Job description

APPLY: After you have read the ad, submit both a resume and cover letter specifying why you might be a great fit for the Camp Counselor at Inspire Behavioral Learning! We are looking for applicants available for summer camps June 12-August 11. Only applications with cover letters are considered. We look forward to connecting with you!

Do you love working with children? Do you love the outdoors, nature, and hiking? Are you passionate about children's books, reading, and writing? How about combining your passions into one fun summer job? At Inspire Behavioral Learning, LLC, we are looking for a summer camp counselor to work with kids in grades K-5 in forests in Berkeley and Oakland. We seek an energetic, dynamic, creative, and dependable outdoor enthusiast to join us in creating and implementing educational programs outdoors. Camp counselors lead children in outdoor Call of the Wild Camps. Our nature camps are for kids to hike, read, write, explore, learn, and play in forests of the East Bay!

Our ideal camp counselor is a communicative and collaborative team player bursting with creative ideas to implement with children in weekly camps. Our ideal outdoor camp counselor is fun, adaptable, friendly, outgoing, energetic, and eager to inspire and engage children in learning by doing. Strong nature camp counselors have experience in early childhood education, elementary school education, special education, outdoor education, environmental education, literacy education, outdoor recreation, and related fields.

WHO WE ARE: Inspire Behavioral Learning, LLC believes that to inspire learning is to inspire action! We do this by moving individuals to learn in ways that are personally meaningful, motivating, and relevant to their entire lives. We provide outstanding educational and behavioral health services for children, teens, and adults throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE:

• We value diversity and include children with disabilities and typically developing children alike in our programs.
• We value the integrity of the whole person and are dedicated to a well-rounded blend of head, heart, and body -- being constant learners, kind and caring, and focused on learning by doing.
• We incorporate a multisensory approach and principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), the science of learning that focuses on observable interaction between the learner and environment.
• We are a small company focused on quality over quantity. Each employee is valued as a whole person and a unique individual, which is the same respect we give to each student. We use 360 degree feedback, in which everyone's observations matter.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Complete training online and onsite in East Bay parks the week before camp (training is the week of June 4th)
• Punctually and reliably attend scheduled work hours, including training, staff meetings, and camp session dates
• Attend outdoor nature camps, rain or shine, each scheduled day for the season you are hired to work (summer camps are June 12-August 11)
• Safely lead hikes for K-5th graders in small groups
• Maintain a 4:1 or 5:1 student: staff ratio
• Lead outdoor language arts activities for children with nature and wilderness themes, including circle time with story time and singing, literary show-and-tell, skits, nature journaling, mapmaking, creative writing, and authoring and illustrating books
• Apply English Language Arts Common Core State Standards to science, such as topics in biology, ecology, zoology, life science, environmental science, outdoor education, environmental stewardship, conservation, preservation, etc., integrating naturalistic observation, group discussion, games, and relevant children's books and writing activities
• Engage children in outdoor activities that blend recreation and education, such as nature-themed hide and seek and chase games, crafting and playing forest "I Spy" games and scavenger hunts
• Facilitate nature-themed arts and crafts with children
• Engage children with a fun teaching style and high energy, creativity, adaptability, spontaneity, dynamism, and positivity
• Supervise and facilitate children's rest breaks, snack and lunch breaks, and physical play breaks
• Provide naturalistic executive function teaching across diverse activities
• Implement teaching and behavior management based on principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), including prompting, positive reinforcement, and group contingencies of reinforcement based on student preferences and choices
• Facilitate emergent curriculum and child-centered, student-centered, naturalistic, incidental, and play-based teaching and learning opportunities
• Work closely and cooperatively with the Camp Director in creating and implementing both structured and naturalistic learning opportunities for the camp schedule
• Keep work materials neat, organized, and in good working condition
• Record accurate, objective incident reports
• Follow all health and safety requirements
• Make sure campers follow safety rules and leave no trace principles
• Actively contribute and participate in staff training and meetings
• Proactively communicate camp questions and concerns with the camp director and coordinator
• Follow directions and implement feedback from supervisors
• Represent Call of the Wild Camps in a positive and professional manner with campers, parents/guardians, staff, and park visitors
• Perform other duties as assigned

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

• Provide proof of your high school diploma or higher degree
• Provide your academic transcripts (unofficial transcripts are permitted); must be in good standing

Certification and Safety Requirements:

• Possess unexpired CPR and First Aid certification at the time of applying and through the full summer camp season
• Provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination
• Pass a DOJ and FBI background check

Experience:

