Early Childhood Education Summer Intern - Unpaid

Scope of Intern Service

The Education & Youth Services (EYS) program is part of the IRC’s holistic and integrated approach to resettlement. EYS assists refugee youth and their families in navigating the U.S. education system in the Louisville area. The Summer 2026 Early Childhood Education Intern works in close coordination with the EYS Manager and School Impact Program Specialist in the planning and implementation of parent classes, pre‑k applications, kindergarten support, and early education resource collection for refugee and immigrant clients.

The Intern will also assist clients with accessing classes in the community and growing the program through community partnerships.

The intern will play a key role in facilitating educational support services, helping newly resettled refugee students adjust to school environments, and enhancing their academic and social integration. This role offers interns hands‑on experience in educational programming, client services, and the opportunity to contribute to the empowerment of refugee youth and their families.

Unpaid internship position that requires a minimum commitment of 15 hours per week for at least three months.

• Learn how to connect refugee and immigrant clients to community resources for early childhood programs.
• Develop critical thinking skills, client service skills, and cross‑global education and social work skills.
• Learn about the IRC locally and globally, the available services to refugees and eligible clients in Louisville, KY.

• Provide equal treatment to all client groups in accordance with the agency’s commitment to the dignity of all persons.
• Assist IRC staff with pre‑k and kindergarten enrollment.
• Contact parents to confirm their availability to attend classes.
• Navigating client barriers to education, including transportation and language.
• Communicating with JCPS and early childhood education services to connect students and their families to appropriate services.
• Collect and interpret data to support educational initiatives and encourage student success.
• Adhere to IRC policies, particularly those related to confidentiality and client privacy, practice respect and consideration of clients’ varied backgrounds and experiences, respect clients' beliefs and values.
• Other support as needed.

• Must be a current undergraduate student, graduate student, or less than 12 months past graduation.
• Access to a personal vehicle/reliable transportation; (IRC Louisville cannot support securing transportation or housing for interns).
• Candidates must be a U.S. citizen or must have active and compliant visas and work authorization status in the United States (the IRC must not be represented as a sponsor or host in any application, filing, or other context for an intern).
• Ability to handle sensitive client information confidentially.
• Strong intercultural communication skills, including demonstrated ability to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and across language barriers.
• Ability to work independently and as a part of a team.
• Adherence to IRC volunteer/intern and workplace policies.
• Fluency/proficiency in English, both spoken and written, are required; proficiency in language(s) spoken by client group is desired but not required.

In-depth training will be provided for interns to understand IRC programming and the various needs of clients accessing IRC services. Interns will receive training on IRC’s federal R&P and APA service agreements and their programmatic requirements for resettlement services. Interns with client languages who could serve as an interpreter will receive guidance on policies when interpreting. Other activity‑specific training will be provided as needed.

Flexibility, initiative, and a desire to collaborate are essential qualities for this intern opportunity. A high level of confidentiality is required when working with IRC clients.

We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the U.S., these include: 10 sick days, 10 U.S. holidays, 20‑25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $163 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plan with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.