Assistant Program Director, After School Programs

About the role

The Assistant Program Director for After School Programming supports the Program Director in the daily administration, supervision, and delivery of a high-quality DYCD-funded after-school program. The position helps ensure that programming is safe, inclusive, youth-centered, and consistent with the approved DYCD Work scope, program schedule, contractual requirements, and organizational policies. The Assistant Program Director provides direct supervision and guidance to assigned program staff, monitors participant attendance and engagement, supports curriculum implementation, maintains required documentation, communicates with families and school partners, and assists with continuous quality improvement. In the Program Director’s absence, the Assistant Program Director assumes responsibility for daily site operations and serves as the primary on-site contact.

Responsibilities

• Program Operations and Compliance: Support the day-to-day operation of the afterschool program, ensuring services are delivered in accordance with DYCD contracts, program goals, enrollment targets, regulatory requirements, and organizational policies. Monitor program activities, participant supervision, staffing ratios, facility readiness, and daily site operations to ensure a safe, organized, and high-quality program environment. Assist with program opening and closing procedures, special events, and overall site coordination. Serve as the primary site leader in the absence of the Program Director, ensuring continuity of program operations, supervision, compliance, and participant safety. Support compliance with all applicable requirements of DYCD, DOE, DOHMH, OCFS/SACC, and other regulatory agencies.
• Program Quality and Youth Development: Support the implementation of engaging, age-appropriate programs that promote positive youth development and incorporate social-emotional learning, literacy and academic enrichment, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and arts), physical activity and healthy living, leadership and life-skills development, college and career awareness, and arts, recreation, and cultural enrichment. Review program plans, conduct observations, and provide coaching and feedback to staff to ensure high-quality instruction and participant engagement. Support the Program Director in creating opportunities for participants to share their interests, influence program activities, assume leadership roles, and provide meaningful feedback on their program experience. Foster an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive environment that meets the diverse needs, abilities, identities, and interests of participants, and collaborate with the Inclusion Coordinator and other designated staff to ensure appropriate accommodations and meaningful participation for all youth. Assist with continuous quality improvement efforts, including corrective action plans, monitoring follow-up, and implementation of program enhancements.
• Staff Supervision and Development: Provide supervision, guidance, scheduling support, and daily oversight to frontline staff, interns, and volunteers, ensuring adequate staffing coverage and compliance with required participant-to-staff ratios. Assist with staff recruitment, onboarding, training, professional development, and performance management. Monitor staff attendance, preparedness, professional conduct, and compliance with organizational and regulatory requirements. Support coaching, documentation, and corrective action processes as needed. Ensure staff understand and adhere to safety procedures, mandated-reporting requirements, and participant supervision expectations.
• Participant Engagement, Attendance, and Family Partnerships: Monitor participant enrollment, attendance, participation, and retention to ensure compliance with contractual requirements and achievement of program enrollment and participation goals. Oversee the accurate collection, review, and timely entry of attendance and enrollment data, regularly monitoring attendance trends, absenteeism, lateness, and participation rates, and addressing discrepancies or areas of concern. Develop and implement strategies to improve participant engagement, attendance, and retention, including outreach to families, follow-up regarding absences or inconsistent attendance, identification of barriers to participation, and implementation of re-engagement strategies. Support recruitment, enrollment, orientation, and retention efforts, maintaining accurate enrollment records, participant files, and waitlists, and ensuring enrollment and rate-of-participation requirements are met. Establish and maintain positive relationships with participants and families by communicating program expectations, attendance requirements, participant progress, upcoming events, and available support services; responding to questions and concerns; and elevating significant issues as appropriate. Support family engagement initiatives, including orientations, workshops, conferences, celebrations, and other program events that strengthen participant and family connections. Collaborate with school personnel, community partners, and service providers to support participant success, align program activities with school-day priorities, expand