Teaching Assistant / Group Leader

Organizational Overview

Imogen Foundation builds emotional resilience and supports the mental wellness of children and teens through project-based learning, youth leadership, community engagement, and literacy. Our afterschool programs center student choice, belonging, and compassionate relationships that help children thrive. Our middle school programs are designed to support young adolescents as they build independence, identity, leadership, and healthy relationships with peers and adults.

Teaching Assistants / Group Leaders play an essential role in helping students feel safe, known, connected, and engaged after school. As some of the most consistent staff members in the program, Teaching Assistants / Group Leaders help create the daily culture of the site by supporting students during activities, transitions, snack, dismissal, recreation, and informal moments of connection.

Position Summary

Our programs support the social and emotional growth of participants through choice-based activities that elevate student voice and through staff practices that model compassion, understanding, and kindness. Teaching Assistants / Group Leaders in our SONYC middle school programs work closely with the Program Director, Assistant Program Director, Activity Specialists, Education Specialists, and other program staff to support safe, engaging, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate programming for middle school students onsite in a NYC public school facility.

Teaching Assistants / Group Leaders support the implementation of enrichment, recreation, leadership, social-emotional learning, academic support, and community-building activities. They help supervise students throughout the program day, take attendance, support smooth transitions, assist with classroom and activity management, and help ensure that students experience the afterschool program as a safe, welcoming, and joyful place to learn, explore, and belong.

Role and Responsibilities

• Greet students warmly at arrival, snack, and other transition points, helping create a welcoming and organized program environment
• Take accurate attendance and support daily attendance procedures as directed by program leadership
• Supervise students during snack, recreation, activities, transitions, trips, and dismissal
• Support safe and orderly transitions between activities, program spaces, and end-of-day dismissal procedures
• Work with Activity Specialists, Education Specialists, and other staff to prepare, set up, implement, and clean up daily activities
• Assist with youth development, enrichment, recreation, sports, leadership, social-emotional learning, and academic support activities
• Lead or co-lead recreational, team-building, sports, group games, and community-building activities when appropriate
• Support student engagement by encouraging participation, elevating student voice, and helping students make positive choices
• Help create an atmosphere that encourages creative thinking, verbal communication, problem-solving, independent exploration, belonging, self-confidence, and awareness
• Support positive behavior, conflict resolution, and restorative responses in ways that are calm, respectful, and developmentally appropriate
• Work with the Program Director, Assistant Program Director, school staff, families, and appropriate consultants or specialists to support individualized student needs, including reasonable accommodations and inclusion supports
• Help maintain a safe environment for students by following program routines, supervision expectations, and applicable DYCD, SACC, DOE, NYS DOH, and IF policies and procedures
• Observe and communicate student needs, safety concerns, behavioral concerns, family concerns, and program issues to the Program Director or Assistant Program Director as appropriate
• Maintain open and ongoing communication with the Program Director, Assistant Program Director, Activity Specialists, Education Specialists, Group Leaders, and other program staff
• Participate in staff meetings, supervision, coaching, and professional development sessions
• Model compassion, understanding, kindness, respect, and curiosity in interactions with students, families, school staff, and colleagues
• Treat all people with compassion and kindness

• Successful previous experience working with children or adolescents in an educational, youth development, recreation, camp, school-based, or afterschool setting preferred
• Experience working with middle school students strongly preferred
• Previous experience in an afterschool, youth development, school-based, or DYCD-funded program preferred
• High school diploma or equivalent required; college coursework or degree in education, youth development, social work, psychology, recreation, the arts, or a related field preferred
• Two or more years of classroom, camp, youth development, tutoring, coaching, or group facilitation experience preferred
• Ability to build positive, respectful, and developmentally appropriate relationships with middle school students
• Ability to support student voice, choice, belonging, leadership, and healthy peer relationships
• Ability to supervise groups of students safely and actively in classrooms, gyms, cafeterias, hallways, outdoor spaces, and other school-based program areas
• Ability to support program routines, transitions, attendance procedures, and dismissal procedures accurately and consistently
• Ability to follow directions, take initiative, and work collaboratively as part of a site-based team
• Ability to communicate clearly and respectfully with students, families, school staff, and program colleagues
• Ability to deliver and receive constructive feedback
• Ability to maintain composure in high-pressure situations and continue treating all people with compassion and kindness
• Ability to protect confidential student, family, staff, and program information
• Ability to be present onsite during program hours and move throughout the school building to supervise activities, respond to student and staff needs, and support safe transitions
• Excellent problem-solving and interpersonal skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills