Park/Camp Counselor - Safe Places to Play
POSITION PURPOSE
Park Counselors are responsible for the safe play of all children between the ages of 3-17 years old who participate in our Safe Places to Play program, located within several parks throughout East Camden and North Camden, NJ. The Park Counselors will engage children with fun games, activities, crafts, exercise, and nutritional education. Grant funding currently allows the Y to continue to lead the charge in ‘taking back’ the public parks in the City of Camden by offering this great program at no-cost to Camden residents. Children have access to fun playground equipment, as well as group games and sports led by Y staff.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Plan and organize fun activities for the children.
- Provide direct supervision to a group of children in a park setting.
- Provide a quality experience to children focusing on the YMCA core values.(Honest, Respect, Caring and Responsibility)
- Assist in the distribution of healthy snacks and meals if provided to park location.
- Enjoy the park setting and every aspect of creating a fun environment for the children.
- Lead activities such as arts and crafts, exercise, and sports.(basketball, football, baseball, etc….)
- Responsible for the general safety and well-being of the children who participate in the program.
- Be a role model and make a rewarding and fun experience for all the children.
- Administer basic first aid, if and when needed.
- Organize and set up equipment that is used for activities.
- Follow the social distancing guidelines set in place by the CDC and YMCA; including by not limited to wearing a mask while working in program.
ROLE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
- Experience working with children of all ages.
- Park Counselors need to have open availability during the times of Monday-Friday 2:00pm-6:00pm, and Saturdays 11:00am-3:00pm
- Experience as a camp counselor is a plus.
- Problem-solving skills
- Applicants must be at least 18 years old
- High-school education or equivalent (required)
- Park Counselors must be able to attend ALL Safe Places to Play staff trainings provided by the YMCA
OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
All Greater Philadelphia YMCA staff are responsible for the following:
- COMMITMENT TO CHILD PROTECTION
- Ensure that children in the care of the GPY and participating programming are kept safe from harm.
- As a Mandated Reporter you are obligated to report ALL suspicions of abuse or neglect to the requisite state agency.
- COMMITMENT TO SAFETY
- Maintaining the safety of all members and staff by identifying and correcting risk situations, and ensuring incident-reporting procedures are followed.
- Ensuring the overall cleanliness of the facility.
- ADDITIONALLY
- Maintaining a clean, well-groomed appearance and keeping in compliance with the Association and Department Dress Code Policy.
- Exhibit strong leadership skills; possess a passion and commitment to member service and satisfaction, building and maintaining a culture of ensuring excellent Member Experience (MX).
- A commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Essential Duties and Responsibility Addition for All Staff:
In order to ensure the health and wellness of the employees, members, and visitors of the GPY YMCA and all locations where GPY YMCA operates business, in addition to the essential duties and responsibilities listed on your current job description, the following are additional duties and responsibilities that may be assigned at any time where appropriate during the COVID-19 pandemic or any pandemic/communicable disease where the duties are appropriate. These additions are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive and other duties may be assigned and required as needed:
- Enhanced cleaning in areas where the employee is not directly/normally assigned as well as normally assigned areas. All employees are expected to assist in and support the efforts of the GPY YMCA when it comes to health and wellness for the facility and other locations where the GPY YMCA conducts business. All employees are expected to wipe machines, screens, computers, or anything that is used after they use it, all employees are expected to wash their hands on a frequent basis (recommended every 30 minutes if possible), and use hand sanitizer when hand washing is not available.
- Temperature Taking/Wellness Questionnaire Taking Assignments
- Directing Members/Visitors in areas where the employee is both normally and not normally assigned
- The employee may be assigned to areas other than their normally assigned area as needed to meet organizational needs. Examples of this include, but are not limited to, being assigned areas to count people, help direct flow of traffic in an area, being assigned to a specific area to assist with doors, and any other duty as needed by the organization.
- All other duties as assigned as it relates to COVID-19 or other communicable disease and/or pandemic.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Ability to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken word to impart oral information and to convey detailed, spoken instructions to staff, members, children, and volunteers accurately, quickly, and loudly. Ability to perceive the nature of sounds by ear; ability to lift and carry 50-75 pounds; ability to maintain body equilibrium to prevent falling. Ability to move about on foot quickly; ability to stoop, kneel, crouch and crawl. Ability to sit or stand for long periods of time. Ability to judge distances and spatial relationships so as to see objects where they actually are and clearly see at 20 inches or less and 20 feet or more.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
Exposure to high levels of noise and various environmental conditions.
Acquire and maintain the following certifications:
- CPR/AED/O2/First Aid obtained through the American Red Cross (valid 2 years)
- Requisite OSHA online trainings (valid 1 year unless otherwise noted)
- Mandated Reporter Training (valid 5 years)
- Additional training and development specific to your role as reference in onboarding packet.