Volunteer in Paradise

“Life is amazing as a VIP! I absolutely love everything about this enriching experience…The students themselves are a joy and I love seeing their dedication pay off in large dividends!”

"As a retired teacher, I am quite impressed with how much effort and energy the district put into the VIP program."

“I absolutely LOVE working with the students! The staff has all been very supportive and helpful to me. I am very impressed with the teachers and their dedication to their students."

"The teachers seem very interested in having a volunteer help their students succeed. It does make me feel like a VIP."

"The students absolutely love working with him and beg for a chance to have a turn.”

“I’ve…really enjoyed the amazing insight that the VIPs have for me at the end of their tutoring sessions…Some of the insight is new and allows me to take a different approach with that student and some reaffirms what I’ve been seeing on my own.”

“I love the acronym for our volunteers, because they are very important to so many of our students. The attention, caring, kindness, and support of our VIPs has made a huge difference to our students and enables our teachers to meet the needs of each child. We are so grateful!”

“Not only did the students benefit from the small group intensity and focus in their academic pursuits, they appreciated the “VIP” treatment and attention! They also felt a sense of pride that the broader community respects their effort in school, and considers it worthy of the support of adults not already in their circle.”

"I cannot wait to be a teacher, especially after this experience."

"The teacher I got was awesome! And the kids were great. This experience made me fall in love with my profession even more."

"The end result is that our students gain exposure to positive role models and receive additional support at school.  Our teachers gain a volunteer in the classroom and also serve as mentors, guiding PVCC students in understanding what it takes to be an effective teacher.  VIP College Corps is truly a benefit to our students and staff!"

If you like children, enjoy learning new things, and would like to make a difference in the life of a child, you are qualified to be a VIP! We welcome volunteers from all walks of life. We will provide two half-days of training before you are sent to work in a classroom.

This is certainly understandable. You are asked to give the teacher notice of the day(s) you will miss so that he or she can plan accordingly.

VIP volunteers work directly with students in kindergarten through grade six to provide instruction. You might work one-on-one or with small groups of children out in the media center. Or, you may work alongside the teacher in the classroom by answering individual questions from students. Most volunteers help students with reading and math, but the teacher may ask you to help in other subject areas, too. Volunteers who offer to work a two- or three-hour shift are often given the opportunity to work with two or three different teachers. You will have the chance to express grade level and subject area preferences, if you have them.

Eventually, we would like to place VIPs in every one of the Paradise Valley schools that makes a request for volunteers. However, in a district the size of the PVSchools it will take many years to recruit enough volunteers to accomplish this. We are currently serving teachers and students in seven elementary schools. You may express your school preference.

The orientation should prove most helpful in making your decision. We will provide detailed information about our schools and VIP volunteer responsibilities. We will also allow ample time to answer questions. If you are ready to make a commitment at the conclusion of our one-hour presentation, our Human Resources technicians will help you complete the paperwork and fingerprinting at that time. If you still require a little more time to think things over, we can arrange for you to complete the fingerprint background check process at a later date.

Maybe not, if the card is an unexpired Level One Fingerprint Card. Please send us the information in advance and bring the card with you to the orientation. 

Yes, you will probably need to be fingerprinted again. There is no central database, so it is not possible for us to verify your clearance. There is one exception. If you were fingerprinted by PVSchools as a former employee or volunteer, please let us know so that we can alert the Human Resources Department; they may be able to look up your name in advance.

No. The company that performs this service does charge the school district (approximately $55), but the district has traditionally absorbed that cost for volunteers. VIP applicants who wish to make a donation to help defray the cost to the district are welcome to do so. However, we do not want this expense to be an obstacle to anyone who wishes to volunteer his or her time in our schools.

Specialists from our PVSchools Curriculum Department have developed and will lead hands-on training in strategies for teaching language arts/reading and math, and will introduce materials available for VIPs to use with students. You will also learn about the assessments teachers use to individualize instruction, the new Arizona College and Career Ready Standards (formerly Common Core), emergency procedures, child abuse reporting plus school funding, legislation and policies. The training will be given in two sessions, each three hours long.

The VIP Coordinator sends regular VIP News via email, and reminders of upcoming early release days and school holidays are included.  You are asked to complete a monthly report sharing your challenges and successes.  Questions, concerns and suggestions from volunteers are always welcome at any time. Last, but certainly not least, we can arrange for our VIP Mentor to meet you at your school during your volunteer session to model a lesson, observe you and answer specific questions.  She is a retired educator and an experienced VIP.

Yes, definitely. Our schools have a long history of utilizing parent volunteers and their contributions are invaluable. The VIP program is designed to welcome other adults who may not yet have a connection to our schools. (A parent, stepparent or legal guardian of a student at the school where the parent, stepparent or legal guardian wishes to volunteer may contact the teacher or the school directly.)

College students enrolled in education courses at Paradise Valley Community College and Northern Arizona University receive credit for the service-learning and practicum hours they earn while interning in PVSchools.  Other aspiring educators are welcome to consider joining our original VIP program.  It is a great way to gain classroom experience, build a resume and network with the professionals in our schools.