CHAPTER 8:   SPECIAL VOLUNTEER POOLS

Chapter Highlights Head Start volunteers include many different populations. Some special volunteer pools include: Handicapped volunteers. Senior citizens. Youth. Community service volunteers. Each of these groups may have particular needs or circumstances that the Head Start program must consider. Sometimes these groups require special recruiting, screening, placement, training, or other support.



Volunteers comprise many different populations. Some of these populations--such as Head Start parents--have been discussed in earlier sections of this handbook. This chapter is devoted to considerations related to other special volunteer populations.

HANDICAPPED VOLUNTEERS

As part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112), Congress enacted Section 504, which provides that:

No otherwise qualified handicapped individual...shall, solely by reason of his handicap be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

This legislation applies to Head Start not only in the enrollment of handicapped children but in all aspects of the program. Consequently, any individual, regardless of a handicapping condition, who is qualified and has the capability to make a worthwhile contribution shall be eligible for consideration as a Head Start volunteer. As with Head Start children with handicaps, handicapped volunteers should be included in all program activities.

Procedures for the assessment and assignment of non handicapped volunteers can be used for handicapped volunteers as well. The staff responsible for this assessment/assignment process must be open and flexible about what is required of a volunteer. This staff also must be able to perceive a handicapped volunteer's strengths and to make assignments that make best use of these strengths. Handicapped volunteers, like other volunteers, both want and need to feel that the time and energy they are giving is valuable to the program.

One special consideration for a program using handicapped volunteers is accessibility. The Section 504 regulations state that programs must be accessible to handicapped persons--adults as well as children. This requirement does not extend to every building or part of a building, but it does require that program services as a whole be accessible. This means that orientation and training sites for volunteers, as well as their work locations, must be accessible to handicapped volunteers.

Another consideration for programs using handicapped volunteers is the need for transportation. While ambulatory volunteers may be transported by program or agency buses, public transportation, or private vehicles, it may be necessary to make special arrangements for volunteers confined to wheel chairs. A collaborative agreement with a local agency serving disabled citizens or the special facilities unit of the public transportation system may be needed. Since many handicapped persons have limited means, the costs of transportation and needs associated with their volunteer service may need to be paid by the Head Start grantee.

Some volunteers may be hearing impaired or blind. Staff may need training to learn sign language or become sensitive to the special needs of these volunteers.

SENIOR CITIZENS

Senior citizens comprise a vast pool of potential volunteers for Head Start programs. Some senior citizens are already members of volunteer organizations such as the Retired Senior Volunteers Program (RSVP). Others are active in community organizations, service clubs, and church groups or can be reached through senior residential facilities. In some communities, recruitment techniques need to be geared to target senior citizens. Collaboration with community agencies such as the local council on aging may prove very helpful.

As with all volunteers, senior citizen volunteers must be matched with appropriate jobs. This may require special attention to the assessment of each potential volunteer's skills and strengths as well as a review of positions to determine those best for older volunteers.

There is a growing emphasis on intergenerational programs that link senior citizens with young people and children in meaningful activities. Many of these programs foster active volunteer programs in child care agencies. Transportation may be needed for these sessions as well as for the day-to-day volunteer activities. Volunteers on fixed incomes may be able to participate only if transportation and meal costs are paid.

Generally, efforts to recruit, assess, and assign older volunteers will be those used for the volunteer program as a whole. It should not be assumed that older volunteers are limited either physically or financially. Many are active, vigorous, self-sufficient people with many talents and experiences that can greatly enrich Head Start programs.

YOUTH

Another special volunteer pool is youth. High school students and members of community youth groups are often eager, enthusiastic volunteers. For many teenagers, volunteer service is a way to gain work experience or to test their interest or talent in a particular field. Others may be motivated by a desire to serve the community. Some will give a certain number of hours each week for an extended period of time, such as a school year. A youth group may mobilize its membership to assist in a one-time or once-a-year task, such as cleaning a center, building a playground, or preparing a children's garden plot.

As with other volunteers, it will be necessary to assess capabilities of young volunteers and to match them to suitable job assignments. Orientation and training sessions may need to be geared to their learning styles. Staff should be aware of restrictions related to volunteers under the age of 18. It is important that staff cheek State child labor laws to ensure compliance. In addition, State child care regulations often have minimum age requirements for persons who work with children.

COMMUNITY SERVICE VOLUNTEERS

Head Start programs are using an increasing number of community service volunteers. These volunteers are required by courts, alternative schools, or public social service departments to give a certain number of volunteer hours to a community-based or service organization. Community volunteers may be professionals or nonprofessionals.

Head Start programs sometimes are contacted directly by the agency, court, or school for potential placement. In other cases, as part of their recruitment activities, Head Start programs may make the contact.

The reasons for placing these community volunteers In the program raise issues that must be addressed. With appropriate safeguards, these individuals may make significant contributions to programs and also benefit from their participation in Head Start.

There are three main categories of community service volunteers:


• First-time offenders in non-violent crimes, e.g., forgery, breaking and entering, or shoplifting. These volunteers may be parolees with community service required as a part of their probation. They may also be individuals who have repeatedly broken traffic regulations or been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances. These individuals will need careful screening, including a complete criminal record disclosure. This screening usually is done by the court, probation officer, or caseworker assigned to the individual.
  
  

• Individuals required to volunteer in order to receive money from public assistance or Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), also known in some States as Aid to Dependent Children (ADC). These volunteers may have children who are eligible for Head Start and should be recruited for enrollment in the program. Careful orientation, training, and recognition of these volunteers can help to establish lifelong habits of involvement in their child's education. For many of these volunteers, the positive Head Start experience may open doors to job training and independence from the welfare system.
  
  
• Young people enrolled in alternative school programs that require community service as a part of enrollment. Often these volunteers have had a succession of failures in regular school programs and may have low self-esteem and poor socialization skills. They must be screened carefully and receive training geared to their developmental levels before working with the program.
  
  Community service volunteers may serve in various ways to extend Head Start services. They may serve as bus riders, interpreters, classroom assistants, maintenance workers, kitchen helpers, or computer specialists. In short, they may be used in all the ways that regular volunteers are used.

POLICY REFERENCES

Policy references related to using special volunteer pools may be found in the following sections of the publication, Head Start Policies: Volunteers and Community Resources:

Section 2: Recruitment of Volunteers

Section 4: Screening Volunteers