Youth Program Specialist

Department: Our Club
Reports to: Youth Program Coordinator
Employment Type: In-Person, Full-Time, Hourly, Non-Exempt

Schedule: 9:00am-6:00pm Monday-Friday on school days, 7:30am-5:30pm Monday-Friday on school out days

About Our House

Our House empowers homeless and near-homeless families and individuals to succeed in the workforce, in school, and in life through hard work, wise decision-making, and active participation in the community. The Our House team has defined a set of seven Guiding Principles that characterize our culture and that we intentionally seek to uphold: Hard Work, Wise Decision-Making, Community, Initiative, Integrity, Safety, and Heart.

About the Role

You will be responsible for providing a safe and enriching out-of-school time program for Kindergarten-12th grade in accordance with Arkansas’ Minimum Licensing Standards for School Age Programs. Our Club operates every day after school and all day during school breaks (winter break, spring break, summer break) and teacher in-service days. Additionally, the Youth Program Specialist will incorporate the two-generation approach to ensure families enrolled in our programs have access to Our Club services and family support.  

What You’ll Do

• Integrate Positive Youth Development in our program, including physical and emotional safety, appropriate structure and schedule, supportive relationships, opportunities to belong, positive social norms, opportunities for community service, opportunities for skill building, and the integration of family, school, and community


• Create an enriching, fun, and safe environment for youth and families in Our Club 
  
  
  
  • Ensure that best practices are used in the classroom, actively seek youth input, and observe a trauma-informed approach to engaging with youth and families 
  
  
  • Supervise AmeriCorps Members, and ensure that programmatic norms and procedures are followed in the classroom
  
  
  • Integrate special needs youth in a positive and respectful manner 
  
  
  • Support the meal service by providing meals to youth and completing paperwork
  
  
  • Maintain clean and organized classroom and program spaces
  
  
  • Observe and enforce safety procedures when working on and off-campus
  
  
  
  


• Support academic success of youth and help bridge the gap between school and home 
  
  
  
  • Help youth with homework and tutoring when needed and incorporate Arkansas Department of Education K-12 Frameworks
  
  
  • Conduct local school visits to build relationships with youth and school partners
  
  
  • Implement SPARK Curriculum (Our Club’s social emotional curriculum) 
  
  
  
  


• Plan enrichment activities that engage youth and integrate a two-generation approach. 
  
  
  
  • Develop programming and interest clubs  in areas of STEAM, Sports & Fitness, Youth Voice/Leadership, Literacy, Life Skills, Sex Education, Financial Literacy  
  
  
  • Supervise the implementation of enrichment activities by AmeriCorps Members.                                                                      
  
  
  • Plan and execute fun and educational field trips during school breaks and out-of-school days
  
  
  • Plan special events like Family Fun Night, Parenting Education, Black History Program
  
  
  
  


• Regularly communicate with parents about youth needs, successes, and progress 
  
  
  
  • Communicate through the program communication app, Bloomz
  
  
  • Discuss youth’s development and behavior with supervisor and parents on a daily basis as needed
  
  
  
  


• Collaborate with other Our House teams, including Case Managers and Mental Health Therapists about shared client needs, goals, and available resources


• Maintain important program documents, including youth sign-in/sign-out sheet records, program bulletin boards, and monthly calendars and newsletters for Literacy


• Assist with data tracking, performance measurement, and complete required professional development for Our Club
  
  
  
  • Conduct literacy assessments, collect quarterly report cards, and complete Strengths Difficulties Questionnaire assessments to measure progress
  
  
  • Monitor attendance and input youth daily attendance into Our House Database
  
  
  • Attend at least 30 hours of professional development each year, including participating in Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA). 
  
  
  • Follow all grant requirements and Arkansas Minimum Licensing requirements
  
  
  
  


• Conduct other duties as assigned to fulfill Our House’s mission

What You’ll Bring

• Ability to work effectively with diverse staff, parents, and community members


• Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative approach to planning


• Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people


• Passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-direction


• Some supervisory experience with youth and staff


• Ability to develop relationships with the youth and nurture them through behavior and family challenges
  

Requirements

• High School diploma required; Bachelor’s degree preferred


• A background or college courses in education, social work, or psychology preferred


• At least 2 years of experience working with youth is required


• Ability to swim is preferred


• Obtain CPR / First Aid certification within first 90 days of employment


• Must be able to lift 30 lbs
  


• Complete Youth Worker Certification within 6 months of hire


• Complete the Arkansas New Staff Orientation within 90 days of hire


• Must be able to pass criminal background checks, child and adult maltreatment registry checks, sex offender registry checks, and a pre-employment drug screen
  

Benefits & Perks

• Insurance benefits are available on the first day of the month following start date:
  
  
  
  • 95% employer-paid premiums for employee health insurance
  
  
  • Optional employee-paid dental, vision, and life insurance
  
  
  
  


• 401(k) match up to 4% after one year of employment


• 10 days of annual leave and 10 holidays per year including a birthday holiday


• 15 days additional leave for requirements of life


• Employee Assistance Program 


• Eligible for tuition discount at UA Little Rock

Our House is a drug-free workplace. 

Our House is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members. People of color and members of the LGBTQ community are encouraged to apply.