Traditional Program Area Lead

The JCC Ranch Camp is not just the Denver JCC’s overnight summer camp, it’s also one of the best places to work during the summer. As a staff member, Ranch Camp will become your home away from home as you work to create a community where people can thrive. You’re a hero to your campers; you have the chance to do something you really care about and have a whole lot of fun doing it. Your experience as a staff member is just as important to us as our campers’ experience. That being said: We’re here to serve kids and make sure they are in the safest environment possible while having the time of their lives. 

First and foremost, all our staff are madrichim or counselors.  

All Cabin Staff Responsibilities:

• Take care of your campers by prioritizing the physical, social, emotional health, safety, and well-being. 

• Work as a team with your co-staff to make sure every day runs the way it’s supposed to and complete daily camper notes.  

• Create a community that you want to be a part of and that you want campers to be a part of.  

• Include everyone and make sure everyone is included.  

• Jump into the camp life: ride horses, swim, camp, play games, sing songs, roast s’mores, be ready to do everything the campers do! 

• Know where your campers are and what they are doing all the time.  

• Manage camper behaviors using the tools you learn in Staff Orientation week (We’ll go over positive behavior management techniques, enforcing appropriate safety policies, emergency procedures, camp rules, and more.) 

• Be flexible and adaptable because things change quickly at camp. You have to be able to roll with it. 

• Live in a bunk with your co-staff and your campers. 

• And other duties and responsibilities as assigned: you might need to make your campers’ dreams of a beach themed ice-cream campfire song session come true or become your favorite legendary Pokémon for an evening program. 

But our staff aren’t just counselors. We want you to do what matters to you while you’re at camp.  

Want to spend your summer outside, exploring the back country of Colorado and climbing mountains? We have a job for you. Does spending the morning playing soccer and the afternoon creating art make your heart happy? We have a job for you. Want to design a rocket that can make grilled cheese, but also land on Mars? We probably have a job for you, let’s talk. 

Traditional Program Staff Responsibilities: 

• Create and run multiple programs each day for campers of all ages in the traditional program (arts and crafts, music, theatre, dance, tie dye, farm and garden, and STEM) that are safe, fun, and memorable. 

• Document the programming you create for other staff members to use in the future.  

• Work with the program team to create and run engaging staff and all-camp programming. 

• As a member of the Traditional Program Staff Team, you’ll facilitate everything that happens in our traditional camp programs (arts and crafts, music, theatre, dance, tie dye, farm and garden, and STEM) from the organization of materials to creating camper art galleries and performances to teaching kids about gardening and ecology to running camp crafts like tie dye. 

• Specialize in one branch of Traditional programming and hold additional responsibility for the quality, facilitation, and upkeep of that area: 

• Arts and Crafts, Theatre, and Dance: You are responsible for daily set up, clean up, and inventory of the art room, theatre space, and tie dye area. You are also responsible for assisting in tie dye washing and drying.  

• Music and Song Leading: You are responsible for assisting in leading daily morning circles, campfires, Shabbat services, and other musical camp moments. 

• Farming and Gardening: You are responsible for animal care including feeding, watering, monitoring for illnesses, cleaning spaces, and ensuring animals are put away in the evenings and brought out in the mornings. You are also responsible for ensuring the garden is appropriately watered and plants are being cared for.  

• Israeli Culture: create programs to engage campers through activities, food, and games, while guiding campers to make meaningful connections to Israel and work with other program staff to infuse Israeli culture into other program areas.  

If you have previous camp experience, as a Program Area Lead, you’ll also have the opportunity to step into additional leadership roles and responsibilities including, but not limited to:  

• Help develop programming for staff, such as Onegs, staff appreciation, or other events  

• Help develop all-camp programming, such as evening programs or special days  

• Work with the SIT (Staff in Training) program as a mentor 

Finally, all staff must be able to attend staff orientations and be available to live at camp for the summer season. While we prefer staff to work for the entire summer, we understand if you can’t and encourage you to apply if you can work at least 5 – 6 weeks of our summer season.    

Physical Demands and Working Environment:

Physical Demands: This job requires the incumbent to have operative auditory and visual functioning. Employee must also be able to walk upwards of two (2) miles each day, including use of stairs and uneven terrain.  Employee may also stand, sit in chairs or on the ground, run, and swim. Employee may lift or body block campers when necessary.   

Work Environment: Working conditions may include being in indoor, often time’s loud spaces and spending extended time outdoors under the sun. Must have the ability to work in a hectic, sometimes stressful environment while maintaining the standard of care.   

Qualifications and Requirements:

Basic Qualifications:   

• Must be at least 18 years of age or 17 and graduated from high school 

• One year experience in a child care setting or a vested interest in working in a professional child care setting 

• One year experience teaching or leading arts activities in a child care or school setting  

• Satisfactorily fulfill requirements for employment at the Staenberg-Loup JCC, including: background screening, three references, documentation, and compliance with CDHS law  

• Must be high-energy, enthusiastic, creative, and open-minded!   

Preferred Qualifications:    

• One year experience in a camp environment   

• Current CPR and First Aid certification 

• Completed some college coursework or hold high school diploma (GED) or equivalent experience   

Benefits Overview:  

This is a seasonal job and is therefore ineligible for benefits.  

Please note: This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive statement of every duty and responsibility which will ever be required of an employee in this position; however, the employee will be held responsible for all duties assigned.  

The Jewish Community Center values diversity and inclusiveness and is an equal opportunity employer.