Fall TK/Kinder Youth Development Professional (After School) - Roosevelt Elementary

Position Overview

As a Youth Development Professional, you’ll create a nurturing, playful, and engaging after-school environment where young children can explore, grow, and build confidence. Through hands-on activities, guided play, and positive reinforcement, you’ll support their early learning, social-emotional development, and foundational skills in a way that feels fun and exciting.

Essential Functions

• Engaged Supervision – Maintain constant supervision and create a secure, nurturing environment where young children feel safe, comforted, and supported as they explore and grow.
• Facilitate Engaging Activities – Lead interactive, play-based learning experiences that encourage language development, sensory exploration, motor skills, and social-emotional growth.
• Adapt and Implement Lessons – Deliver hands-on, developmentally appropriate activities that build early literacy, math concepts, problem-solving skills, and self-regulation, adapting based on individual needs and interests.
• Create a Positive Learning Environment – Establish predictable routines, model positive behavior, and use gentle, proactive strategies to guide social skills, emotional expression, and conflict resolution.
• Build Positive Relationships – Foster trust and attachment by offering warmth, encouragement, and individualized attention that supports children’s emotional security and confidence.
• Manage Daily Operations – Oversee smooth transitions between activities, snack time, rest periods, toileting needs, and play, ensuring a structured yet flexible routine that supports young children’s development.
• Collaborate with Your Team – Work closely with colleagues to share observations, adjust strategies, and create a cohesive, developmentally supportive environment.
• Be Flexible and Support Where Needed – Step in to assist with various needs, including comforting children, modifying activities, or adjusting the day’s structure to ensure a positive and enriching experience.

Qualifications & Experience

• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Demonstrated patience, flexibility, and emotional intelligence in working with young children
• Ability to maintain a safe, structured, and developmentally appropriate environment
• CPR and First Aid Certification (or willingness to obtain within 30 days of hire)
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, managing transitions, playtime, and structured learning with flexibility and patience
• High emotional intelligence and integrity, with a deep understanding of how to support early social-emotional development
• Ability to connect authentically with young children, building trust through warmth, consistency, and engaging interactions
• Extreme patience and the ability to stay calm under pressure, especially when helping children navigate big emotions, social conflicts, or new experiences
• Educational Requirements (Must have one of the following):
• High school diploma + 48 college semester units (˜ 2 years college)
• High school diploma + an Associate’s (or higher) degree
• High school diploma + a passing score on the district’s Paraeducator/Paraprofessional Exam
• Preferred:
• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Education, or related field
• Bilingual in Spanish or another language commonly spoken in the community
• Familiarity with play-based, trauma-informed, or social-emotional learning approaches
• Multi-conversational language skills are a HUGE plus (Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Tagalog)

Work Environment

• Frequently required to stand
• Frequently required to walk
• Occasionally required to sit
• Frequently required to utilize hand and finger dexterity
• Frequently required to climb, balance, bend, stoop, kneel or crawl
• Continually required to talk to, see and hear youth
• Rarely work in high, precarious places (playground equipment height)
• Occasionally exposure to outside weather conditions
• Occasionally exposure to bloodborne and airborne pathogens or infectious materials (Communicable diseases in an office environment including COVID-19, common cold, and flu viruses. Negative TB screen required)
• While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50-70 pounds (with support, a child that has fallen)
• Specialized equipment: Walkie Talkie radios for communication