JOB OPENING

Organizational Overview:

The mission of CuriOdyssey is to inspire love for science and curiosity about the world to create a brighter future. Located in Coyote Point Park in San Mateo County, CuriOdyssey has undergone major reinventions and a full strategic planning process that has transformed the organization into a vital, kid-centric interactive science center and accredited California native wildlife zoo that provides up-close and personal experiences with the natural world. The organization is comprised of a strategic and engaged Board of Trustees, visionary executive leadership, and a talented, energetic and entrepreneurial staff.

Position Overview:

CuriOdyssey is seeking an Inclusion Assistant to support Camp CuriOdyssey campers in summer 2023.

Camp CuriOdyssey provides camper driven investigations of science and the outdoors, enabling them to grow as critical and creative thinkers while they experience and understand how the world works. Our campers are 3-12 years old, predominantly from the local area and come to us with diverse learning abilities, physical abilities, and identities. Camp groups are small to ensure that campers enjoy personal, rich explorations alongside skilled staff, volunteers, and peers. Camp staff creates a safe environment that empowers campers to question, investigate, and imagine.

At Camp CuriOdyssey, we center the individual to provide support and accommodations that fit each camper's unique needs. While we provide space for parents and caregivers to note physical mobility, emotional, behavioral, and learning needs during registration, we also understand that needs and accommodations are changing, context-dependent, and not always captured by a formal diagnosis. The Camp Inclusion Assistant will help to create a responsive, adaptable environment where all campers feel welcome, safe and supported. This work will be accomplished through:

• Thoughtful during-camp communication with camper families,
• Social and emotional support for campers,
• Modeling inclusive practices across responsibilities and collaborations with other camp staff, and
• Collaboration with aides accompanying campers.

The Camp Inclusion Assistant works to ensure that the day camp program fulfills our promise to spark excitement, curiosity, and exploration through exceptional immersive experiences for all learners.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide direct support to all campers within the camp program ensuring a safe, fun, and appropriate learning environment.
• Support campers with identified needs and accommodations, using information provided by parents and caregivers.
• Collaborate with Education Operations and Communications Manager to communicate camper needs to camp staff at the beginning of each camp week.
• Communicating with a camper’s parents/caregivers about their camper’s involvement in camp, camp staff on best practices and problem solving, and the Education Operations and Communications Manager on organizational support for the camp program.
• Coordinating and communicating with any camper aides provided by parents/caregivers and accompanying campers.
• Managing and restocking break boxes with fidget toys, noise canceling headphones, and other sensory devices.
• Camp Inclusion Assistant may also work within a camp to facilitate camp activities and engage campers in distinctive educational experiences.
• The Camp Inclusion Assistant provides support and feedback to all camp staff and volunteers.
• Like in most every other job, projects and tasks arise that may be delegated or taken on by the Camp Inclusion Assistant.

Desired Qualities

• Commitment to the mission of CuriOdyssey and science/environmental education.
• Commitment to CuriOdyssey’s value of Community: We design for diversity, equity and inclusion by centering marginalized voices.
• Creative, curious, and compassionate approach to facilitating positive learning experiences for children.
• Completed or in pursuit of a Bachelor’s Degree in early childhood education, early childhood special education, psychology, or a related field; or at least one year of relevant work experience.
• An individual who understands and respects children, recognizes that learning is a process not a product, is committed to positive behavior management, and makes the learning process engaging, fun, and driven by the individual camper.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of the laws and regulations regarding services for young children with disabilities and their families (ADA, IDEA).
• Experience working with underserved populations, including people of color and/or monolingual families.
• Desired: Personal or professional experience with the disability community and fluency in English/Cantonese or English/Spanish.
• This position requires the candidate to take and clear a Livescan fingerprint and background check.
• Must currently have or be willing to get a CPR/First Aid Certification.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

The physical demands herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential job functions.

Environment: Work is conducted at CuriOdyssey and immediately local space at Coyote Point. Camp will take place indoors and outdoors in various weather conditions.

Mobility: Physical ability and endurance to occasionally carry and lift heavy materials, up to 50 pounds. Frequently move from a sitting to standing position. Traversing uneven surfaces, bending, reaching, sitting on the floor with children and twisting are daily repetitive physical actions.

Equity Stance

We actively engage our mission in a way that deconstructs and works against systems that reinforce the oppression and/or disenfranchisement of individuals and communities. We hold all staff accountable for working towards justice for people of all identities regarding race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, citizenship status, and other protected groups.

While we strive for diverse teams, we recognize diversity does not equal inclusion or equity. Transformation of our policies, trainings, and other structures in place help make diversity, equity, and inclusion towards these justices a permanent change to our organizational culture.

Justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion is continuous work and on-going support is necessary to create a safe space for all staff, volunteers, and patrons to thrive.

Compensation and Benefits

• Pay Rate: $22.00/hour
• This is a non-exempt seasonal position, full-time starting June 5 through August 18. Please note that there are two unpaid holidays, June 19 and July 3-4. Limited flexibility to accommodate non-emergency time off requests.
• The general work schedule for camp training and camp 8 hours/shift, Mon. – Fri., between the hours of 8:00am – 5:00pm.

To Apply

Please send a resume, cover letter, and references to jobs(at)curiodyssey.org with “Camp Inclusion Assistant” in the subject line.