Nature Camp Counselor: Call of the Wild Camps

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Openings: spring break 2025 in Oakland (March 31-April 4), Cupertino/Los Altos Hills (April 7-11 and April 14-18), and Vacaville (April 18-25); summer 2025 in multiple Bay Area cities (June-August)

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Do you love working with children? Do you love the outdoors, nature, and hiking? Are you a word lover with a passion for children's books, reading, and writing? How about combining your passions into one fun camp counselor job? At Inspire Behavioral Learning, LLC, we are looking for a Nature Camp Counselor to work in seasonal nature camps for elementary school age kids in grades K-5. We seek enthusiastic, energetic, dynamic and creative camp leaders to join us in creating and implementing educational programs outdoors. Nature Camp Counselors lead children in outdoor Call of the Wild Camps, day camps in Oakland, Berkeley, and Cupertino. Our seasonal fall, winter, spring, and summer nature camps are for kids to hike, read, write, explore, learn, and play in forests of the Bay Area.

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Job description in a nutshell: Nature Camp Counselors actively facilitate nature education and fun learning opportunities for children in forests. This is not a babysitter job or a yard duty job. Camp counselors use emergent curriculum, capturing teachable moments and creating playful nature education throughout the day.

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Our ideal camp counselor is a communicative and collaborative team player bursting with creative ideas to share and implement with children in weekly camps. Our ideal outdoor camp counselor is fun, adaptable, friendly, outgoing, energetic, and eager to inspire and engage children in learning by doing. Strong nature camp counselors have experience in early childhood education, elementary school education, special education, outdoor education, environmental education, literacy education, outdoor recreation, and related fields.

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WHO WE ARE: We believe that to inspire learning is to inspire action! We believe in experiential education and lifelong learning. Inspire Behavioral Learning's mission is to empower people to live happier, more independent and fulfilling lives by achieving their health and educational goals. Outdoor educators in Call of the Wild Camps provide a fun, safe alternative to screen addiction; inspire nature connection and curiosity; and foster healthy, positive relationships with flora and fauna in our natural environments.

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WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE:

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• We believe in the wisdom of "be kind to every kind" and the benefits of veganism on animals and the environment.

• We value diversity and include children with disabilities and typically developing children alike in our programs.

• We value the integrity of the whole person and are dedicated to a well-rounded blend of head, heart, and body -- being constant learners, kind and caring, and focused on learning by doing.

• We use emergent curriculum and principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), the science of learning that focuses on observable interaction between the learner and environment.

• We are a small company focused on quality over quantity.

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ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

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• Complete training online and in camp locations, such as Tilden Regional Park, Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Joaquin Miller Park, Rancho San Antonio County Park, and Lagoon Valley Park (initial training is the week before the first session of each camp season)

• Punctually and reliably attend scheduled work hours, rain or shine, including training, staff meetings, and camp session dates

• Attend outdoor nature camps, rain or shine, each scheduled day for the season you are hired to work

• Safely lead hikes in parks up to approximately 6 miles per day for K-5th graders in small groups

• Maintain a 4:1 or 5:1 student: staff ratio or ratio approved by the camp supervisor

• Implement age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, K-5 level nature-themed science, outdoor education, language arts, art, and motor activities for Call of the Wild Camps

• For Berkeley and Oakland camps, implement activities for the theme weeks Enchanted Forest Reading, Enchanted Forest Art, Enchanted Vegan Nature, and Enchanted Forest Writing

• Facilitate fun and positive nature education curriculum on vegan topics such as animal rights, speciesism, health, food, clothing, and the environment

• Lead outdoor language arts activities for children with nature and wilderness themes, including circle time with story time and singing, literary show-and-tell, skits, nature journaling, mapmaking, creative writing, and authoring and illustrating books

• Facilitate science activities on topics in biology, ecology, zoology, life science, environmental science, outdoor education, stewardship, conservation, preservation, etc., integrating naturalistic observation, group discussion, games, children's books, and writing activities

• Engage children in outdoor activities that blend recreation and education, such as nature-themed field games, hide and seek and chase games, forest "I Spy" games, and scavenger hunts

• Facilitate nature-themed arts and crafts with children

• Engage children with a fun teaching style and high energy, creativity, adaptability, spontaneity, dynamism, and positivity

• Supervise and facilitate children's rest breaks, snack and lunch breaks, and physical play breaks

• Provide naturalistic executive function teaching across diverse activities

• Implement teaching and behavior management based on principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), including prompting, positive reinforcement, and contingencies of reinforcement based on student preferences and choices

• Facilitate emergent curriculum and child-centered, student-centered, naturalistic, incidental, and play-based teaching and learning opportunities

• Create both structured and naturalistic learning opportunities

• Keep work materials neat, organized, and in good working condition

• Record accurate, objective incident reports

• Follow all health and safety requirements

• Make sure campers follow safety rules and leave no trace principles

• Actively contribute and participate in staff training and meetings

• Proactively communicate camp questions and concerns with the camp director and supervisor

• Follow directions and implement feedback from supervisors

• Interact with students and staff in a kind, caring, respectful, positive, and professional manner

