Local child care organizations often have a variety of volunteer opportunities available, such as party and event planning, literacy programs which involve reading to children and helping children learn to read, arts and crafts projects at local child care centers, and maintenance, cleaning and setting up of classrooms. The Child Care of South West Florida organization is an example of a local child care organization which offers such opportunities. They require all volunteers to be at least 16 years of age and consent to fingerprinting and a background check.
Churches often have day care facilities and youth groups which need volunteers each week. Some common volunteer positions include story teller, group leader, group helper, resources team member, praise team member, and nursery worker. Some churches will hire volunteers who are not members of the church, but generally prefer volunteers who are active members. The Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky is recruiting volunteers and allows applications from both members and nonmembers of their church for the early childhood programs.
After school programs offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for people wishing to gain experience working with children. LA's BEST After School Enrichment Program of Los Angeles offers volunteer opportunities assisting with their program in the early evenings five days a week and for weekend events and field trips. Volunteers work under the supervision of a certified teacher or education specialist, must be at least 16 years old and provide a tuberculosis clearance and background check with their application.
Many early childhood teachers are in need of a teaching assistant to help work with students, clean and maintain the classroom, file, copy and run clerical errands. Many schools do not post volunteer teacher's assistant positions, but will often work with teachers to find placements for individuals who wish to volunteer and lend a hand in the classroom. Local family and social services programs often have a branch for early childhood education, which includes local preschool programs, and offer volunteer teacher's assistant opportunities, such as the one offered by the Village in Hartford, Connecticut. The position listed by the Village requires applicants to be at least 18 years old and have prior experience working with children.