The Women's Daytime Drop-In Center (WDDC) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit program addressing the needs of homeless women and children to ensure that they have a safe daytime refuge where they receive support, nourishing meals, and access to community resources to overcome homelessness and regain self-sufficiency.
The WDDC has evolved from its original mission of providing emergency and crisis response to a program of on-going support services. The WDDC serves an average of 150 women and children each month in a nurturing, home-like environment. Services are available at no fee to any homeless woman or child.
Internship Objective: Assist Children's Program Coordinator in acknowledging and responding to the special needs of homeless children by creating an opportunity for positive play experiences in a supervised setting, assessing children's developmental and emotional needs, and assisting family as whole in its efforts to stabilize.
Expectations: Knowledge and ability to help organize positive play and educational services for children at the WDDC. Work with Children's Program Coordinator, other staff and volunteers to ensure that children's services are provided.
Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Organization of Children's Playroom: Assist the Children's Program Coordinator in ensuring that the site is safe and maintained in an orderly fashion.
2. Supervision: Assist Children's Program Coordinator in supervising children's play activities.
3. Promote Healthy Play: Assist children in expression of feelings about their experiences through use of art, books, toys, and other techniques, either individually or in small groups. Promote social skills consistent with developmental abilities.
4. Provide basic hospitality services to adult clients as needed (retrieving mail, making copies, supplying hygiene kits and other emergency supplies/clothing).
5. Assist as support staff for annual live/silent auction fundraiser, Saturday, June 2nd in Berkeley.
Qualifications:
- Desire to engage with children in a therapeutic environment.
- Knowledge of child development and assessment preferred.
- Knowledge and skills working with homeless people, with particular sensitivity to needs and obstacles faced by homeless women and children.
- Ability to work with adults facing mental disabilities, substance abuse, domestic violence, and parenting difficulties.
- Emotional maturity, sense of humor, capacity to work well as part of team, ability to foster a positive, welcoming atmosphere.
- Willingness to do other tasks as assigned, including providing basic hospitality services.
Time Requirements: 20hrs/week, mornings preferred. This is an unpaid internship, beginning the week of May 28th and ending the week of August 5th. Application deadline is May 17th.
Position requires a TB test. Free and sliding scale options available.
