Playworks Coach in New England: SY2020 Full-Time In-School Position
Apply today to change the lives of kids in our community during the 2020-2021 school year- expected start date of August 2020. APPLY HERE
Do you believe in the power of play to bring out the best in every kid? If you are motivated and you possess leadership experience, we want you to join our team to bring your passion for play to a school near you.
Playworks is the leading national nonprofit leveraging the power of play to get kids physically active and transform children’s social and emotional health. We believe in the power of play to bring out the best in every kid and are changing school climates by leveraging the power of safe, fun, and healthy play at school every day.
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, every school day, making a difference on the playground and in the school community.
How you’ll make an impact:
- Create a safe and inclusive recess on the playground by being a caring role model to ensure that every kid plays every day.
- 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, including the rules and boundaries.
- 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 at the school site.
- Recruit and coordinate volunteers who will join you at recess 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.
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- this term of service requires a minimum of 1700 hours over the entire school year (typically 10 months), participation in a minimum of three (3) National Days 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
- 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
Benefits of being an AmeriCorps member at Playworks:
- A modest living stipend paid out semi-monthly, with amounts varying by region
- Medical health insurance 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?
Playworks is a hands-on, creative, playful and fun-loving place to be, all while contributing to the success of our nation’s youth. So if you're ready to immerse yourself in the education sector, take on a rewarding set of challenges and if you've got the skills, experience, passion, and a team spirit, apply!
For more information about AmeriCorps service with Playworks, check out www.playworks.org/coach
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.
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
Playworks provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees as required by law. Applicants with disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation at any point in the employment process.
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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.