Job Description

Playworks is the leading national nonprofit leveraging the power of play to bring out the best in every kid. Learn about the energetic, creative people working to ensure every kid has the chance to play—every day.

Apply to be an AmeriCorps Playworks Coach today to change the lives of kids in your community tomorrow!  https://www.playworks.org/about/careers/americorps/

At Playworks, we believe in the power of play to bring out the best in every kid. We create a place for every kid on the playground to get active, build valuable skills, connect, and have fun. We partner with schools, districts, and after-school programs to provide a service or mix of services, including on-site coaches, professional training for school staff who support recess, and consultative partnerships.

Playworks Coaches are AmeriCorps members. As an AmeriCorps member, you will join nearly 300,000 other members and over one million alumni nationally who have committed their time and talents to strengthen communities. Partnership organizations, like Playworks, engage with AmeriCorps members to improve the communities they serve.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Create a safe and welcoming recess on the playground by being a caring role model to ensure that every kid plays every day.
• Implement a youth leadership program by providing student leadership opportunities at recess and facilitating training for a cohort of students before or after school.
• Lead individual classes to build youth leadership skills, promote cooperation, and introduce new games that kids can play on the playground, including the rules and boundaries.
• Enlist and coach students in interscholastic/developmental sports leagues that might include basketball, football, or soccer.
• Design and implement a community event during the year that engages students’ families at the school site.
• Recruit and coordinate volunteers who will join you at recess to strengthen the school climate.
• Develop a strong school culture by influencing, collaborating with, motivating, and building rapport with faculty, administrators, parents, and volunteers.
• Participate in national days of service and some weekend service projects in the greater community.
• Flex your administrative muscles to organize program schedules, track your hours, manage emails, internal communication, and meetings, and collect and enter important program data.

Essential Qualifications

• Be at least 18 years of age
• US Citizenship or Permanent Resident status
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Be located within the Lansing-East Lansing metropolitan area (we also have positions in the Detroit metro area)
• Be able to travel to Detroit at least once a month for staff trainings and community events
• Commitment to fulfilling your entire term of service with the ability to serve your scheduled hours consistently- this term of service requires a minimum of 1700 hours over the remaining school year (typically to June, 8-9 hours per weekday), participation in a minimum of one (1) National Days of Service, as well as ongoing required trainings and professional development
• Experience leading or teaching groups of children with the ability to engage and inspire youth
• Must be an organized self-starter exhibiting good judgment with the flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities and demands
• Experience using technology required to input program data and communicate with other team members- we use Salesforce and Google products.
• Deep commitment to national and community service as demonstrated through volunteerism or other service work
• Experience interacting with communities and the ability to integrate into an existing school community
• Ongoing access to reliable transportation to and from your assigned school site
• Criminal history background checks are conducted on all AmeriCorps members when an offer is made. Your term of service is always contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background check. The results of state and FBI criminal history background checks and national sexual offender checks through the National Sex Offender Public Registry Website (NSOPW) are considered.
• Successful completion of a Tuberculosis (TB) test, CPR, and First Aid certification upon hire

Benefits of being an AmeriCorps member at Playworks:

• A modest monthly living stipend between $3,200 and $3,300 paid out semi-monthly. Contract is contingent upon the award of federal funds.
• Medical health insurance for member at no cost.
• Access to Dental and Vision insurance at a low cost.
• Monthly gas and technology allowance.
• $5176.5.0 Education award that can be used for eligible student loans, tuition, and other education-related expenses after successful completion of your service year. See more information here: here-www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/alumni/segal-americorps-education-award
• Child care expense reimbursement if you qualify- seewww.americorpschildcare.com.
• Enrollment as an AmeriCorps service member- see www.americorps.gov for details.
• Leadership skill development and valuable experience for a career in education and youth development.
• You’ll make a lasting difference in children’s lives and your community, and what's better than that?

Playworks is a hands-on, creative, playful, and fun-loving place to be, all while contributing to the success of our nation’s youth. So if you're ready to immerse yourself in the education sector, take on a rewarding set of challenges, and if you've got the skills, experience, passion, and a team spirit, apply!

For more information about AmeriCorps service with Playworks, check outwww.playworks.org/coach

Service Environment: This position operates in a K-12 school environment in Lansing, Michigan, both indoors and outdoors. The position interacts with children on playgrounds and in classrooms on a daily basis.

Typical physical and mental demands:

This position requires sufficient physical ability and mobility to stand for extended periods at times; walk on a school site in various weather conditions; to climb stairs at some sites; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach and twist and, dependent on assignment, the employee may occasionally lift, push, pull and/or move up to 50 pounds.

Requires a range of hearing, vision, and speech that enables the member to exchange information, to hear and locate the source of a sound in a noisy environment and to see effectively to monitor student activities

Playworks provides reasonable accommodations to applicants, members, and employees as required by law. Applicants with disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation at any point in the interview, service, or enrollment process.

As an equal opportunity program, this program is available to all, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, religion, age, national origin, genetic information, disability, military status, familial status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law. Playworks evaluates all candidates for employment, volunteering opportunities, or board service on a merit basis. 

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