Early Child Education Programs - Substitute Camp Counselor (Seasonal)

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This position contributes to the success of Brookfield Zoo Chicago (“BZC”) by providing the highest level of quality customer service and extraordinary guest experiences with top-quality programming to participants to further BZC’s mission of inspiring conservation leadership.  This position is a substitute and fill-in position, so scheduled hours may be intermittent and will be available on an as needed basis.

This is a seasonal non-union hourly position, grade S009 with a pay rate of $19.85 per hour. Please see Benefits Summary section below the job description information.  

2026 Summer Camp dates are: June 8 - August 7. There is no camp the week of July 4th (June 29 - July 3). Camp staff training will take place the week of June 1. The typical scheduled hours for camp staff are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; until 5:00 p.m. for aftercare. Each staff member typically gets assigned one week of aftercare coverage. Further information about camp programs can be found here. 

PRIMARY JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

1. *     Substitutes for Camp Counselor positions, as needed, through Zoo Camp. 
2. *    Facilitates a variety of camp program topics and themes through techniques, including investigation, exploration and instruction. 
3. *     Partners with Camp Inclusion Specialist to plan for accommodation of participants with special needs.
4. *     Facilitates program/activity development, prototyping, and documentation.
5. *     Supervises program participants throughout the park during all program activities and zoo tours, maintaining a minimum 1:5 staff to child ratio at all times.
6. *     Assists program participants with all activities, games, and projects that relate to the designated program themes.  
7. *     Organizes all daily supplies for activities including free play, arts and crafts, snack time, and games.
8.  *    Maintains open communication on a daily basis with parents and/or guardians of program participants regarding questions, concerns, discipline issues, daily activities, etc.
9.       Directs and/or delegates Seasonal Camp Counselor Assistants to complete tasks as appropriate.

10.     Other related duties as assigned.

* Denotes Essential Job Function(s)

POSITION REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma or educational equivalent (e.g., GED.) required.
• Must be at least 18 years of age as required by the American Camp Association Guidelines.
• Two months or more paid and/or volunteer/unpaid experience working with groups of children and/or educating the public in a formal or informal educational setting, e.g., camp, park district, Special Recreation Association, day care, student teaching, school, or cultural institution, required.
• Strong organizational, leadership, and communication skills required.
• English fluency at a professional working proficiency.
• Must be an enthusiastic and flexible team player and able to work in a stimulating environment.
• Must have excellent customer service skills and ability to work with guests effectively.
• Cultural competency; experience and/or ability to work and interact effectively with a diverse, multicultural audience.
• Must be able to be flexible and available on short notice.

DESIRABLE/PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Previous experience working at the Brookfield Zoo.
• One or more years of college or the equivalent of two years training and/or experience preferred, including coursework in education, biological sciences, communication, therapeutic recreation, or other directly related field or subjects, such as public speaking, interpretation, theater, recreation, environmental studies, children and families, or art and interpretation.
• Experience working in inclusive informal, educational, or recreational programs a plus.
• Experience in a zoo, aquarium, museum, nature center, or art studio environment a plus.
• Multilingual ability, Spanish fluency a plus.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:   This position description summarizes the primary duties and functions of this position, but should not be considered a complete listing of every duty the incumbent may ever be called upon to perform.  Must represent Brookfield Zoo Chicago in an appropriate and professional manner to campers, families of enrolled campers and Zoo guests.  Must have a genuine interest in nature and animals.  Must be willing and able to learn play facilitation skills.  Incumbent must display a positive attitude and be a positive role model to program participants and provide a fun and positive learning environment for program participants including school-aged children.  Pre-school camp is for children 4 and 5-years old.  School-age camp is for children in grades K–5.  Incumbent may be scheduled to work non-standard hours including evenings, holidays, overnights, and weekends typically in the fall and spring.  Camp programs run from June through August, training takes place in May. This position is a substitute and fill-in position so scheduled hours may be intermittent and will be available on an as needed basis. The work schedule for Zoo Camp is generally Monday through Friday, 7 to 8 hours per day, based on camper enrollment.  All schedules are based on the needs of the operation.

OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:  See Occupational Requirements Form.

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Benefits Summary

We are pleased that you are considering joining our team at Brookfield Zoo Chicago (BZC). Below is a summary of the benefits we offer.

Non-Union Seasonal Employees

Mental Health: Support, counseling, and resources for life issues at no cost to you. Eligible employees and their immediate family have access to Perspectives, a dynamic Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) which provides 24/7, confidential care and resources to address work and life stressors.

Retirement Savings: Eligible employees are automatically enrolled at 6% on a pre-tax basis as soon as administratively feasible following date of hire. Employee Pre-tax and/or Roth after-tax contributions available. First of the quarter following one year of service, eligible employees receive matching contributions of up to 3%. The employer match for Seasonal employees is vested on a 6-year graded vesting schedule based on Years of Service.

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