Youth Development Counselor

The Youth Development Counselor assists with providing quality care in before and after-school sites and camp settings by teaching values, ensuring safety, and facilitating structured play and educational activities with the children, in accordance with state requirements and YMCA policy. Assist with providing a quality experience to children and parents that focuses on youth development, including the YMCA core values: honesty, respect, responsibility, caring, and faith.

**ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS**
- ** Program Quality**: Assist with planning and implementing lesson/activity plans curriculum that includes formal and informal play within the center and outdoors that are culturally relevant, developmentally appropriate, and consistent with YMCA core values.
- ** Daily Operations**: Maintains the program site and camp environment by adhering to YMCA of Greater Houston program standards and childcare licensing minimum standards.
- ** Leadership**: Supervises children under the direction of the Site Lead. Makes sound decisions in alignment with YMCA and state standards. Acts as a role model to the children by exemplifying the YMCA’s five core values.
- ** Relationship Building**: Maintains positive relations with children, parents, school personnel, directors, and other staff. Attends and participates in staff meetings, and staff training.
- ** Child Abuse Presentation**: Reports suspicious and inappropriate behaviors and policy violations. Follows mandated abuse and incident reporting requirements. Ensures youth are properly signed in and signed out, ensures only authorized adults are allowed in the facility, etc. Adheres to policies related to boundaries with each child. Ensures unused rooms and closets remain locked; routinely monitors high-risk locations (bathrooms), etc.

**YMCA COMPETENCIES (LEADER)**
- Mission Advancement:_ Accepts and demonstrates the Y’s values. Demonstrates a desire to serve others and fulfill community needs. Recruits volunteers and builds effective, supportive working relationships with them. Supports fund-raising.
- Collaboration:_ Works effectively with people of different backgrounds, abilities, opinions, and perceptions. Builds rapport and relates well to others. Seeks first to understand the other person’s point of view, and remains calm in challenging situations. Listens for understanding and meaning; speaks and writes effectively. Takes initiative to assist in developing others.
- Operational Effectiveness:_ Makes sound judgments, and transfers learning from one situation to another. Embraces new approaches and discovers ideas to create a better member experience.

Establishes goals, clarifies tasks, plans work and actively participates in meetings. Follows budgeting policies and procedures, and reports all financial irregularities immediately. Strives to meet or exceed goals and deliver a high-value experience for members.
- Personal Growth:_ Pursues self-development that enhances job performance. Demonstrates an openness to change, and seeks opportunities in the change process. Accurately assesses personal feelings, strengths, and limitations and how they impact relationships. Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills required to perform well; uses best practices and demonstrates up-to-date knowledge and skills in technology.

**QUALIFICATIONS**

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- At least 18 years of age.
- High school diploma or general education degree (GED).
- At least three (6) months working with youth at a licensed facility, church, school or equivalent.
- CPR, First Aid, AED certifications, and Child Abuse prevention training.
- Ability to plan, organize, and implement age-appropriate/developmentally appropriate program activities
- Previous experience with diverse populations.
- The current record of tuberculosis examination and/or current local health department regulations, examinations, and/or immunization as required by the local or State Department of Health.
- Pass a local/state background and FBI fingerprinting check as well as an independent drug test.

**EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE**

High school diploma or general education degree (GED) with a demonstrated interest in the welfare of children; prior childcare or babysitting experience is preferred.

**LANGUAGE SKILLS**

Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

**MATHEMATICAL SKILLS**

Ability to add and subtract two digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10's and 100's. Abi