Youth Development Counselor @ Groves Elementary

Position Summary:

Assist with providing quality care in before and after-school site and camp setting by teaching values, ensuring safety and facilitating structured play and educational activities with the children, in accordance with state requirements and YMCA policy. Assist with providing a quality experience to children and parents that focuses on youth development, including the YMCA core values: honesty, respect, responsibility, caring, and faith.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Program Quality: Assist with planning and implementing lesson/activity plans curriculum that includes formal and informal play within the center and outdoors that are culturally relevant, developmentally appropriate and consistent with YMCA core values.

Daily Operations: Maintains the program site and camp environment by adhering to YMCA of Greater Houston program standards and childcare licensing minimum standards.

Leadership: Supervises children under the direction of the Site Lead. Makes sound decisions in alignment with YMCA and state standards. Acts as a role model to the children by exemplifying the YMCA’s five core values.

Relationship Building: Maintains positive relations with children, parents, school personnel, directors and other staff. Attends and participates in staff meetings, and staff trainings.

Child Abuse Presentation: Reports suspicious and inappropriate behaviors and policy violations. Follows mandated abuse and incident reporting requirements. Ensures youth are properly signed in and signed out, ensures only authorized adults are allowed in the facility, etc. Adheres to policies related to boundaries with each child. Ensures unused rooms and closets remain locked; routinely monitors high-risk locations (bathrooms), etc.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• High school diploma or general education degree (GED).
• Pass a local/state background and FBI fingerprinting check as well as independent drug test.
• At least three (6) months working with youth at a licensed facility, church, school or equivalent.
• Ability to plan, organize, and implement age-appropriate/developmentally appropriate program activities
• Current record of tuberculosis examination and/or current local health department regulations, examinations, and/or immunization as required by the local or State Department of Health.
• At least 18 years of age.
• Previous experience with diverse populations.
• CPR, First Aid, AED certifications and Child Abuse prevention trainings.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

High school diploma or general education degree (GED) with demonstrated interested in the welfare of children; prior childcare or baby-sitting experience is preferred.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add and subtract two digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10's and 100's. Ability to perform these operations using units of American money and weight measurement, volume, and distance.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out simple one- or two-step instructions. Ability to deal with standardized situations with only occasional or no variables.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in outside weather conditions. Nonsmoking and drug and alcohol free work environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, occasionally loud. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes and airborne particles, toxic, or caustic chemicals, extreme heat, and/or blood. The employee regularly is exposed to bodily excretions of children, depending on developmental level of children in the employee’s care.

For the day camp duties, the job is working for a YMCA Day Camp Program located in a YMCA, authorized building or recreational area such as a church or park.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

WORK SCHEDULE

Before/After School: Part-time, typically Monday-Friday, afternoon shift 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm (start and end time may vary). Program runs concurrently with ISD calendar.

Camp: Typically Monday-Friday, 6:30 am – 6:30 pm with a morning, afternoon and evening shift option (start and end time may vary). Camps run concurrently with ISD calendar breaks.

Must be available to attend and participate in family nights, program activities, staff meetings, and staff trainings. Details will be provided in advance.

TRAVEL

Travel is primarily to an assigned site / camp; however, there are occasions when travel to other locations may be expected.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $12.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Referral program
• Flexible schedule

Schedule:

• 4 hour shift

Work Location: In person