Lead Camp Counselor

Join our team as a Lead Day Camp Counselor, where you'll oversee camp activities, mentor staff, and create a fun, engaging environment for children. This role involves supervising day camp counselors, ensuring camper safety, facilitating activities, and handling parent communication. Ideal candidates have experience working with youth, strong leadership skills, and CPR/First Aid certification.

Qualifications:

• Must be a minimum of 18 years old.
• Must have valid CPR/First Aid/AED certifications.
• Must obtain a Food Handlers card upon first day of work.
• Must obtain a tuberculosis test upon first day of work.
• Have previous experience programming youth activities and working with children. Preferably in a camp setting.
• Must be capable of learning basic point-of-sales procedures and database via computer system.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills to communicate and coordinate efforts with Kroc Center personnel, community leaders, community organizations and the general public.
• Must be able to read, write and communicate in English.
• Ability and confidence to assist in teaching a variety of activities.
• Strong desire and ability to work well with children, parents, and staff in a capacity of leadership, counseling, and education including but not limited to:

• Relate joyfully and sensitively to children of all ages.
• Sensitivity to children's individual needs
• Use appropriate positive discipline consistently.
• Dependability
• Handle security and crisis situations calmly
• Engage and maintain a child's interest in activities.

• Must have the ability to maintain a non-judgmental attitude in working with customers, clients, members and staff.

Responsibilities:

• Instruct camp staff to lead camp and other recreation activities with enthusiasm according to training protocol and written lesson plans.
• Assist with spiritual and character development of camp participants.
• Adhere to and implement discipline procedures created for campers and staff.
• Lead daily camp staff meetings and debriefings.
• Communicate any camper, parents, or staff issues with other Day Camp staff immediately. Follow up with appropriate documentation as directed.
• Complete Reports to Parents forms to inform parents and supervisors of any camper injury, behavioral issue, dispute, etc. Ensure these forms and all forms of critical communication are administered to parents at camp check-in and check-out.
• Return program equipment and supplies to appropriate designated area upon completion of activity with group. Ensure each program area used by camper groups is cleaned before the head to the next camp activity.
• Maintain an accurate roster of each camper group, including the staff that is assigned to that specific group. Ensure each camp staff maintains an accurate head count of assigned camper group at all times.
• Facilitate and oversee day camp check-in and out procedures according to protocol. Check ID of each person signing out a camper. Ensure all participant documents are passed out to parents and/or authorized individuals.
• Assist in preparation, clean-up, and supervision of all program areas used during day camp.
• Interface respectfully with peers, supervisors, and customers of carious socio-economic backgrounds. Handle disputes with participants, parents, and staff in a professional manner. Act as first point of contact in handling customer service issues.
• Ensure the safe use of the facility and execution of activities through enforcement of facility and activity-specific regulations and ensuring that only authorized patrons participate.
• Provide information and answer questions about available programs.
• Maintain a safe working environment; report and all facility defects/problems and any suspicious activities or persons to appropriate personal.
• Coordinate check out system to protect, maintain, and keep camp staff accountable for camp supplies.
• Assist in emergencies or treatment of injured participants or staff. Follow up with completion of appropriate paperwork as directed.
• Develop day camp curriculum and activities for all camps. Assist Arts, Education & Camp Manager with planning and instruction of staff trainings as directed.
• Responsible for the supervision of Camp Counselor positions.
• Responsible for the scheduling of camp staff as directed.
• Fulfill day camp counselor duties when needed.
• Enforce and follow all rules that pertain to camp and the facility on a constant basis.
• Perform other assignments/duties as directed.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without accommodation. A qualified person with a disability may request a modification or adjustment to the job or work environment in order to meet the physical requirements of the position. The Salvation Army will attempt to satisfy requests as long as the accommodation needed is reasonable and no undue hardship would result.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk, stand, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl and reach with hands and arms on a continuous basis. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 20 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 75 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Must have the ability to operate telephone, a desktop or laptop computer, as well as the ability to access and produce information from a computer, and to understand written information.