Educator Opportunity Program Application

Thank you for your interest in our Community Access Funded programs. The board and staff of the Tech Valley Center of Gravity are committed to the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion. We seek to create a genuine, inclusive, and safe environment for makers of all backgrounds. We promote the uniqueness of personal identity and encourage applicants from traditionally under-represented communities to apply to our programs. 


The Community Access Fund currently supports several different programs, but this application is only required for the Educator Opportunity Program. Please note that this program is limited to those with significant teaching experience for any grades within the K-12 range in STEM or a STEM-related field.


Applications for this program are accepted on a rolling basis, and have no set deadline. Applications will be reviewed by TVCOG staff upon receipt; applicants will be contacted regarding the status of their application within 5-7 business days of submission. We may ask you to conduct a follow-up interview, which can be conducted either in-person or via phone/video call. 


Programs start the first week of each month. For example, if your application is approved in October 2020, your membership would begin on November 1, 2020. 


If you have any questions about this application, or any of the programs listed above, please feel free to reach out to us via email at info@tvcog.net or via phone at 518-344-2544. 

Basic Information

Applicant Name:*
Mailing Address:*
Email Address:*
Phone Number:*
Your preferred contact method:*
Email (default)
Phone
Standard Mail
How long do you anticipate participating in the Educator's Opportunity program?*We are able to offer up to 6 months of assistance, depending on availability of funds. Please provide us with an estimation of how long you may need to participate in this program; please feel free to approach staff to discuss any adjustments should the answer change during your participation in the program
Are you a current TVCOG Member?*
Yes
No, but I had a membership in the past.
No, this would be a brand new membership.

Financial Information

We are required to gather the following information in order to accurately provide reporting to our sponsors. All information will be kept confidential. 

Check all that apply (if any):
My current individual annual income is below $39,526
I have experienced a 25% or more reduction in income since March 2020
Do you receive any public assistance?
Yes
No
If you would like to make a statement of financial need, please either attach a file or enter in the text area below:This field is not required, but is encouraged for all applicants.
Attachments here:
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Personal Statement

Please answer the following questions.

Why are you interested in the program?*
Please provide your resume: *PDF file format is preferred.
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Volunteering Requirements

Program members will be asked to spend their volunteer time developing curriculum for our children’s makerspace. Curriculum topics will be decided in concert with staff members, based on instructor’s preference. The curriculum developed will be used in a number of our children’s programs, and should be designed to be easy for other instructors to follow; the instructor writing the curriculum will always be given first right of refusal for instruction of that particular class. Curriculum can be for any of the following formats: one-day workshops, after-school clubs, short educational videos, summer camps etc. 


Other volunteer opportunities may arise when we return to in-person events as well, e.g assisting at STEAM-Powered Saturdays, our free monthly STEAM education event, volunteering with our First Lego Robotics League etc. Volunteer hours are expected to be between 10-15 hours per month. Any instructors who will be working with children directly on behalf of TVCOG will be required to complete a background check before doing so. 


Please note, all THINQubator programming is currently only available via a virtual format. 

What grade levels/ages do you prefer to work with?*
What subjects would you be interested in developing curriculum for? E.g computer programming, robotics, literacy programs etc.*
Please provide an example lesson plan for curriculum you have developed in the past: *PDF file format is preferred.
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Do you have any special skills that you may want to employ while volunteering?
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