Volunteer Opportunities
SPS Volunteer Opportunities
Join the After-school Literacy Volunteer Team at John Muir Elementary!
Read and write with young scholars at Muir Elementary to help them reach a critical 3rd-grade milestone. Sign up to volunteer for the after-school literacy team at John Muir today!
Seattle Public Schools offers an afterschool program at John Muir Elementary for students needing extra reading and writing support. This culturally diverse school is located in the beautiful Mount Baker neighborhood, where students are nurtured and learning is celebrated.
Location:
3301 S Horton St, Seattle, WA 98144, in Mt. Baker neighborhood – just 1.5 miles south of Rainier Ave/I-90.
- 8-min walk from the Mt. Baker station (Light Rail – 1 Line)
- 4-min walk from Walden/Rainier Ave S bus stop (served by bus routes 7, 14, 106)
Volunteers will:
- Receive a 90-minute onboarding and training overview covering the curriculum and alignment with the Science of Reading.
- Be part of a special pilot volunteer team modeling a new program in Seattle Public Schools,
- Be supported by an on-site coordinator.
- Support students furthest from educational justice in achieving a milestone academic goal.
Volunteer commitment:
- Volunteer shifts are 2:40-3:40 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.
- 2/week availability is preferred, but if you can commit to only Mon or Tue that’s ok also.
- Volunteer for three or more months.
What we are looking for in Volunteer Tutors:
- A positive attitude toward learning, diversity, and students.
- Open to feedback and coaching.
- Patience and empathy for students while holding high expectations.
- An ability to interact effectively with diverse student populations.
- Commitment to your student(s) and tutoring schedule.
Volunteer Role and Responsibilities:
- Follow the Tutor Code of Conduct guidelines.
- Work one-on-one or two-on-one with an elementary school student(s).
- Follow the Reading Partners’ structured curriculum.
- Attend a 90-minute tutor orientation.
- Complete the SPS volunteer application process.
Celebrating Diversity
At Seattle Public Schools, we celebrate diversity, nurture cultural and ethnic pride in our students, and honor home languages.
- Muir serves 70% of students of color furthest from education justice.
- 30% of students are English Language Learners who speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Amharic, and Oromo at home.
John Muir students will:
- Receive four 45-minute weekly tutoring sessions for 180 minutes of extra literacy support.
- Boost reading and writing confidence to support reaching 3rd-grade-level academic goals
Sign up to volunteer for the after-school literacy team at John Muir today!
Seattle Public Schools believes it is vital to engage families and community members in the life of the school as a community center of learning. Review the following ways you, too, can get involved with SPS!
- Seattle Public Schools is committed to creating a culturally responsive workforce to better serve students furthest from educational justice. Consider volunteering with us to network with staff, gain mentorship opportunities, and discover if a teaching career is right for you!
- Need observation hours to apply to a teaching program? Our school district welcomes future educators to actively fulfill this school application requirement through volunteering. Since processing volunteer applications, orienting, and training new volunteers to support educators and students takes time, we require a three-month commitment of at least one reoccurring weekly volunteer shift per week. This timeline allows staff to provide thoughtful feedback, mentoring, and potential recommendations to teaching candidates while guaranteeing your hourly requirement will be met.
- Are you in an undergraduate program for future educators and seeking an internship placement? Please ask your internship coordinator to contact our volunteer program to discuss undergraduate internship partnership opportunities.
- Student teaching and graduate-level internships: Please do not apply to volunteer with SPS; rather, inquire with your university about their placement arrangements with SPS. The following graduate programs have affiliation agreements with SPS for student teaching and internships:
- American College of Ed
- Antioch
- Capella University
- Central Washington University
- Eastern WA
- Northwest University
- Oregon State U
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Seattle Pacific University
- Seattle University
- St Martin University
- Univ of Phoenix
- University of Montana
- University of Washington – Bothell
- University of Washington – Seattle
- Walden University
- Western Washington University
- Western Governors University
- Graduate-level internships unrelated to teaching: SPS staff interested in hosting a graduate-level intern should contact their central office program manager or their principal to find out if SPS has an affiliation agreement with the prospective intern’s university. Graduate interns may not apply to be volunteers—they must be cleared through an affiliation agreement.
