After-School Program Staff Lead

About the role

EduCare Foundation partners with schools and communities across Los Angeles County to deliver expanded learning, academic enrichment, social-emotional learning, and student-support programs. Guided by our Heartset® Education approach, we create safe, caring, and engaging spaces where young people build confidence, discover their strengths, and reach their full potential. As an After-School Program Staff Lead, you will support the daily operation of a middle school after-school program, combining direct student programming with administrative support and day-to-day staff guidance.

Responsibilities

• Site Administration and Compliance
  • Support the Site Coordinator with daily administration and operation of the after-school program.
  • Collect, review, enter, and maintain accurate attendance, incident, registration, and other required program records.
  • Ensure required documentation is complete, organized, and submitted by established deadlines.
  • Support student sign-in and sign-out procedures and promptly address or report attendance discrepancies.
  • Maintain program calendars, schedules, rosters, activity plans, and other school-site documents.
  • Monitor program supplies and equipment; report missing, damaged, or malfunctioning items.
  • Follow applicable grant requirements and all EduCare, school-site, and district policies and procedures.
  • Protect confidential student, family, and employee information.
• Staff Leadership and Program Support
  • Provide day-to-day guidance and support to assigned frontline employees under the direction of the Site Coordinator.
  • Help employees understand daily assignments, schedules, program expectations, safety procedures, and documentation requirements.
  • Monitor program implementation and communicate observations, successes, concerns, and support needs to the Site Coordinator.
  • Reinforce consistent adherence to EduCare, school-site, district, grant, and program requirements.
  • Support positive teamwork, communication, accountability, and collaboration among school-site employees.
  • Assist employees with questions and routine program challenges within the scope of the position.
  • Promptly refer significant employee-performance, conduct, safety, or compliance concerns to the Site Coordinator or other appropriate leader.
  • Help identify opportunities to strengthen student engagement, program quality, and school-site operations.
  • Support adjustments to activities, schedules, staffing assignments, and program processes as directed.
• Temporary Site Coverage
  • Complete assigned training to provide temporary school-site coverage when the Site Coordinator is absent.
  • Coordinate daily program operations, employee assignments, attendance, student supervision, communication, and safety procedures during temporary coverage.
  • Serve as a point of contact for employees, students, families, and school personnel within delegated authority.
  • Promptly communicate significant student, employee, safety, compliance, or operational concerns to the appropriate program leader.
  • Document and communicate important activities, decisions, incidents, and follow-up needs to the Site Coordinator or designated supervisor.
  • Recognize the limits of delegated authority and seek leadership guidance when a situation requires approval or escalation.
• Program Facilitation and Student Engagement
  • Develop and facilitate engaging, age-appropriate academic, enrichment, and physical-recreation activities.
  • Prepare and maintain activity or lesson plans for assigned programs.
  • Provide students with clear instructions, guidance, encouragement, and constructive feedback.
  • Build meaningful relationships with students and serve as a positive mentor and role model.
  • Encourage students to explore their interests, develop new skills, build confidence, and participate fully.
  • Promote creativity, self-expression, teamwork, leadership, positive relationships, and social-emotional development.
  • Maintain active supervision of students during programs, events, transitions, and field trips.
  • Establish and consistently reinforce appropriate behavioral and safety expectations.
  • Respond appropriately to student needs and promptly report behavioral, safety, attendance, or program concerns requiring additional support.
  • Adjust activities based on students’ ages, abilities, needs, interests, participation, and feedback.
• Family, School, and Community Communication
  • Communicate professionally and respectfully with students, parents and guardians, school administrators, school-site employees, district representatives, community partners, and EduCare employees.
  • Provide families with appropriate program updates and refer sensitive, confidential, or escalated concerns to the Site Coordinator.
  • Coordinate with school personnel to support smooth program operations and alignment with school-site expectations.
  • Build collaborative relationships that strengthen student participation, family engagement, and program quality.
  • Represent EduCare Foundation professionally in all school-site and community interactions.
• Program Quality and Safety
  • Monitor program effectiveness, student participation, and activity quality; share observations and recommendations with the Site Coordinator.
  • Participate in required program observations, emergency drills, meetings, training sessions, coaching, and professional-development activities.
  • Maintain a physically and emotionally safe, inclusive, organized, and welcoming program environment.
  • Follow and reinforce all EduCare, school-site, and district safety and security procedures.
  • Promptly report incidents, injuries, hazards, suspected policy violations, or unsafe conditions.
  • Use program equipment, technology, and materials responsibly.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day work direction, guidance, and support to frontline employees under the supervision of the Site Coordinator.
• Coordinate assignments, reinforce procedures, monitor program implementation, and provide temporary site coverage when authorized.
• Actively supervise, mentor, and support students during after-school programs, activities, events, transitions, and field trips.
• Unless specifically delegated in writing, this position does not independently hire, terminate, discipline, evaluate, or make compensation decisions regarding employees; formal employment decisions remain the responsibility of designated management and Human Resources.

Requirements

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Must meet any educational or instructional-aide requirements established by the assigned school district, grant, or program.
• An associate degree, completion of at least two years of college-level coursework, or progress toward a degree in education, child development, recreation, social sciences, or a related field is preferred.

Experience

• At least two years of experience working in an after-school, youth-development, educational, recreation, or community-based program.
• Experience teaching, facilitating, mentoring, or supporting middle school students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
• Experience developing and facilitating academic, enrichment, or physical-recreation activities.
• Experience providing day-to-day guidance, training, peer leadership, or support to other employees is preferred.
• Administrative, attendance-tracking, compliance, data-entry, scheduling, or recordkeeping experience is preferred.
• Experience supporting program events, field trips, family communication, or school-site operations is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to develop and facilitate engaging, age-appropriate academic, enrichment, and physical-recreation activities.
• Ability to prepare clear and organized activity or lesson plans.
• Ability to build meaningful relationships with students and contribute to a safe, caring, inclusive, and engaging environment.
• Ability to actively supervise students and consistently reinforce behavioral and safety expectations.
• Ability to provide employees with clear day-to-day guidance, instructions, encouragement, and constructive feedback.
• Ability to support team accountability while maintaining positive and respectful working relationships.
• Ability to recognize the limits of the Staff Lead’s authority and refer employee-relations, disciplinary, safety, or compliance concerns to the Site Coordinator or other appropriate leader.