Playworks Utah AmeriCorps Recess Coach
Apply to be a Recess Coach today to change the lives of kids in your community tomorrow!
ABOUT PLAYWORKS
At Playworks we believe in the power of play to bring out the best in every kid. We are changing school climate by leveraging the power of safe, fun, and healthy play at school every day. We create a place for every kid on the playground and in school to feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills. We partner with schools, districts, and after-school programs to provide a service or mix of services including on-site coaches, professional training for school staff who support recess, and consultative partnerships.
ABOUT THE POSITION
As a Playworks AmeriCorps Member (aka Recess Coach), you will improve the school climate at a local elementary school by ensuring that every kid gets to play every day. You’ll be on-site at schools, making a difference on the playground and in the school community.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Implement a youth leadership program by providing student leadership opportunities at recess and facilitating trainings for a cohort of students before or after school.
- Lead individual classes to build youth leadership skills, promote cooperation, and introduce new games that kids can play on the playground
- Create a safe and inclusive recess on the playground by being a caring role model to ensure that every kid plays every day.
- Enlist and coach students in interscholastic/developmental sports leagues that might include basketball, volleyball, or soccer.
- Design and implement a community event during the year that engages students’ families.
- Recruit and coordinate volunteers who will join you to strengthen school climate.
- Develop a strong school culture by influencing, motivating and building rapport with faculty, administrators, parents, and volunteers.
- Participate in national days of service and some weekend service projects in the greater community.
- Flex your administrative muscles to organize program schedules, track your hours, and collect and enter important program data.
- Alternate activities may be requested based on school needs and as approved and in collaboration with Playworks.. Modifications could include online instruction and virtual delivery of recess or class game time activities, urgent community service activities such as support for school meals distribution during COVID -19, etc.
Essential Qualifications
- Be at least 18 years of age
- US Citizenship or Permanent Resident status
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Commitment to fulfilling your entire term of service with the ability to serve your scheduled hours consistently - depending on enrollment term, service typically requires a full-time commitment and minimum of 900 service hours over the remaining school year (typically 6 months from December to June with participation in a minimum of one (1) National Day of Service, as well as ongoing required trainings and professional development)
- Experience leading or teaching groups of children with the ability to engage and inspire youth
- Must be an organized self-starter exhibiting good judgment with the flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities and demands
- Experience using technology required to input program data and communicate with other team members- we use Salesforce and Google products
- Comfort with online environment and delivering information and instruction virtually
- Deep commitment to national and community service as demonstrated through volunteerism or other service work
- Experience interacting with diverse communities and the ability to integrate into an existing school community
- Ongoing access to reliable transportation to and from your assigned school site
- Criminal history background checks are conducted on all AmeriCorps members when an offer is made. Your term of service is always contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background check. The results of state and FBI criminal history background checks and national sexual offender checks through the National Sex Offender Public Registry Website (NSOPW) are considered.
- Successful completion of a Tuberculosis (TB) test and CPR and First Aid certification upon hire
- School and School District may have, in collaboration with Playworks, additional requirement(s) to be determined for work at school site including use of temperature screening, COVID 19 testing and use of protective equipment such as face guards or gloves and mask
Benefits of being an AmeriCorps member at Playworks:
- A modest living allowance within federal AmeriCorps national service program guidelines. The living allowance will be paid semi-monthly through Playworks Medical health insurance for individual member at no cost
- Access to Dental and Vision insurance at a low cost
- Education award that can be used for eligible student loans, tuition, and other education related expenses after successful completion of your service year. See more information here-www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/alumni/segal-americorps-education-award
- Child care expense reimbursement if you qualify- see www.americorpschildcare.com
- Enrollment as an AmeriCorps service member- see www.americorps.gov for details
- Leadership skill development and valuable experience for a career in education and youth development
- You’ll make a lasting difference in children’s lives and your community and what's better than that?
Service Environment: This position operates in a K-12 school environment both indoors and outdoors. The position interacts with children on playgrounds and in classrooms on a daily basis. The position may also require occasional virtual instruction.
Typical physical and mental demands:
This position requires sufficient physical ability and mobility to stand for extended periods at times; walk on a school site in various weather conditions; to climb stairs at some sites; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach and twist and, dependent on assignment the employee may occasionally lift, push, pull and/or move up to 50 pounds.
Requires a range of hearing, vision, and speech that enables the member to exchange information, to hear and locate the source of a sound in a noisy environment and to see effectively to monitor student activities
In the event of virtual instruction activities, position will require use of computer technology.
Playworks provides reasonable accommodations to applicants, members, and employees as required by law. Applicants with disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation at any point in the interview, service, or employment process.
Playworks is changing the way children experience school every day by leveraging the power of safe and healthy play. We create a place for every kid on the playground to feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills. Our ambitions demand that we invest in recruiting, developing and managing a team that reflects the broad diversity of our communities. Our core values of inclusion, respect, healthy community and healthy play are the foundation of our organization and are infused in all aspects of our work, including recruiting and retaining the best talent we can.
As an equal opportunity program, Playworks encourages applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, physical ability or any other legally protected basis. Playworks evaluates all candidates on a merit basis.