Greater Philadelphia-Camden offers corps members the opportunity to serve students in diverse and dynamic urban communities. The cities of Philadelphia and Camden share histories of celebrated settlement and early industrialization. Separated by the Delaware River, it is easy for corps members to live in and access both cities.
| Quick Stats |
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| Site Since: 2003 |
| Corps Size: 301 |
| Average yearly temperature: 54.3 ° |
| Car: Depending where corps members live, access to car may be essential. |
Salary: See cost of living  |
The majority of corps members in this region teach in Philadelphia, the second largest city on the East coast and the fifth largest city in the country. Currently, 25 corps members teach in Camden, which like Philadelphia is undergoing urban revitalization efforts in all sectors. The Greater Philadelphia-Camden region provides insights into U.S. history, while challenging corps members to leave their mark on it. Both cities are filled with potential as economic development, growth in educational facilities, and developed cultural offerings have paved the way for dynamic initiatives and collaboration in and across communities.
Corps members assigned to Greater Philadelphia-Camden will receive their specific placement city once they are accepted and can tell us in advance if they have a strong preference to teach in Philadelphia or Camden (by explaining this on the Assignment Preference Form in the Comments box). Regardless of their placements, corps members will have the opportunity to live in either city because of their close proximity.
Laid out in a grid, Philadelphia's neighborhoods have much to offer: hip and trendy shops and restaurants in Northern Liberties, bustling Chinatown, farmers markets and parks in West Philadelphia, or exclusive shopping nestled next to beautiful Rittenhouse Square. In South Philly corps members can shop at the expansive Italian Market, eat authentic Caribbean food, reenact scenes from Rocky, go dancing, and listen to live music; all in the same day. Stewards of history will enjoy charming Old City, where landmarks like the Liberty Bell or the Constitution Center are abundant. Philadelphians get their fill of the outdoors at Fairmount Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country, where walking and bicycle paths wind through picturesque picnic spots, along side the Schuykill River, past historic mansions, or a traditional Japanese teahouse. Just steps away, the Philadelphia Museum of Art houses over 300,000 works and has "pay what you can" admission on Sundays. There are seemingly unlimited arts and cultural offerings with numerous museums, and performance venues with affordable admission costs.
In all parts of the city, corps members have different housing options. With over 200,000 college students living in the Philadelphia area, a range of affordable housing abounds. West Philadelphia, west of the Schuylkill River and home to the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, is a diverse neighborhood where active block associations provide a sense of community.. Corps members can choose to live together and rent a whole house or many homes have been converted into one, two and three-bedroom apartments. There are a number of restaurants serving up a diverse array of food, anything from Indian to Thai to Ethiopian.
In the neighborhoods within Center City, corps members can choose between larger apartment complexes and apartments in brownstone houses. Center City is home to many restaurants, theaters, gyms, and nightlife. In South Philadelphia, many corps members can rent rowhomes or apartments. There are many affordable housing options in this increasingly ethnically diverse area.
The Art Museum area and Northern Liberties are also two neighborhoods where corps members choose to live. . Both of these rest north of Center City and have become increasingly popular because of a resurgence in housing options. Corps members can go to many of the restaurants and coffeeshops just steps away from their homes. For corps members who prefer more residential communities, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill, and Norristown are a short and scenic drive away from Center City.
With the beaches and resorts of the Jersey Shore and beautiful hiking destinations only a short drive away, the city of Camden itself is in the midst of a major revitalization. State aid and private developers are investing in restaurants, museums, schools, hospitals, and university buildings. The success of this effort can be seen in a new light-rail system in the downtown area as well as a waterfront overlooking the Delaware River and Philadelphia skyline. The city of Camden houses various entertaining venues and activities, including the New Jersey State Aquarium, Riversharks' state-of-the-art baseball stadium, the Tweeter Center, which features concerts and events, the historic Walt Whitman House, as well as an emerging local art scene.
Once a thriving industrial city, Camden experienced a great drain of resources in the late 20th century. Now, policy makers and reformists are working at a grass-roots level to bring in much-needed programs and resources to reverse this trend, and Teach For America seeks to play a role in the city’s rebuilding efforts.
Corps members teaching in Camden have numerous housing options to choose from, whether within the city limits of Camden or any of the surrounding suburbs, such as Collingswood, Pennsauken or Cherry Hill. Within the city itself,- there is a plethora of diverse restaurants, and there are three huge shopping areas within a 10-mile radius. Corps members in this region live either in Camden, its surrounding New Jersey suburbs, or Philadelphia.
The Greater Philadelphia-Camden corps is focused on student achievement and creates a strong sense of commitment and community among its members. Corps members meet monthly, in conjunction with their state’s respective university classes, for content-based learning teams facilitated by a majority of Teach For America alumni. . Corps members receive ongoing support through classroom observations, meetings with their program director, learning teams, issues-based workshops specific to teacher needs, as well as all-corps meetings. Greater Philadelphia-Camden corps members have the opportunity to lead extracurricular activities, participate in community service events, teach after school tutorials for low-performing students, and share best practices from their classroom. Many corps members teach in schools with other corps members or alumni, which further provides them with extensive support and guidance. The Teach For America • Greater Philadelphia-Camden regional program team is committed to creating a network of support for corps members to access, in addition to the network they create among themselves. While the regional program team is determined to support corps members as they strive to impact student achievement, individual corps members take responsibility for accessing and contributing to this network of support.
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