can be used to help ensure families continued participation in the program, which includes sending texts, designing flyers, social media contents and videos; and conduct networking and outreach with other nonprofits and community leaders to share information about EMLI and build partnerships to leverage resources. The VISTA will also create fundraising and grant writing processes and procedures to help EMLI reach fundraising goals of $100K in 2025 and $175K in 2026, allowing EMLI to increase the number of children impacted in 2025 from 20 to 40 in Lewiston and from 0 to 40 children in Greater Portland area.

Benefits

• Bi-Weekly Living Allowance of $957.46/Biweekly
• Relocation Allowance of $750 plus $.40 per mile (for those moving more than 50 miles)
• Health Benefits
• Childcare Reimbursement if Eligible
• Student Loan Forbearance for eligible federal loans (interest paid by AmeriCorps)
• SNAP Eligibility (depending on financial situation)
• Training and Professional Development
• Life Navigator (on-staff licensed counselor for members)
• Choice of Segal AmeriCorps Education Award* ($7,395) or an end-of-term bonus ($1,800) upon term completion
• Non-Competitive Eligibility for federal employment for one-year post-term
• Extensive Training and Networking 

*Individuals are limited to two full Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards in their lifetime

Already have a MyAmeriCorps account and want to apply for this specific role? You can find that listing on MyAmeriCorps here.

The positive impact VISTA members offer their local communities is remarkable and continues to build year after year. Descriptions of all Goodwill AmeriCorps Positions can be found at: goodwillnne.org/jobs/americorps/positions/.