Americorps is actually a blanket organization too, so there are several other programs you can get involved in under Americorps (like Teach for America), where you can actually make more money than that and get health insurance. I'm a TFA teacher in the city of Philadelphia and I have the best benefits package of any other recent college grad I know, and we get a 5k education grant (for previous loans or future schooling) for each of the two years of service. Plus, you'll get paid the normal salary for a first year teacher in whichever city you end up teaching. It's a wonderful 2-year program that I think definitely boosted my application.