Volunteer needs vary by school and time of the year. Below are some ways families of SPS students can support their schools, but please be open to the most urgent needs the school may present you with:
- Lunch and recess support.
- Classroom or library help: Read or listen to students read in your native language, organize books, prepare materials, tutor math, and more!
- Before and between classes: Help for 30-40 minutes during recess, in the lunchroom, or as students arrive in the morning. Your positive presence will brighten students’ day and help them be safe.
- Lost & Found: Offer to organize lost and found items once or twice monthly.
- Special talents: Schools have unique needs. Are you fluent in Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese, or Chinese? Can you lend a hand in the learning garden or the robotics club?
Volunteer opportunities for community members vary greatly among SPS schools. Some schools focus on engaging their students’ families only, while others seek volunteer support from the community. Please review the current volunteer opportunities at the top of this page (available Sept – April). If none of them work for you, follow the steps below. Our online registration process is not designed to match applicants with volunteer needs – please do not complete the online registration process until you have a volunteer role confirmed with an SPS staff member.
- Please review the list of locations most convenient for you (see map of school locations).
- Visit the school websites to learn about each school community, and choose one to two schools you’re interested in.
- Next, contact one school at a time to inquire about current volunteer opportunities.
- If the school is able to match you with an existing volunteer opportunity, complete the volunteer onboarding process.
Volunteer with East African immigrant and refugee students!
Horn Of Africa Services (HOAS) focuses on closing the achievement gap for East African students, improving literacy and math outcomes, and empowering students to reach higher levels of education. HOAS is recruiting volunteers for the After School Tutoring Program:
- Get to know East African refugee and immigrant students grades K-12.
- Assist with homework and engage in fun activities.
- Please complete the online volunteer application form to get started.
Youth Tutoring Program
Youth Tutoring Program (YTP) serves elementary, middle and high school youth. YTP is a great place to volunteer with SPS students if you are only available in the afternoon or evening. Choose among five tutoring sites throughout Seattle: Lake City, West Seattle, Beacon Hill, First Hill, and Columbia City. Tutoring centers are open Monday – Thursday between 4 p.m. and 7:40 p.m. and each volunteer commits to at least one one-hour session per week. Learn more and apply to volunteer here!
Please note the Lake Washington Apartments location is no longer available.
Reading Partners
Reading Partners is an education nonprofit that mobilizes community volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring to elementary student readers across four Seattle schools.
We seek volunteers who can commit a minimum of 1 hour/week for the school year. Tutors are paired to work with the same student and are provided with an easy-to-follow curriculum that includes all of the books, worksheets, and step-by-step lesson plans. Reading Partners also has a staff Program Coordinator who is available to support tutors at all times. Tutoring runs Mondays- Fridays, between 8:00am-4:00pm. We are currently offering both in-person and virtual tutoring opportunities at Martin Luther King Jr Elementary and Rising Star Elementary. Virtual-only opportunities at Sanislo Elementary and Leschi Elementary. Learn more on our website and apply today!
Communities in Schools of Seattle
Are you looking for ways to meet people, get involved, and give back to your amazing community? Our goal is to connect volunteers. Watch a video with some of our outstanding volunteers and visit our Communities in Schools of Seattle website to consider current opportunities.
Volunteer as a Coach
Looking to volunteer as an athletic coach? Athletic coaches (both volunteer and paid) are required to complete additional ASM prevention training and national-level background check. The athletic coach role description and application are available on the district job board.
Some schools also have club sports volunteer coach opportunities (LaCrosse, Cheer, Ultimate Frisbee, etc). Please visit your preferred school’s website for more information.
The Self Help Projects Program regularly needs volunteer groups to implement school building or ground improvements, including:
- Developing a school garden
- Weeding and mulching landscape areas
- Installing new playground equipment
- Creating a mural
- Landscape renovation
- Developing a conceptual master site plan