youth leader

school program staff

sports coach

program supervisor

lead teacher

LEARN LA

I worked for Learn LA's Aspire program for one and a half school years across 2 main school sites, as well as subbing at another 2-3 other school sites that were heavily understaffed multiple times.  I worked the before-school program as well.  Having experienced multiple schools, supervisors, and site coordinators; I can summarize a general experience of what it's like to work for this program.  Outside of our time during peak Covid-19, I was not allowed a single 15-minute break before, and after regular programming had resumed.  Depending on your designated school, you may very well walk into a very poorly ran site 
do to low retainment and call-outs.  Some sites have well behaved students, however quick turnaround typically makes for poor behavior and a great need for multiple youth leaders. My site coordinators, with the exception of one who no longer works for this program as well, offered little to no help in almost every situation imaginable as it relates to student behavior, program policies, etc.  The only time my site coordinators would show up to my class, was to scrutinize and micromanage everything under the sun.  They offer no support for day-to-day operations.  Supervisors provide less than no help at all, as they have another 4-5 school sites they "take care of". 
 You have a fairly strict uniform policy that you must follow.  You're expected to do everything, while also supervising a class of 20+ students.  We had 30+ youth leaders at my site during Covid-19.  When we returned in late 2021, our site managed to retain a total of 3 youth leaders from the 30+ we had at the end of the prior school year.  I also left shortly thereafter. There is no greater summation of what it's like to work this program, than that retainment percentage. 

During my tenure at LEARN, I often felt unsupported and unheard. It was disheartening to notice that whenever supervisors asked for feedback, it felt like a mere formality. Whenever someone expressed their feelings or concerns, we were met with negativity or even faced disciplinary action for speaking up. This created an environment where honest communication was discouraged. The lack of support hindered growth within the team.

The lack of organization and consistent direction within the team was evident. Supervisors often contradict each other, leading to confusion and inefficiencies. The inconsistency put unnecessary strain on our work and resulted in a decreased level of productivity. This not only affected our morale but also made us look unprofessional in the eyes of stakeholders.

One major consequence of these issues was the ridiculously high turnover rate within the company. The toxic work culture, lack of support, and clear communication led many talented individuals to seek opportunities elsewhere; thus causing a loss of valuable expertise and knowledge. It was alarming to witness such a pattern. 

It was also disappointing to see how funds were allocated. Instead of using funds to help schools provide fun activities, supervisors took week-long, annual retreats to places such as Big Bear Lake or Santa Barbara. Staff only received an annual Christmas lunch and an occasional pizza or pastry.  Our team bonding activities primarily consisted of ice breakers such as, "Find a friend who.." or a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" Challenge.  This imbalance in resource distribution only added to the overall dissatisfaction among the team.

I really enjoyed most of my time working here-met some amazing coworkers and learned a lot.
Building relationships/connections with the kids is the most important and having rapport with parents. If you can do that- you can de-escalate a lot of the incidents that happen.
Supervisors are generally supportive if you come to them with their problem but they can improve on supporting by visiting their campuses they oversee more often. Same with management above supervisors.
Each school is different and the environment/feel for the school  will depend on the leadership of the site coordinator and the rapport they have with their team and students.
A lot of workload and pressure can be put on site coordinators and it’s hard because no matter how hard you may train a staff, you can’t teach a youth leader to not be lazy or to put more effort in and unfortunately it often gets put back on the SC’s as if they’re not doing enough.
The pay is pretty good compared to other programs but a lot can be expected.
As long as you’re organized, have a routine, and share the workload it’s doable.
I left at the time this company was going downhill by reaching to outside resources for their enrichment activities, they care ALOT about their grant guidelines and “looking good” to the districts and stakeholders and ultimately forgetting were there to serve the community not to gloat about what we do. The CEO has a lot of fault in that. I worked here for over 5 years and trained lots of staff and a lot of them shared the same sentiment.

The kids were the only good part of this job—they made it worth showing up every day. But management? Absolutely terrible. My site had severe behavioral issues, and instead of stepping in, higher-ups ignored everything. They never visited, never checked in, and left staff completely on their own to deal with constant chaos.

The worst part? A major incident where a student physically attacked youth leaders, putting both staff and other students at risk. Instead of offering support, checking in, or addressing the situation properly, upper management’s only response was to tell us we “shouldn’t be touching kids”—even when we were actively being attacked and trying to protect others. They did absolutely nothing to ensure our safety, nor did they remove the student who was a danger to everyone.

On top of that, my direct supervisor was openly biased, favoring certain students and youth leaders while others were constantly disregarded. Students who should have been removed from the program due to ongoing dangerous behavior were always let off the hook, making it impossible to maintain a safe and structured environment.

If management actually did their jobs, provided real support, and prioritized safety, this could be a great place to work. But instead, they let staff fend for themselves in dangerous situations while they sat back and ignored everything. If you’re thinking about working here, be ready to handle everything alone—because management sure won’t.