• Minimum 1 year experience as a camp counselor, outdoor educator, recreation leader, or teacher for outdoor education camps, outdoor recreational camps, nature camps, science camps, STEM camps, STEAM camps, literacy camps, after school programs, or equivalent experience
• Minimum 1 year experience working with elementary school age K-5th graders
• Experience hiking trails of moderate difficulty on hilly and uneven terrain up to approximately 6 miles a day
• Experience working with culturally, linguistically, and developmentally diverse children
• Experience working with students with widely diverse abilities, such as giftedness, typically developing children, children with disabilities (e.g., autism, ADHD, dyslexia, speech and language delays), and English Language Learners (ELL)
• Experience taking initiative leading groups of children
• Experience leading extracurricular enrichment activities for children
• Experience implementing effective and appropriate behavior management for elementary school age children
• Experience with child development and age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, developmentally appropriate activities

Skills:

• Ability to hike trails of moderate difficulty on hilly and uneven terrain up to approximately 6 miles a day five days a week for multiple consecutive weeks
• Ability to carry a loaded hiking backpack weighing up to 20% of your body weight for the duration of each camp day
• Fun and engaging teaching style with high energy, creativity, adaptability, spontaneity, dynamism, and positivity
• Kind, caring, compassionate, and patient with learners of all skill levels
• Demonstrate care for children and a desire to help the whole child learn and grow in enjoyable ways, in addition to language arts and/or biology subject-matter competence
• Command of American English phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics
• Eagerness and openness to continually learn and develop your skill set, no matter how minimal or extensive your experience
• Excellent ability to break concepts down into simple and easy steps
• Excellent time-management and organizational skills
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Punctuality and reliable attendance
• Demonstrable love of nature and the outdoors, eco-conscious, and health-conscious
• Demonstrable love of language arts and literacy teaching
• Enthusiastic about making education relevant to children's lives

Other Requirements:

• Provide proof of a valid California driver license
• Possess your own reliable transportation for commuting to and from work in Berkeley, CA and Oakland, CA
• At the time of applying, submit a relevant cover letter specific to the position and company (applications without cover letters or with generic cover letters are not considered)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Familiarity with Tilden Regional Park, Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, and Joaquin Miller Park
• Major or degree in biology, environmental science, education, or related field

​PERKS AND BENEFITS:

• Have fun teaching kids in the outdoors!
• Paid training
• Paid rest breaks
• Off-duty meal breaks
• Supportive and friendly environment with coaching and mentorship
• Successful hires may be invited to return for additional seasonal camps
• Become part of a company that truly cares about both the employee’s and student’s happiness and success!

LOCATION: Berkeley, CA and Oakland, CA. Only applicants residing in the East Bay are considered.

SCHEDULE: Camps are Mon-Fri, June 12-August 11, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM, except camp is 4 days/wk the week of Independence Day. Training is at flexible times the week of June 4th.

CLASSIFICATION: Non-exempt employee for temporary, seasonal work summer 2023.

APPLY: Submit both a resume and relevant cover letter specifying why you might be a great fit for the Camp Counselor in Call of the Wild Camps at Inspire Behavioral Learning! Only applications with cover letters are considered. You may also apply from our website www.inspirebehavior.com. We look forward to connecting with you!

Please note when applying on the Indeed website: Indeed automatically labels cover letters for all jobs as optional; this is an error on Indeed's part. You need to submit a cover letter for this job, or your application will not be considered.

Keywords: Berkeley Camp Counselor, Oakland Camp Counselor, Summer Camp Counselor. This type of position may also be known as camp leader, camp teacher, camp instructor, outdoor educator, outdoor camp educator, outdoor camp counselor, naturalist, nature camp counselor, science camp counselor, reading camp counselor, writing camp counselor, youth leader, youth group leader, program leader, lead camp counselor, and elementary program leader.

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary

Pay: $19.00 - $22.00 per hour

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

COVID-19 considerations:
Heath screenings, physical distancing, frequent sanitization, 100% outdoor camps

Application Question(s):

• Can you meet the physical requirements of the job for hiking up to approx. 6 miles a day with a loaded backpack up to 20% of your body weight five days a week for multiple consecutive weeks? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "Optional")
• Are you available full time from 8:30 AM-4:30 PM? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "Optional")
• Are you available for work during ALL camp sessions from 6/12/23-8/11/23 (5 days/wk each session, except 4 days the week of Independence Day) and at least three days of training the week of 6/4/23? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "Optional")
• Do you have your own reliable transportation for commuting to and from work in Berkeley, CA and Oakland, CA? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "Optional")
• Do you have a cover letter specific to the position and company that you are submitting now at the time of applying? (Required; Indeed erroneously indicates "Optional")

Experience:

• work with K-5th graders: 1 year (Required)
• camp counselor/after school leader/rec leader/teacher: 1 year (Required)

License/Certification:

• UNEXPIRED CPR and First Aid Certification (Required)
• California driver's license (Required)

Work Location: Multiple Locations

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