STEAM Afterschool Instructor

About the role

Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership (PAEP) is a non-profit organization that provides after-school and summer programming integrating the arts with STEM learning for students in grades 3–8. PAEP has developed a collaborative model that brings together teaching artists, arts organizations, and Pre-K–12 schools to design, implement, and assess high-quality arts-integrated programs. The organization focuses on enriching student learning through creative, project-based approaches that connect arts and academic content. PAEP’s mission is to promote lifelong learning in and through the arts, helping young people build skills in creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. The organization values equitable access to arts education and community partnerships that support student growth.

The STEAM Afterschool Instructor is a part-time, on-site position located in Philadelphia, PA. We are currently prioritizing candidates able to work at Penrose School, but also seeking candidates for Andrew J. Morrison Elementary, Anna Lingelbach Elementary, and Castor Gardens Middle School. This role is an independent contractor position with bi-monthly payment issued via direct deposit.

Schedule

After school programming runs on Mondays – Thursdays from 3:00pm – 6:00pm, beginning in late September through the spring.

Responsibilities

Our school sites serve students in grades 3-8, with an average of 20 students per day (rolling admissions). Your role would be to introduce creative activities to small groups of students, focused on dance, music, visual arts, design, horticulture, or STEM. STEM leaning instructors will lead a daily Design Challenge activity intended for team building and design thinking skills, and our arts leaning instructors will facilitate daily Arts Blocks in which they guide project-based learning in their arts field for students.

Qualifications

• Ability to design and facilitate STEAM-focused lessons that integrate arts with STEM concepts, using project-based and experiential learning approaches.
• Classroom or youth program experience working with students in grades 3–8, including group management and behavior support in diverse learning environments.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills for engaging students, collaborating with colleagues, and maintaining professional relationships with school partners.
• Organizational and time-management skills to plan sessions, prepare materials, document activities, and meet program deadlines and reporting expectations.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive teaching practices that support learners from varied backgrounds and abilities.
• Preferred: Experience in arts education, STEM education, or STEAM integration; familiarity with Philadelphia school communities.

Skills

The ideal candidate is an educator that is eager to build relationships with students, and sees themselves as an interdisciplinary artist-scientist– with perhaps unconventional connections to multiple fields–that can not only teach our students STEM and arts skills but role model to them the many interconnections that can be found between the STEM and arts worlds. Experience teaching groups of students in grades 3-8 is preferred, and fluency in languages beyond English would be appreciated and welcomed.