The
Ounce of Prevention Fund offers the opportunity to work in an innovative,
fast-paced, and challenging environment as a paid graduate intern. Interns at
the Ounce are considered to be valued members of our team, and are provided
with support, training, and a unique opportunity to contribute substantively to
our work. The internship requires 2 components: both a paid full-time
experience for 8-10 weeks during the summer prior to the academic year being
applied for and two full days per week during the academic year. Other
internship schedules will be considered if a different structure is required by
an academic institution (e.g. block placement, three days per week, etc.).
Three positions are available each year. Interested candidates should e-mail
their resumes, a cover letter detailing their interest in the position, and a
writing sample to Allison Lowe-Fotos at alowefotos@ounceofprevention.org
or call her direct line at 312-453-1837 with questions. The deadline to
apply is Friday, March 1, 2019. We will accept applications and begin
interviewing on a rolling basis before the deadline.
The
Ounce works with policy makers, governmental agencies, and human service
systems to ensure that young children have high-quality early learning
opportunities during the crucial first five years of life. The Policy Team
staff advances policies and practices that prepare children for success in
school and beyond. These goals are accomplished by:
- Advocating for the funding, expansion and integration
of existing prevention and intervention programs, and initiating new
services and strategies at state and national levels
- Fostering coalitions among organizations and
individuals to advance prevention-oriented, child-centered policies
particularly in the areas of early care and education, health, and mental
health
- Analyzing relevant legislation, rule-making, research
studies, and innovative models from other states
- Developing and distributing research-based information
among policy and decision makers that are relevant to the healthy
social-emotional, physical, and cognitive development of young children
Internship
Qualifications:
- Incoming 2nd year Master’s student in a
relevant field (Social Work, Public Policy, Public Health, Early Childhood
Education, Law - Child and Family/Education, etc.)
- Ability to work independently and take initiative
- Strong critical thinking and writing skills
- Capacity to participate in reflective supervision
- Resourcefulness and confidence to ask clarifying
questions as needed
- Interest in early childhood, administrative
policy/system building, and legislative policy
- Interest in and appreciation for the relationship
between research, practice, and policy
Student
learning opportunities may include any or all of the following:
- Analyze federal, state, and local public policies,
programs, and legislative issues that impact young children and their
families in the areas of early childhood, family support, early
intervention, health, and social-emotional development
- Assist in researching, writing, and developing
executive summaries, advocacy alerts, public testimony, data analysis,
fact sheets, and policy briefs on relevant issues
- Attend internal and external meetings with governmental
and community partners
- Research and summarize information on service delivery
systems, policies, and programs used in other states
- Participate in planning for internal and external
informational meetings and activities such as conferences and Early
Childhood Advocacy Day.
- Serve in a primary support role to staff in their
assigned work areas, including providing staffing support for various
committees and developing strategies to advance the Ounce’s policy agenda
in key content areas, such as home visiting, mental health, health, child
care, and professional development
- Develop an independent project by selecting an issue,
conducting research, making a presentation and/or writing a paper, and
developing policy recommendations in an area of interest or related to
graduate work
- Participate in cross-departmental learning
opportunities by attending regular meetings with other program staff and
interns and working on joint projects
- The opportunity to be mentored by both seasoned early
childhood policy professionals and young professionals newer to the field
- Support for identifying and preparing for career
opportunities after the internship, as well as connections to learning
opportunities outside of the Ounce
The
Application Process
Internship
positions with the Ounce of Prevention Fund’s Policy Team are very competitive
and therefore candidates undergo a rigorous screening process. Candidates
should be prepared for the possibility of several rounds of interviews,
including the possibility of an initial phone interview. Candidates will also
be required to provide examples of their writing skills, as well as an
extemporaneous writing sample during an on-site interview. In general,
candidates should be prepared to discuss their interest in early childhood,
policy work, and/or why this particular opportunity is of interest. We are
especially interested to hear what candidates hope to gain from an internship
experience at the Ounce. Candidates may also be asked to provide other
information related to the specific internship duties for the coming year, but
will be prompted to do so prior to the interview. The final deadline to
apply is Friday, March 1, 2019. Candidates should submit a resume, a cover
letter detailing their interest in the position, and a writing sample to
Allison Lowe-Fotos at alowefotos@ounceofprevention.org.