My time here was the worst experience I ever  had at any job. To a point I felt like I got PTSD. The site coordinator will act like she is on your side, but given the chance will backstab and throw you under the bus the first chance she gets. You must be one of the “chosen ones” to get the better shifts or more hours. In order to do so you have to be willing to be a “yes man” and agree with everything the site coordinator brings up and your input has zero affect.

 If you decide to act like a professional and watch what you say or what others say around the students you are working with and bring it up to the attention of the site coordinator that someone is being unprofessional or inappropriate you become the problem, after all it’s not like they are children you are working with.  

Overall the site coordinator will break a lot of rules and become unethical. When it comes to the people she is in charge of and goes against the company handbook. If you should bring this up to the site coordinator upper management they will look to get rid of you to transfer you to another site where you don’t want to be and leave the site coordinator at the school causing this to occur. 

If you’re looking for a job where leadership supports you, values your contributions, and fosters a positive work culture—this is NOT the place. Management and supervisors made it clear that employee well-being was not a priority.
Communication was poor, expectations were unclear, and when issues arose, there was no guidance or support from leadership. Instead of constructive feedback, employees were met with blame and unrealistic demands. Morale was consistently low because hard work was never acknowledged, but mistakes—no matter how small—were harshly criticized. Supervisors showed blatant favoritism, rewarding those who played office politics while ignoring or overburdening others. Requests for help or clarification were often dismissed, leaving employees to fend for themselves. The stress and negativity in this environment made it nearly impossible to stay motivated, and turnover was (unsurprisingly) high. Overall, this was one of the most toxic workplaces I have ever experienced. If you value a supportive and professional work environment, I strongly advise looking elsewhere.

Once assigned at a school, you will work a 4-5 hour shift (always ending at 6pm, start time varies). As a youth leader, you are responsible for looking over a class, not exceeding a 1-20 student ratio. 

You take your students to supper, to do homework, to play outside, then you must go over a simple lesson plan with the students (often a Youtube video). 

Difficult students can make the job very tiring; the job becomes even more tiring when management doesn't provide support. A student who required a full-time aid during the school day did not have an aid during the after-school program (though it was required), which put more stress, work, and liability on me as a youth leader. Management did very little to implement an aid in my classroom. 

If your coworkers are reliable, they will help you when management won't. 

Overall, a good job to get experience working with children. Lots of paper work if you have a hard class, really just depends on the students and your manager which determines how the year goes. 

During my time at this company, I found management to be largely unsupportive, particularly toward site coordinators. Communication was often delayed or unclear, yet expectations remained consistently high.

In the site coordinator role, responsibilities extend far beyond what is typical, including duties related to hiring, termination, marketing, and general site management, essentially functioning as HR alongside other operational demands. Despite this, there is limited guidance or support provided.

There also appears to be a high turnover rate in this position, which may reflect the intensity of expectations. At times, disciplinary actions or terminations were not clearly explained, leaving little opportunity for employees to understand or respond.

That said, the youth leader role can be a positive and rewarding experience. However, based on my experience, I would not recommend the site coordinator position.

LEARN is a dysfunctional, ignorant, and oppressive organization. Upper management enjoys their hierarchy. If you are a person who believes and knows that you have a voice and enjoy using it, do not work here. If you are a person who values honesty and feedback, do not work here. If you are any bit aware of what social justice entails and requires, you will be completely dissatisfied with the actual workings of the organization. LEARN will fire you without providing warning, which goes against their own policy. LEARN will deliver warnings on expectations that they fail to uphold themselves. There is absolutely no reason to work here. There are so many other wonderful places that will value you, that will treat you with dignity, and that will communicate with you thoroughly and effectively. Lastly, why would an organization who has terrible grammar be funded and exist in this world? If you dont care about any of the above but you are irked by improper grammar, don't work here. It will drive you insane daily.

I was encouraged to take sick days then terminated for it. Same toxic office culture and disconnect with upper office admin types like most general youth organizations across the board. yet another trend of cutting hours with no regard to workers livelihoods. Flippant advisors that didn't care about your working conditions or making ends meet. Terrible decisions would come from the top without prior notice or just cause. Toxic admin types that demand unreasonable deadlines. Coordinators always gossiped and disparaged youth leaders. I was probably the only one in the room that bothered to know all the kids names. I raised a complaint on a new workers behavior and since then felt specifically targeted. I'm not ignorant to the severe mismanagement taking place. program quality is on the decline and the higher ups are completely oblivious/willfully ignorant. The worst people working with youth are those chasing a paycheck.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Youth leader 4 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour
School program staff 1 salary reported	$21.00 per hour
Sports coach 1 salary reported	$21.00 per hour
Program supervisor 1 salary reported	$61,895 per year
Lead teacher 1 salary reported	$66.00 per hour

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