After-School Program Staff Lead in Walnut Park, California at The Educare Foundation

About EduCare Foundation

At EduCare Foundation, we believe that love is the foundation of education and that every young person deserves the opportunity to learn, lead, and thrive.

Through expanded learning, academic enrichment, social-emotional learning, and student-support programs, we partner with schools and communities across Los Angeles County to help young people build confidence, discover their strengths, and reach their full potential.

Our mission is to inspire and empower young people to become responsible global citizens, courageous and compassionate leaders, and to live their dreams. Guided by our Heartset® Education approach, our employees create safe, caring, and engaging spaces where students feel seen, supported, and inspired.

When you join EduCare, you are not simply accepting a job—you are becoming part of a mission-driven community committed to shaping brighter futures.

Position Summary

The After-School Program Staff Lead helps bring EduCare Foundation’s mission to life by supporting the daily operation of a safe, organized, engaging, and student-centered middle school after-school program.

Working closely with the Site Coordinator, the Staff Lead combines direct student programming with administrative support and day-to-day staff guidance. This position generally dedicates approximately two hours each workday to office, attendance, compliance, and program-support responsibilities while also facilitating academic, enrichment, or physical-recreation activities for students.

The Staff Lead serves as a dependable resource for students, families, school personnel, and program employees. The position receives training to provide temporary school-site coverage when the Site Coordinator is absent and helps ensure that program expectations, safety requirements, and EduCare procedures are followed consistently.

Why Join EduCare?

As an After-School Program Staff Lead, you will have the opportunity to expand your leadership skills while continuing to work directly with young people. You will help create the organization, consistency, and caring relationships that allow students and after-school programs to thrive.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to:

• Make a meaningful difference in the lives of middle school students.
• Lead engaging academic, enrichment, and physical-recreation activities.
• Serve as a mentor and positive role model for students.
• Develop practical experience in staff leadership, school-site administration, compliance, and program operations.
• Help create a safe and welcoming environment where students feel connected and supported.
• Strengthen your skills through training, coaching, collaboration, and professional development.
• Prepare for future advancement into school-site or expanded-learning leadership roles.
• Work alongside colleagues who believe in leading with empathy, integrity, and heart.

If you are dependable, organized, compassionate, and ready to grow as a leader while remaining connected to students, we would love to learn more about you.

What You’ll Do

In this role, you will combine student engagement, program facilitation, administrative support, and day-to-day staff leadership. Your primary responsibilities will include:

Site Administration and Compliance

• Support the Site Coordinator with the daily administration and operation of the assigned 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.
• Help maintain program calendars, schedules, rosters, activity plans, and other school-site documents.
• Monitor program supplies and equipment and ensure materials are properly organized, stored, and maintained.
• Promptly report missing, damaged, or malfunctioning supplies and equipment to the Site Coordinator.
• 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.
• Help 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 the authority delegated by program leadership.
• 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

• Help monitor program effectiveness, student participation, and activity quality.
• Share observations and recommendations with the Site Coordinator and support approved program improvements.
• Participate in required program observations, emergency drills, meetings, training sessions, coaching, and professional-development activities.
• Help 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.
• Perform other related duties and projects as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The After-School Program Staff Lead provides day-to-day work direction, guidance, and support to frontline employees under the supervision of the Site Coordinator. The Staff Lead may coordinate assignments, reinforce procedures, monitor program implementation, and provide temporary site coverage when authorized.

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.

The Staff Lead is also responsible for actively supervising, mentoring, and supporting students during after-school programs, activities, events, transitions, and field trips.

Additional Responsibilities

The duties listed above describe the primary responsibilities of the position but are not intended to be an exhaustive list. The After-School Program Staff Lead may perform other related duties and projects as assigned to support students, employees, the school community, and EduCare Foundation’s mission.

What You’ll Bring

We are looking for a dependable, organized, and compassionate emerging leader who believes in the potential of every young person. The ideal candidate has experience working directly with students, earns the trust of colleagues, communicates clearly, and can balance program facilitation with administrative, compliance, and day-to-day leadership responsibilities.

Required Qualifications

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.
• Strong administrative, organizational, time-management, and recordkeeping skills.
• Ability to collect, review, enter, and maintain accurate attendance, incident, registration, and compliance documentation.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to completing assignments accurately and on time.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to communicate with empathy, professionalism, and respect.
• Ability to communicate appropriately with students, families, school personnel, district representatives, community partners, and EduCare employees.
• Ability to provide routine program updates to families while referring sensitive or confidential matters to the Site Coordinator.
• Ability to manage multiple responsibilities, deadlines, interruptions, and changing priorities.
• Ability to remain calm, focused, and solutions-oriented during unexpected situations.
• Ability to understand and follow written, verbal, and electronic instructions.
• Sound judgment, initiative, discretion, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative and supportive team.
• Ability to coordinate work and accomplish tasks through employees over whom the Staff Lead may not have formal supervisory authority.
• Ability to receive and apply coaching, feedback, and program direction.
• Ability to adapt to changing schedules, student needs, staffing conditions, program priorities, and school-site assignments.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace and shared-document platforms.
• Ability to learn and use databases, attendance-tracking systems, scheduling tools, timekeeping applications, and other workplace technology.
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish is preferred.

What Success Looks Like at EduCare

Leading with Heart

Approaches students, families, colleagues, and school communities with empathy, patience, authenticity, and respect. Helps create an environment where people feel seen, heard, valued, and supported.

