Playroom Manager

Job Description

Position Title: Playroom Manager

Department: Children & Family Services

Reports to: Senior Program Manager of Parent & Child Education

Location: 1757 Waller Street, San Francisco, CA 94117

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Safe & Sound is a children’s advocacy organization working to prevent child abuse and

reduce its devastating impact on the child, their family, and our entire community.

We have been a pioneer in the field of child abuse prevention, working within San

Francisco for more than 50 years. Recently, the organization has begun to expand its

impact working throughout the state of California.

Child maltreatment is a complex problem, but a preventable one. Our data-informed

approach leverages three primary strategies: we empower children with knowledge

and confidence; we support families providing resources and skills; we activate the

community and the change-makers within it to create a thriving social safety net for

children and their families.

The organization has an annual operating budget of approximately $15.4 million and is

supported by approximately 70 staff, interns, and more than 80 volunteers. Safe &

Sound headquarters is located in a historic firehouse in the Haight-Ashbury

neighborhood of San Francisco, with a second office in the Bayview neighborhood.

Safe & Sound recently merged with The Center for Youth Wellness (CYW), a national

leader in the effort to advance pediatric medicine, raise public awareness, and

transform the way society responds to children exposed to Adverse Childhood

Experiences (ACEs). Founded by California’s first Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke

Harris, CYW has created a national call to screen, treat, and heal ACEs and toxic stress.

More information is available at: www.safeandsound.org.

OVERALL SUMMARY

The Playroom Manager manages the Children’s Playroom to support children ages 0-

12 in developing socio-emotional skills in a child-led, trauma-informed, play-based

space. The Playroom Manager develops and implements services and standards to

ensure families are building Protective Factors. The Playroom Manager directly

supervises 2-3 Playroom Caregivers and all Playroom volunteers, responsible for their

onboarding, training, and supervision. This position reports to the Senior Program

Manager of Parent and Child Education.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Program Administration

● Ensure the Playroom is fully staffed, coordinating between staff and volunteer

schedules and availability.

● Ensure the Playroom’s health and safety standards are maintained and on par

with the department of public health.

● Ensure In-Kind donations of children’s clothing, toys, and other parenting

equipment are accepted and distributed in collaboration with other teams.

● Delegate coordination to Playroom team members as-needed.

● Oversee orientation to Playroom services and protocol for new families.

● Consult with other teams as necessary about client issues and family referrals.

● Manage forms and other data collection materials pertaining to attendance,

program outcomes, and other services to meet program needs.

● Ensure all data pertaining to the program is entered accurately and timely.

● Lead weekly meetings with Playroom staff and on-going check-ins with

volunteers to discuss behavioral and developmental concerns of visiting

children.

● Ensure Playroom is fully stocked with all essential program supplies, such as

snacks, arts & crafts materials, food prep supplies, etc. May delegate coordinating

tasks to other team members.

● Assist with organizing community events and other outreach efforts as needed.

Program Development

● Ensure the Children’s Playroom Manual and all volunteer training materials are

up-to-date with current best practices in child development and positive

discipline.

● Develop, improve, and maintain Playroom program protocols, systems, and

procedures to ensure programmatic goals, and health & safety needs are met.

● Strategically evaluate volunteer training and management to implement new

ideas and streamline processes.

● Continue to develop and implement the Playtime Together curriculum.

Program Leadership & Supervision

● Stay informed about current issues and evidence-based best practices

regarding parenting & child development.

● Develop services needed by families to support their knowledge of parenting,

child development, and their children’s social and emotional competence.

● Supervise 2-3 Playroom Caregivers, providing support for working with children

and families, and accountability for their overall professional development.

● Manage the training, onboarding, and supervision of Playroom Caregivers and

volunteers.

● Ensure their professional growth and competencies in the ways of supporting

children’s social and emotional development is continually developed.

Client Services & Support

● Ensure the Playroom provides a safe space for building children’s social and

emotional skills, and nurtures families protective factors.

