After-School Counselor, Willis Road Ymca

The Y is looking to hire passionate staff to impact the youth in our After School program!

up to 20 hours a week

The After School counselor is responsible for the daily supervision of after-school program participants. S/he is responsible for assisting in the planning, development, and implementation of all 9 program components and program activities in the after-school program. The counselor guides the academic and social development of children; ensuring a safe, enriching, and healthy learning environment. After School counselors use a variety of resources, provided by the After-School Site Director to introduce new skills throughout the execution of activities. To accomplish this, counselors are required to participate in ongoing professional development and planning sessions with the After-School Site Director on a scheduled basis.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Demonstrates a working knowledge of YMCA mission, purpose and goals, childcare policies, and YMCA standards; ensures the program meets the highest standards of excellence.
• Serves as a positive role model, demonstrates professional behavior, and understand positive youth development approaches to the academic and social development of youth.
• Facilitates a programming environment that invites exploration promotes positive play and welcomes children.
• Communicates regularly with parents; attends parent/family events as designated by the supervisor.
• Provides careful, attentive supervision, alert at all times.
• Ensures the safety and engagement of children in the assigned group.
• Follows program lesson plans and implementation plan in a developmentally appropriate manner, meeting the individual physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs of the participants.
• Promotes a team concept through a positive approach to supervision, communication, and interactions with others. Maintains on-going communication with the supervisor.
• Provide assistance with homework and encourage academic progress.
• Maintain accurate classroom records as assigned and according to program requirements.

Education, Experience, And Skills

• Must be capable of implementing the daily administrative, program-related, and supervisory responsibilities of an after-school site.
• Must possess oral, auditory, and written communication skills appropriate for interacting with both children and adults.
• Exceptional group management, problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills.
• A minimum of two years prior experience working with children under 13 years of age preferred.
• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Experience in creating interactive and educational/artistic activities, youth development, academic enrichment, and arts.
• Must be at least 18 years of age or older.
• Flexibility, with the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Change Capacity. Leads self and others through change by navigating ambiguity appropriately and adapting well to new situations, obstacles, and opportunities.
• Relationships. Builds authentic relationships in the service of enhancing individual and team performance to support the Y's work.
• Quality Results. Demonstrates and fosters a strong commitment to achieving goals in a manner that provides evidenced-based quality experiences.
• Inclusion. Values all people for their unique talents, and takes an active role in promoting practices that support diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence.
• Emotional Maturity. Demonstrates effective interpersonal skills.
• Values. Demonstrates in word and action the Y’s core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility and a commitment to the Y’s mission, in all matters at all times.
• Developing Others. Recognizes and acts on the need to continually develop others’ capabilities to attain the highest level of performance possible.
• Influence. Employs influence strategies (verbal, personal and written) that engage, inspire, and build commitment to the cause and overall Y goals.
• Decision Making. Integrates logic, intuition, and sound judgment to analyze information to identify the greatest opportunities, make sound decisions, and solve problems.
• Communication. Listens and expresses self effectively and in a manner that reflects a true understanding of the needs of the audience. Understands and expertly utilizes current methods of communication (PowerPoint, Prezi, Video, Audio, Animoto, etc…)
• Innovation. Participates in the generation, experimentation, and implementation of new approaches and activities that improve and expand the Y’s mission and work.