City Year and Other Education-Focused Service Year Programs
By Muntasir • Published May 24, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Career Planning
City Year places AmeriCorps members as full-time tutors and mentors in under-resourced K-12 schools for about 11 months, paying a biweekly stipend between roughly $907 and $1,386 depending on the site, plus a Segal Education Award worth up to $7,395 on completion. Similar tutoring and mentoring service-year programs, such as Minnesota Reading Corps and Jumpstart, run on the same AmeriCorps structure with a living stipend and an education award.
🎓 Ages 17 to 25, high school diploma or GED required
⏱️ Full-time term, about 11 months, one school year
💵 Biweekly stipend roughly $907 to $1,386 depending on the site's cost of living
Segal Education Award up to $7,395 for a full-time term completed in 2025
Members work as tutors, mentors, and near-peer role models in classrooms
Many alumni move into teaching after their service year
How City Year works
City Year is an AmeriCorps program that places full-time members in public schools serving low-income communities. Members work alongside teachers as tutors and mentors, focusing on attendance, behavior, and coursework, mainly in elementary and middle schools. The program operates in 29 US cities.
A term runs one school year, about 11 months, and counts as full-time AmeriCorps service. Members receive a biweekly living stipend that varies by site to reflect local cost of living, ranging from about $907 to $1,386 every 2 weeks depending on location, according to City Year's compensation page . Members also get health insurance, and some sites offer relocation support for members moving from out of state.
Who can join
City Year accepts members between ages 17 and 25 who hold a high school diploma or GED and are US citizens or legal permanent residents. Applicants pass a criminal background check and commit to serving full-time for the full 11-month term. Members who have already served 3 or more terms in other AmeriCorps state or national programs are not eligible for another term.
The education award you earn
Members who complete a full-time term earn the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, worth up to $7,395 for terms completed in 2025. Members apply the award toward tuition at a Title IV eligible school or use it to repay qualified federal student loans, within 7 years of finishing their term.
Other education-focused service year programs
City Year is the largest program of its kind, but several other AmeriCorps initiatives place members in schools as tutors or mentors under the same structure. AmeriCorps funds state and national programs such as Minnesota Reading Corps and Math Corps, which place members one-on-one with students who need extra support in literacy and math, and Jumpstart, which focuses on early childhood language and literacy in preschool classrooms.
These programs follow the same basic model as City Year: a defined service term, a modest living stipend, health coverage on full-time terms, and a Segal Education Award on completion. Stipend amounts, exact term lengths, and site locations vary by program and by state, so check each program's own listing for current numbers before you apply.
Why these programs lead into teaching careers
Spending a year in a classroom gives members a close look at whether teaching fits them, and many City Year and Reading Corps alumni go on to enroll in teacher preparation programs or apply directly to teaching positions. Some school districts and university teacher-prep programs give preference or credit to applicants with a completed service year in a classroom setting, since the experience overlaps with student-teaching requirements. If you are considering a teaching career, a tutoring or mentoring service year is a low-risk way to test the work before committing to a full teaching credential.