Apply to Serve
The CDF Freedom Schools® program is committed to training, connecting and nurturing a team of young leaders dedicated to service and advocacy on behalf of children.
Join a community of over 17,000 trained Servant Leaders. Explore our interactive map and contact a program to apply to serve.
Serve at a CDF Freedom Schools site
Application Process
Explore our current program locations through our interactive map.
Contact the CDF Freedom Schools programs that interest you.
Complete and application and hiring process with that program directly.
Attend all required CDF-led training meetings.
Program Staff Positions
- Project Directors facilitate activities across all program sites.
- Site Coordinators manage, support and design the day-to-day site activities.
- Servant Leader Interns facilitate front-line care and daily lessons for Scholars.
Please note: CDF does not hire program-specific staff or facilitate the staff application process. Interested applicants must contact a program directly to apply.
Go Further – Become An Ella Baker Trainer
Each year, exceptional Servant Leader Interns are selected as Ella Baker Trainers (EBTs) to lead the Ella Baker Child Policy Training Institutes, provide technical support for new sites and teach Servant Leader Interns how to deliver key program components. EBTs can train in the CDF Freedom Schools program officially for 5 years, but many commit a lifetime of service to their communities.
2021 Ella Baker Trainer Information Session & Application Deadline
Join us on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 4:00pm EDT to learn more about the Ella Baker Trainer Service Opportunity and its application and selection process. You can reserve your spot in the information session by registering here. All applications are due no later than Sunday, October 18, 2020. Prior to applying please review the 2021 EBT Application Components document as well as the Ella Baker Trainer Service Description.
Apply Here
Why Ella Baker?
Ella Josephine Baker was an integral leader in the Civil Rights Movement, organizing and mentoring hundreds of young people. Often a powerful behind-the-scenes advisor to close colleagues like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ella Baker believed in shared leadership and encouraged young people to find and lift their own voices. She understood the need for hard, daily, persistent work, and was an institution builder.
Today, CDF honors her legacy and her lessons through CDF’s Ella Baker Child Policy Institute at the former Alex Haley Farm, where over 15,000 college students and recent graduates have been trained by the Ella Baker Trainers to deliver the Integrated Reading Curriculum and to make learning fun for children.
Meet a few of our Star Ella Baker Trainers
Jacarruem Bradford
“I feel in my spirit the need to invest myself in others to help develop their assets and promote the actions that lead to the difference we seek in our world. Being a servant [EBT] has been most rewarding for me. I am committed to servicing others. For some, it is a choice. For others, a calling. But for me, it is both.”
Jacarruem has been involved with CDF Freedom Schools for 10 years. Today, he teaches elementary education and owns Bradford & Company Educational Frameworks, which provides educational concerts and professional development to its clients.
Lindsay Johnson
“As an educator, children and families and their education are my passion. Being on a team of professionals with talents in differing arenas, we can impact families and communities on a large scale and cover multiple aspects of living and thriving for those individuals. Through our voices we help to market and seed new Freedom Schools around the country, from planned meetings with potential sponsors to impromptu conversations.”
Lindsay has been involved with CDF Freedom Schools for eight years. In her current work, she has collaborated with the Durham Association of Educators in organizing North Carolina’s Day of Advocacy on behalf of students, families, and teachers across the state.
Matthew Cavallo
“Being an Ella Baker Trainer for the past four years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Every time I leave [our trainings] I always come away with the same feeling that our team of EBTs, if given a couple reams of chart paper and an hour of time, could solve all the world’s problems. It is an incredibly unique, empowering, and humbling experience to serve, and one that I could not imagine missing out on.”
Matthew has been part of the CDF Freedom Schools program for seven years. Outside of his work as an EBT, Matthew is pursuing a doctorate in mathematics and instructing math at Howard University.
Evetty Satterfield
“EBTs are the backbone, heartbeat and the oxygen of the Ella Baker Child Policy National Training. EBTs keep the days flowing when many mishaps appear and soothe frustrated [staff] when chaos is all around. Serving as an Ella Baker Trainer today allows me to face the unthinkable, depend on people around me and deliver excellence despite of all the barriers that arise.”
Evetty has been involved with CDF Freedom Schools for eight years. Most recently, Evetty has secured a seat on the Knox County School Board for District 1 in Knoxville, TN, where she will continue her dedicated service for the children and families of her community.
David Williams
“To be a good leader, you cannot underestimate the importance of offering gratitude to those who are trying hard to do the right thing. I was born and raised in Marlboro County and I know that children need positive role models in their lives. As an Ella Baker Trainer, I can incite a passion of education and leadership into future leaders. Just knowing that I can help impact different people’s lives and make a difference in the community is inspirational and motivating.”
David has been involved with CDF Freedom Schools for 19 years. Outside of CDF Freedom Schools, David is pursuing his Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction while working as a fifth-grade math and science teacher in South Carolina.