• Represent Call of the Wild Camps in a positive and professional manner with customers, staff, and park visitors

• Perform other duties as assigned

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

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Education:

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• Provide proof of your high school diploma or higher degree

• Provide your academic transcripts (unofficial transcripts are permitted); must be in good standing

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Certification and Safety Requirements:

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• Provide proof of unexpired CPR and First Aid certification 

• Provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination

• Pass a DOJ and FBI background check

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Experience:

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• Minimum of one year experience as a camp counselor, outdoor educator, recreation leader, or teacher for outdoor education camps, outdoor recreational camps, nature camps, science camps, STEM camps, STEAM camps, literacy camps, after school programs, or equivalent experience

• Minimum of one year experience working with elementary school age K-5th graders or middle school age 6th-8th graders

• Experience hiking trails of moderate difficulty on hilly and uneven terrain up to approximately 6 miles a day 

• Experience working with culturally, linguistically, and developmentally diverse children

• Experience working with students with widely diverse abilities, such as giftedness, typically developing children, children with disabilities (e.g., autism, ADHD, dyslexia, speech and language delays), and English Language Learners (ELL)

• Experience taking initiative leading groups of children

• Experience leading extracurricular enrichment activities for children

• Experience implementing effective and appropriate behavior management for elementary school age children

• Experience with child development and age-appropriate, grade-appropriate, developmentally appropriate activities

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Skills:

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• Ability to hike trails of moderate difficulty on hilly and uneven terrain up to approximately 6 miles a day five days a week for multiple consecutive weeks

• Ability to carry a loaded hiking backpack weighing up to 20% of your body weight for the duration of each camp day

• Fun and engaging teaching style with high energy, creativity, adaptability, spontaneity, dynamism, and positivity

• Kind, caring, compassionate, and patient with learners of all skill levels

• Demonstrate care for children and a desire to help the whole child learn and grow in enjoyable ways, in addition to language arts and/or biology subject-matter competence

• Command of American English phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics

• Eagerness and openness to continually learn and develop your skill set, no matter how minimal or extensive your experience

• Excellent ability to break concepts down into simple and easy steps

• Excellent time-management and organizational skills

• Outstanding oral and written communication skills

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

• Punctuality and reliable attendance

• Demonstrable love of nature and the outdoors, eco-conscious, and health-conscious

• Demonstrable love of language arts and literacy teaching

• Enthusiastic about making education relevant to children's lives

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Other Requirements:

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• You are an adult (age 18 or older)

• Provide proof of a valid California driver license

• Possess your own reliable vehicle for commuting to and from regional and city parks in both Oakland and Berkeley; Cupertino/Los Altos Hills; or Vacaville

• Submit a relevant cover letter specific to the position and company 

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PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

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• East Bay applicants: experience hiking in Tilden Regional Park, Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, and/or Joaquin Miller Park and familiarity with their flora and fauna

• South Bay applicants: experience hiking in Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve and familiarity with its flora and fauna

• North/East Bay applicants: experience hiking in Lagoon Valley Park and familiarity with its flora and fauna

• You are vegan, as defined by The Vegan Society, and you can articulate how veganism benefits animals and the environment

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PERKS AND BENEFITS:

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• Have fun teaching and inspiring kids in the great outdoors!

• Employees get paid training; paid rest breaks; off-duty lunch breaks; and retirement plan if working at least 30 days

• Supportive and friendly environment with coaching and mentorship

• Become part of a company that truly cares about both the employee’s and student’s happiness and success!

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LOCATIONS: Bay Area parks.

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Fall camp 2024

• Oakland: Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, November 25-27

 

Spring camps 2025

• Oakland: Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, March 31-April 4

• Cupertino/Los Altos Hills: Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve, April 7-11 and April 14-18

• Vacaville: Lagoon Valley Park and Andrews Park, April 18-25

 

Summer camps 2025:

• Berkeley and Oakland: alternating weeks in Tilden Regional Park, Joaquin Miller Park, and Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, planned dates June 9-August 1

• Cupertino/Los Altos Hills: Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve, planned dates July 7-25

• Vacaville: Lagoon Valley Park, planned dates June 16-27

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​SCHEDULE: 8:25 AM-4:35 PM

 

CLASSIFICATION: Non-exempt employee for temporary, seasonal work.

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COMPENSATION: $19.00/hr - $22.00/hr DOE

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JOB TITLE: Camp Counselor may be variously known as or similar to camp leader, camp teacher, camp instructor, outdoor educator, youth leader, youth group leader, program leader, lead counselor, lead camp counselor, elementary program leader, outdoor camp counselor, forest camp counselor, summer camp counselor, spring camp counselor, winter camp counselor, fall camp counselor, hiking camp counselor, science camp counselor, writing camp counselor, reading camp counselor, academic camp counselor, K-5 camp counselor, nature instructor, naturalist, nature camp counselor

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APPLY: Click the button below, providing your resume and a cover letter specifying why you might be a great fit for the Nature Camp Counselor and Inspire Behavioral Learning®! We look forward to connecting with you!