School Age Teacher - After School Program

Schedule: 20+ hours per week, Monday – Friday 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm with opportunities for additional hours. Benefits eligible. In-person.

Pay range: $19.00 – $20.42 per hour.

About the Role

The School Age Teacher is responsible for creating a warm, nurturing, safe, and engaging environment where children can build relationships, develop independence, collaborate with others, explore their interests, and feel respected for who they are. In addition to working directly with children, the School Age Teacher takes a leadership role in planning programming, guiding classroom staff, communicating with families, and ensuring that the program meets Young Wonders and New York State Office of Children and Family Services standards.

Responsibilities

• Plan and provide programming that meets the emotional, physical, intellectual, and social needs of individual children and the group.
• Build positive relationships with children and actively encourage their participation in activities and learning experiences.
• Create and maintain a warm, safe, orderly, stimulating, challenging, clean, and appealing program environment.
• Develop weekly written lesson plans and plan engaging activities and field trips for children ages 5–12.
• Provide assistants, aides, substitutes, and other classroom staff with opportunities to contribute to program planning while appropriately delegating responsibilities to ensure successful program implementation.
• Establish and maintain positive communication with parents and guardians through regular informal communication and formal documentation when requested or needed.
• Assist with the training, supervision, and evaluation of support staff.
• Meet and maintain satisfactory standards under the School Age Environment Rating Scale.
• Recognize behavioral challenges that may arise with school-age children and collaborate with program administration to develop appropriate behavioral guidance plans.
• Effectively manage multiple responsibilities in a busy, fast-paced environment.
• Maintain all health and safety requirements established by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), our licensing and governing agency.
• Maintain necessary program records, documentation, and files.
• Develop meaningful relationships with children from diverse backgrounds, treating every child with dignity and respect while considering each child within the context of their cultural and socioeconomic background.
• Participate in staff meetings, in-service training, conferences, and other professional development opportunities as required.
• Assist children with toileting needs, including diaper changing when necessary.
• Serve as the Director’s designee when assigned.
• Perform other responsibilities related to the position and needs of the program.

Qualifications

Candidates must meet one of the following education and experience pathways:

• An Associate’s degree in Child Development, Elementary Education, Physical Education, Recreation, or a related field; OR
• A School-Age Child Care Credential or other OCFS-recognized credential specific to the school-age developmental period and at least one year of experience working with children under age 13; OR
• A high school diploma or equivalent and at least two years of direct experience working with children under age 13.

Skills

• Relates to children and parents/guardians with warmth, patience, sensitivity, and enthusiasm.
• Demonstrates emotional maturity, stability, and sound judgment.
• Can appropriately respond to challenging or crisis situations and use supervision and feedback constructively.
• Has the ability to lead and supervise aides and other support personnel.
• Is organized and able to maintain appropriate records and documentation.
• Has the physical stamina necessary to work actively with school-age children.
• Is able to lift and carry a child weighing up to 40 pounds.
• Possesses, or is willing to obtain, certification in Pediatric First Aid, Personal Safety, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) use.

Benefits

At Young Wonders, you will help create a community where children feel safe, respected, challenged, supported, and encouraged to become more confident and independent. You will also be part of a mission-driven organization committed to equity, dignity, empowerment, and creating stronger communities.