Summer Playground Leader Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Allendale Columbia School is seeking energetic, responsible, and experienced Summer Camp Counselors to support the Allendale Adventurers program serving campers in grades K–3 (ages 6–9). This position is ideal for individuals who enjoy working with children and are confident in providing supervision, guidance, and positive leadership in a fun and active camp environment.

The Summer Camp Counselor will serve as a consistent leader for a small group of campers and will escort them throughout the day to a variety of scheduled activities including arts, sports, science, and weekly field trips. Counselors are responsible for maintaining a safe, engaging, and structured environment while encouraging participation, teamwork, and positive social interactions among campers.

Counselors play an important role in creating a memorable summer experience by modeling positive behavior, supporting campers during transitions between activities, and maintaining active supervision at all times. The role requires strong communication skills, patience, reliability, and the ability to work collaboratively with fellow counselors and camp leadership to ensure a smooth and enjoyable camp experience for all participants.

Key Responsibilities:

• Camper Supervision & Engagement: Supervise a small group of campers in grades K–3 throughout the camp day, actively engaging them in activities and encouraging participation in arts, sports, science, and outdoor programming.
• Activity Transitions & Support: Escort campers between scheduled activities and assist with activity setup and cleanup while maintaining consistent supervision and organization.
• Field Trip Supervision: Support and supervise campers during weekly off-campus field trips to ensure safety, participation, and positive behavior.
• Safety & Accountability: Maintain accurate headcounts at all times and ensure all camp safety protocols are followed, including hydration, allergies, and general camper well-being.
• Positive Role Modeling: Foster a respectful and supportive camp environment by modeling positive behavior, patience, teamwork, and inclusion for campers.
• Team Collaboration: Work collaboratively with fellow counselors and camp leadership to maintain a structured and enjoyable camp experience for all participants.

• Age Requirement: Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Experience: Prior experience working with children is required (camp counseling, coaching, tutoring, babysitting, childcare, or similar youth programming).
• Health & Safety: CPR and First Aid certification strongly preferred.
• Personal Qualities: Demonstrated ability to supervise and engage groups of children in a safe and positive manner. Must be reliable, energetic, patient, and a strong role model.
• Commitment: Availability to work the 2026 Summer Program (June 29 – August 7) preferred. A minimum commitment of three consecutive weeks is required.
• Clearance: Must successfully complete all required background checks in accordance with school and state requirements.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Safely lift a child or children with a total weight of 50 pounds.
• Conduct activities involving substantial standing, walking, and moderate sitting, stooping, kneeling, bending, crouching, crawling, twisting, and reaching on a frequent basis.
• Work with hands above shoulder height with a weight up to 20 pounds.
• Work with arms extended at shoulder height with a weight up to 20 pounds.
• Must be able to stoop, bend, and kneel on the floor without assistance
• Must be able to push, pull, playground equipment, art supplies, manipulate office equipment, etc.
• Participate in routine conversation in person or via telephone and distinguish telephone, radio/pager signals, alarms, and other auditory tones

Schedule: Monday – Friday
Hours: Approximately 37.5 hours per week during the summer camp session.

Shift Flexibility: Choose your preferred schedule!

Early Shift: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Late Shift: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Commitment Requirements

We are looking for consistency for our campers. While we are hiring for the full summer, we have specific requirements for partial stays:

Priority: Applicants who can commit to the full 6-week term will receive precedence.

Minimum Requirement: We do not accept commitments of less than 3 consecutive weeks.

Option A: June 29th – July 17th

Option B: July 20th – August 7th

Compensation: $16.00 – $20.00 per hour commensurate with experience.
This position is paid on an hourly basis and is classified as non-exempt, meaning it is eligible for overtime in accordance with applicable federal and New York State wage and hour laws.

Lunch Provided

Please send your resume and letter of interest to Regina Grice, Director of Human Resources, at jobs@allendalecolumbia.org. Include your full name and “Summer Camp Counselor" in the subject line. Please do not send a fax or a paper copy.

Allendale Columbia School, as an equal opportunity employer, does not discriminate in its hiring of employees on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, citizenship, marital or veteran status, age, or disability. We actively seek diversity among faculty and administration as well as among students.