Activity Specialist

Position Title

Activity Specialist

Department

COMPASS Program – Elementary

Site/Location

Mitchel Community Center

210 Alexander Ave, Bronx, NY 10454

Job Classification

Non-Exempt/Part-Time

Salary Range

$22.00 Hourly

Reports To

Program Director

MISSION STATEMENT

East Side House cares for the individuals, families, and communities we serve by expanding opportunities to live more fulfilling lives through education, career, and supportive services.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Summary/Objective

East Side House (ESH) is a community resource serving the Bronx and Northern Manhattan. We believe education is the key that enables individuals to create economic and civic opportunities for themselves, their families, and their communities. ESH’s COMPASS Elementary School-Year Program aligns with this mission by providing high-quality educational, recreational, and youth-development programming through community-center and school-based partnerships.

Funded by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), the COMPASS Elementary Program provides a safe, structured, and engaging after-school environment that supports the academic, social, emotional, creative, and physical development of students in grades K–5.

We are seeking dynamic, creative, and dependable Activity Specialists with demonstrated experience in at least one of the following specialty areas:

• Sports and Physical Activity: Basketball, soccer, flag football, volleyball, fitness, movement, recreational games, or related sports.
• Performing Arts: Theater, acting, musical theater, vocal performance, singing, dance, choreography, or live performance production.
• Fashion Design: Fashion illustration, clothing and accessory design, sewing basics, fabric selection, styling, or fashion-show production.
• STEAM: Hands-on science experiments, basic robotics/coding, creative design challenges, and interactive STEM projects.
• Literacy & Academic Enrichment: Guided reading, storytelling, creative writing, journaling, and academic skill building.

Activity Specialists develop and facilitate structured, age-appropriate enrichment activities within their assigned specialty area while incorporating Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) principles. They teach foundational and progressive skills, support academic success, foster inclusive participation, and prepare students for culminating projects such as games, tournaments, performances, exhibitions, showcases, or academic fairs.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Program Director, the Activity Specialist, will be responsible for but not limited to the following:

1. Ensure participant safety, active supervision, and holistic engagement during all program activities, integrating daily Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) practices to promote positive behavior and self-regulation.
2. Develop and implement structured, age-appropriate lesson plans and progressive, skill-based curriculum within the assigned specialty area (Sports, Performing Arts, Fashion Design, STEAM, or Literacy).
3. Establish clear learning objectives and adapt instruction to meet diverse ages, abilities, learning styles, and individual student support needs within inclusive group settings.
4. Prepare students for culminating projects, performances, exhibitions, showcases, games, tournaments, or academic presentations.
5. Maintain effective group management and create a safe, inclusive, welcoming, and structured learning environment for all participants.
6. Support student engagement and academic tracking, including facilitating daily academic hours, maintaining accurate homework completion logs, and recording daily activity attendance and roster records.
7. Monitor individual youth progress by documenting weekly student engagement summaries and compiling monthly student support reports detailing participation, behavioral observations, and growth strategies.
8. Collaborate with Youth Educators and program leadership to strengthen student engagement, support inclusive participation, and address behavioral concerns constructively.
9. Support overall program operations, including arrival, meals, transitions, dismissal, field trips, family events, and special activities.
10. Maintain organized activity spaces, equipment, technology, costumes, supplies, and materials, and immediately report incidents, injuries, safety concerns, or damaged equipment.
11. Build positive, professional relationships with students and staff while demonstrating punctuality, reliability, teamwork, flexibility, and appropriate role-model behavior.
12. Participate in required meetings, trainings, and professional-development activities and follow all East Side House, DYCD, DOE, and program policies and safety requirements.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

To perform this position successfully, the Activity Specialist must be able to fulfill all the elements of the job description to the highest standard and be able to work well with colleagues in a high energy and collaborative work environment. Additional qualifications include:

1. Demonstrated experience, training, education, or skill in at least one specialty area: Sports & Physical Activity, Performing Arts, Fashion Design, STEAM, or Literacy.
2. At least one year of experience working with elementary-aged youth (grades K–5) in a school, after-school, summer camp, or community-based setting is preferred.
3. Ability to develop engaging, age-appropriate activity lesson plans integrating SEL and inclusion strategies.
4. Demonstrated ability to track youth metrics, maintain program logs (attendance, homework), and write clear weekly student progress summaries.
5. Strong youth-engagement, communication, classroom management, and team collaboration skills.
6. Must be reliable, organized, professional, and able to maintain a safe, inclusive environment.
7. Ability to prepare students for a culminating project, performance, showcase, exhibition, game, or tournament. 8. CPR and First Aid certification required (candidates not certified at hire must complete agency-provided training during onboarding).
8. Must complete all required background clearances and agency trainings.

Education / Experience

1. Minimum High School Diploma
2. Associates college degree preferred

Competencies

1. 1. Communication Proficiency
   2. Team Building
   3. Problem Solving/Analysis
   4. Time Management
   5. Ethical Conduct

Clearance

Employees must be clear to work at ESH. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of background checks and/or screenings.

Supervisory Responsibility

N/A

Physical Demands

The physical demands of this position may include:

• Standing, walking, bending, and moving throughout the program space for extended periods.
• Actively participating in or demonstrating specialty-area activities.
• Setting up, moving, and storing equipment, supplies, costumes, and program materials.
• Lifting and carrying supplies or equipment weighing approximately 10–25 pounds.
• Supervising activities in classrooms, gymnasiums, performance spaces, and outdoor areas.
• Working in indoor and outdoor environments and accompanying students on field trips or community outings.

Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position

Expected Work Schedule

This is a seasonal, part-time position operating during the 2026–2027 school year. The regular work schedule is Monday through Friday from 2PM-6PM during after-school hours, with occasional evening or weekend hours for trainings, family events, performances, showcases, tournaments, or other program activities. Weekly hours and the specific schedule will be determined according to the assigned specialty and program needs. The schedule may be adjusted based on East Side House’s operational needs, with notice provided whenever possible.

EEO Statement

East Side House (ESH) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourages individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

By joining ESH you will receive

1. Competitive compensation
2. Generous Paid Time Off; 20 vacation days, 10 sick days, 2 personal days, 14 federal holidays
3. Health Coverage: Available after 60 days of employment
4. 401k with employer matching, and/or 403B
5. Access to Wellness Programs and employee perks
6. Professional development and opportunities for growth and progression
7. Annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)
8. Challenging, rewarding, and impactful engagement
9. Value and recognition
10. The opportunity to make a difference