Volunteering

The Litchfield Elementary School District Volunteer Program exists to assist schools in offering excellence in education to every student. Volunteer services help to:

• relieve teachers of some non-instructional tasks
• provide teachers with more time to work with students
• enrich children’s learning opportunities
• strengthen individual attention to enhance a personalized learning environment
• promote a school-home-community partnership for high quality education

Everyone who cares about children and education is a potential volunteer. Prior teaching experience is not necessary. Volunteers include parents, grandparents, local retirees, and caring community members. All volunteers must be at least 21 years old.

Volunteer opportunities include working directly with children or fulfilling administrative tasks. ● Classroom Instructional Volunteer: Work directly with individuals or small groups of students. Listen to students read, reinforce basic math skills, or assist with writing.

• Classroom Assistance Volunteer: Assemble bulletin board displays, correct/sort papers, photocopy, etc.
• Office Clerical Assistant: Greet visitors, sort mail, photocopy, prepare/distribute classroom supply orders, answer phones, etc.
• Special Education Volunteer: Engage students in friendly conversations, help students with writing/fine motor skills, read to students, assist with special projects, etc.
• Health Office Assistant: Provide clerical assistance, comfort sick children, organize/implement annual health screenings (vision, hearing), etc.
• Library or Media Center Volunteer: Repair and shelve books, complete clerical tasks, greet and assist students, etc.
• Other Assignments: Support specialty programs such as visual and performing arts and technology labs. Serve as a guest speaker.

• Commitment: Carefully consider the commitment you are making before agreeing to volunteer. The work volunteers do is important, and the staff and students quickly become dependent upon volunteer assistance. Avoid committing more volunteer time than you are able to fulfill.
• Dependability: Be prompt and consistent. Sign-in and sign-out in the school office for every shift. Wear your name badge/visitor sticker at all times.
• Health: Please stay home when you are sick.
• Confidentiality: Never discuss specific students, staff, or school issues outside of your volunteer role. Volunteers, like teachers and staff, are bound by a code of ethics to keep confidential matters within the school.
• Dress Code and Behavior Expectations: Dress appropriately for your volunteer job. Casual clothing is appropriate, and is expected to be neat and conservative. Your speech and behavior should serve as good examples for students to follow.
• Cell Phones: Cell phones are discouraged during your volunteer time.
• Guests: Please do not bring children or unexpected guests with you to volunteer.

• Discipline students
• Manage the classroom for any length of time
• Access materials in students’ files (health records, grades, etc.)
• Diagnose student needs
• Counsel students
• Discuss student progress with parents
• Give students advertisements or fundraising solicitations
• Gossip or discuss school issues outside of your volunteer role

• Call students by name: Make every effort to pronounce and spell each child’s name correctly.
• Model the teacher’s techniques: Try to model the teacher’s instructional methods when working with students.
• Follow the teacher’s lead: Demonstrate consistent support of classroom and school rules. Encourage children to follow the rules.
• Discipline: Volunteers may not discipline students. Alert the teacher to discipline problems that you observe.
•  Reinforce good behavior: Praise effort and positive choices.
• Keep students on task: Keep the lesson or activity moving. Encourage students to stay on topic.
• Supervise students carefully: Under no circumstances should you leave a student or small group of students without supervision. Always be fully aware of what students are doing at all times.
• Student Dismissal: Volunteers may never dismiss a student from school. Volunteers may not walk or drive students to their homes unless the child’s parent has given permission to the school office in advance. 

• Only approved parent and community volunteers may accompany students on field trips.
• Photo identification is required at all times.
• Fingerprint clearance is required for overnight field trips.
• Younger siblings are not allowed on field trips or on campus.
• All volunteers must be at least 21 years old.
• Tobacco, alcohol, and drugs are strictly prohibited.
• Inappropriate language is not permitted in the presence of children.
• Volunteers must sign in and check out at the school office.
• Volunteers must stay with an assigned student group from the start to the finish of the field trip.
• Field trips end when all of the students are back at school.
• Students may not be checked out from field trips.
• Cell phone usage is highly discouraged on field trips.
• Posting field trip photos to social media is prohibited.
• Students must always remain at the field trip site. Field trip chaperones may not take students anywhere else, including neighboring shops and restaurants.
• Chaperones must take responsibility for all assigned students.
• Do not trade or abandon students in your group. Speak privately with the teacher if you are uncomfortable with your group.
• Get an emergency contact phone number from the teacher.
• Unless pre-approved by the teacher, concession stands, gift shops, and rides are prohibited.
• Students should use the restroom in pairs or teams. Please monitor the students from outside of the restroom. It is appropriate to have students wait for each other until everyone is ready.