Student Connection and Belonging

Builds positive relationships with students and encourages participation, creativity, self-expression, confidence, leadership, and social-emotional growth. Recognizes that every interaction is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

Emerging Leadership

Leads by example, earns the trust of students and colleagues, communicates expectations clearly, and supports others in completing their responsibilities successfully.

Staff Guidance and Support

Provides respectful day-to-day direction, reinforces established procedures, responds appropriately to routine questions, and promptly involves the Site Coordinator when an issue requires greater authority or expertise.

Program Facilitation

Creates and facilitates engaging academic, enrichment, and physical-recreation activities. Adjusts programming based on students’ ages, abilities, needs, interests, participation, and feedback.

Active Student Supervision

Remains engaged and attentive during program activities, maintains awareness of the school-site environment, reinforces behavioral and safety expectations, and responds promptly to student needs and concerns.

Commitment to Student Success

Keeps students at the center of the work and understands how meaningful activities, caring relationships, accurate records, strong teamwork, and organized programs contribute to positive student outcomes.

Site Operations and Compliance

Completes attendance, incident, registration, scheduling, and other administrative responsibilities accurately and on time. Helps ensure that employees follow applicable program, grant, school-site, district, and EduCare requirements.

Communication

Communicates clearly, professionally, and respectfully; listens to understand; keeps appropriate individuals informed; and adjusts communication for different audiences and situations.

Family and School Partnership

Builds collaborative relationships with families and school personnel, provides appropriate program information, and supports alignment between EduCare’s program and the school community.

Collaboration and Community

Works effectively with the Site Coordinator, frontline employees, school personnel, families, and program leadership. Contributes to a positive team environment and recognizes that EduCare’s impact is strengthened when people work together.

Professionalism and Integrity

Treats others with dignity and respect, maintains appropriate professional boundaries, protects confidential information, follows through on commitments, and models the conduct expected of EduCare employees.

Adaptability

Responds constructively to changing priorities, student needs, staffing challenges, program conditions, delays, and unexpected situations.

Dependability and Accountability

Reports to work and meetings on time, takes responsibility for assigned duties, meets deadlines, and communicates promptly when support or an adjusted plan is needed.

Initiative and Problem-Solving

Anticipates needs, takes ownership of responsibilities, identifies practical solutions, acts within the scope of the position, and seeks leadership assistance when appropriate.

Judgment and Escalation

Uses sound judgment, responds appropriately to routine student and program matters, documents significant concerns, and promptly escalates situations involving safety, employee conduct, compliance, or matters outside the Staff Lead’s delegated authority.

Planning, Quality, and Accuracy

Organizes responsibilities, uses time effectively, maintains complete records, reviews work for accuracy, incorporates feedback, and looks for ways to strengthen program quality and school-site operations.

Safety and Care

Actively contributes to a physically and emotionally safe environment. Follows and reinforces all EduCare, school-site, and district safety procedures and promptly reports student concerns, incidents, hazards, or unsafe conditions.

Schedule Requirements

• Must be available to work during designated middle school after-school program hours.
• The regular schedule includes approximately 15-30 minutes per workday dedicated to office, administrative, attendance, compliance, and program-support responsibilities.
• The remaining scheduled time will generally involve facilitating or supporting academic, enrichment, and physical-recreation programs.
• Some evening or weekend work may be required for meetings, training sessions, events, field trips, or other program needs.
• Must be available to provide temporary school-site coverage when assigned and appropriately trained.
• Work hours and assignments may change based on enrollment, staffing, funding, school calendars, or operational needs.
• Regular and punctual attendance is an essential requirement of the position.

Travel and Work-Location Requirements

• Must be willing and able to travel to school sites and other locations throughout Los Angeles County for programs, workshops, events, field trips, training sessions, and meetings.
• Although initially assigned to a particular school site, the employee may be reassigned based on enrollment, staffing, funding, school-site needs, or other operational requirements.
• Reliable transportation is required when travel between assigned work locations is necessary.

Physical Requirements

The physical requirements described below represent those generally required to perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

While performing this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, use their hands, and reach with their hands and arms. The employee may also be required to bend, kneel, crouch, or stoop.

The employee must be able to:

• Move throughout the school site and actively participate in or supervise indoor and outdoor student activities.
• Remain standing or moving for extended periods during program activities, events, and transitions.
• Set up, organize, and put away program supplies, materials, and equipment.
• Perform administrative work using computers and other workplace technology.
• Respond promptly to student, program, or safety needs throughout the assigned school site.

Work Environment

This position primarily works at middle school sites in classrooms, offices, multipurpose rooms, gymnasiums, outdoor recreation areas, and other program spaces. The employee may work indoors and outdoors and may be exposed to changing weather conditions during activities, events, and field trips. The noise level may vary from moderate to loud depending on student activities and the assigned location.

Pre-Employment and Continuing Requirements

Before beginning employment, the selected candidate must:

• Successfully complete a Live Scan background check.
• Provide proof of a negative tuberculosis test dated within 60 days before the hire date.
• Meet all applicable school-district, grant, and program clearance requirements.

Following hire, the employee must:

• Obtain and maintain CPR and First Aid certification within the timeframe established by EduCare.
• Complete annual Risk Management Training.
• Complete required training before providing temporary coverage for the Site Coordinator.
• Complete all assigned organizational, student-safety, leadership, and compliance training, including harassment-prevention training.
• Maintain all certifications, clearances, and training requirements associated with the position.

Equal Employment Opportunity

EduCare Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Reasonable Accommodation

EduCare Foundation provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities and for other reasons required by applicable law. Applicants who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or hiring process may contact Human Resources at hr@educarefoundation.com.