First Unitarian Church of Des Moines is currently accepting applications for the following positions:

Child Care Coordinator

Position Overview: The task of the Child Care Coordinator is to supervise the provision of free child care at First Unitarian for parents/guardians who are attending church programs. Child care is predominantly offered for infants through age 4, but may include older children sometimes. The Child Care Coordinator is responsible for direct supervision of child care providers, managing requests for care, scheduling, maintaining the child care room itself, and other duties as required to ensure the littlest church-goers have a wonderful experience at First Unitarian.

Essential Job Functions

• Oversee child care staff, including hiring, evaluations, discipline, and resignations/terminations.
• Handle scheduling, including routine Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings but, requiring more time and attention, requests for other classes and special events/workshops.
• Direct and, as needed, develop age-appropriate curriculum that ensures older children* in the child care room are exposed to Unitarian Universalist principles in a manner that is engaging, enjoyable, and educational. (*We hope the infants enjoy being surrounded by stories and fun activities, but we don’t expect them to participate in craft/activity time just yet!)
• Enter child care attendance into PowerChurch
• Maintain child care employee handbook
• Communicate with parents/guardians
• Purchase supplies for the child care room as necessary
• Maintain safe conditions in the child care room, including by removing broken or dangerous toys
• Report any incidents of injury, abuse, or other concerns to the parents and appropriate staff
• Work as a child care provider on a regular or substitute basis

Qualifications & Competencies

• 21 years of age or older
• Experience working with young children and familiarity with their learning and developmental needs
• Warm, caring, and professional in interactions with children and their families
• Highly organized and able to manage a schedule with many moving parts and players
• Ability to oversee a staff of very part-time workers, including some high schoolers, and provide guidance and instruction to help them do their job well
• Flexibility in dealing with unexpected events and the ability to troubleshoot
• Self-motivated to do the job well and able to work with little to no supervision
• Openness to and respect for people of different backgrounds and religions. At least some knowledge of Unitarian Universalism a plus.
• Maintains confidentiality in all matters regarding visitors, members, friends, and staff of First Unitarian Church of Des Moines
• Digitally competent: Able to effectively use email, text, and Google Calendar to communicate with staff and manage schedules; and promptly responds to staff and scheduling needs in a fast-paced environment
• Comfortable learning and using a congregational database system (PowerChurch)
• Able to meet the physical demands of the job, including lifting and holding up to 40 pounds (about the size of a 4-year-old); bending, stooping, sitting on the floor or other motions necessary to interact with children and keep them safe; maintaining visual supervision of the children in your care.
• Ability to pass a background check

Hours & Pay

• Flexible, part-time position
• Hours vary depending on whether the Coordinator works in the child care room, and how much time is put into creating curriculum. Hours from mid-August through May to average 9 hours/week, and from June through early August (or when there’s no curriculum work and no working in the room itself) average 3 hours/week.
• Days and hours of regular child care room operations: Sunday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. (reduced hours in the summer), and Wednesday nights from September through May from 5:30 to 8:45 p.m. Other dates/times dependent on when other church programming needs arise. Additional time spent scheduling, supplying the room, etc. is very flexible.
• Starting pay: $12/hour

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

To Apply:

E-mail your résumé and cover letter to Laura Berardi, Membership Coordinator, at membership@ucdsm.org. Qualifying applicants will be asked to complete a separate application at a later time in order to process a background check.