● Ensure the Playroom provides a warm, welcoming environment for all families

participating, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, ability, socio

economic background, or any other marginalized or protected group.

● Collaborate with the Children & Family Services department to ensure the

Playroom program is accessible and responsive to the changing needs of

families.

● Care for children utilizing child-led play, art media, and dramatic play to support

the children’s social, emotional and physical development.

● Provide for children’s basic needs while in care including but not limited to

changing diapers, preparing meals, and feeding.

● Facilitate developmental growth for children by identifying developmental

concerns. Help children to improve peer relationships, regulate emotions, and

express their needs appropriately.

● Manage an environment where parents can experience shared positive

emotions and interactions with each of their children.

● Support the parent-child relationship by helping parents with any concerns they

might have in parenting, and provide referrals as-needed.

● Assist parents in playing with their children, listening to their children, and

following their children’s leads.

● Communicate with other program staff and interns regarding family needs and

participate in developing action plans to provide a holistic response.

● Work with the Parent & Child Education team to support our weekly Family

Dinner in the Playroom.

● Work with the Playroom team to oversee the direction and implementation of

Playtime Together.

Volunteer Program Management

● Collaborate with the Volunteer & Community Engagement Manager to ensure

effective volunteer recruitment, engagement, and retention.

● Lead volunteer trainings, schedule, and onboard all volunteers.

● Ensure the training program is up-to-date with current best practices in child

development and positive discipline. Supports new volunteers in preparing to

work effectively with children.

● Evaluate and monitor performance of volunteers. Address any performance or

attendance issues as needed.

● Develop and improve volunteer program systems and protocols. Update

program literature to incorporate new aspects of volunteer programs.

● Coordinate annual volunteer appreciation efforts.

Undertake other duties as assigned.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

● Proficiency verbal and written in English and Spanish/Chinese (Cantonese or

Mandarin).

● Undergraduate degree in child development, psychology, social work, or a

related field or 5 years experience in working with children in classroom or

childcare settings.

● Minimum 2-3 years experience working with children in a group setting.

● Experience supporting parent-child relationships in a classroom or childcare

setting.

● Experience supervising staff and nurturing professional growth

● Ability to be flexible, punctual and reliable.

● Ability to work with diverse staff and client populations.

● Demonstrated experience in volunteer coordination &/or supervision.

● Project management experience, including demonstrated experience with

program planning and working collaboratively with others.

● Solid organizational skills, ability to manage multiple priorities, attention to

detail, professionalism, clear communication skills.

● Able to handle crisis situations and work in a high-pressure environment.

● Basic computer skills required: word processing, Google apps and internet

search.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

● Bachelor/Master’s degree preferred.

● Experience providing education or support groups for children is preferred.

● Experience managing play-based or childcare programs.

● Experience working with children with disabilities (this is an increasing group of

children we see).

● Experience working with mixed age groups of children ages 0-12.

POSITION SPECIFICATIONS

● Full Time

● Exempt

● Position will be reference-checked and fingerprinted.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

● Typical Working Conditions:

○ Working with children which includes activity indoors and outdoors,

cooking, cleaning, diaper changes, contact with bodily fluids.

● Equipment Used:

○ Computer, phone, fax, copier, kitchen appliances.

● Essential Physical Tasks:

○ Position requires ability to lift up to 20lbs. Extensive sitting, bending,

running and playing with children is expected in this position.

The base salary for this position is $77, 900.00 annually and is eligible for the

language premium. The language premium is $2,080 annually. This position is

eligible for agency-sponsored benefits. (To know more about our benefits, click

here.)

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider all qualified

applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Safe & Sound provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and

applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type

without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics,

protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other

characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting,

hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence,

compensation and training.

The PCED team strives to cultivate a team that reflects the diverse population we serve

and thus strongly encourages diverse candidates from underrepresented communities

to apply, including but not limited to individuals who identify as QT/BIPOC, those

impacted by the child welfare/foster care systems, and public benefits recipients.

Qualified candidates should submit a resume and a detailed cover letter to Human

Resources at employment@safeandsound.org.