school program staff

site coordinator

camp leader

camp counselor

high school teacher

Woodcraft Rangers

This was just my experience but could be different for someone else. Overall I enjoyed working here but the program should definitely work on some more training especially with site supervisors so they could better lead and give support to team/pod leaders.

 I do recommend this program to people who are beginning to enter their job field whether that be in education, child development, or any related field. I also recommend this job for entry level people who just graduated high school. 

It’s definitely a good job but definitely do make sure it’s something your passionate about and are okay with  a few cons.

 I have compiled a list of pros and cons and hope it helps: 

Pros:
•flexible hours
•understandable when it comes to family emergencies 
•your always learning skills from the kids and your manager
•site supervisor  truly wants you to learn and helps when possible 
•amazing co workers (at least in the school I was placed) 
•parents are amazing ! 

Cons: 
•understaff so be ready to take extra workload 
•some of the teachers are mean and talk negatively about the program and staff members, so keep your distance as much as possible and try to build thick skin  (varies by school) 
•will have you do work that is not in job description
•10 min breaks were short  or sometimes forgotten due  to the program being understaffed. 
•very unorganized leading to confusion and stressful environment for pod leaders.




All the rules of a "government" job, paperwork, policies, etc. None of the benefits.

Management is a coin toss. It all depends on luck and how lenient your site coordinator and their manager is. First year started out strong, second year went downhill fast. The employee churn is insane. But most staff are recent highschool graduates so what do you expect.

Tons of "required" things. Rules you "have" (to try) to follow/enforce with kids but that's easier said than done.  Rules/policies for staff tho... If they want, they could get you on even minor things. Feels unfair a lot of the time.

Although I do like what woodcraft offers to the kids, a large majority is just a glorified after school program. It all depends on how much effort the specific club leader is putting in. My effort definitely didn't feel appreciated (by management), only by my students. Meanwhile others just sit there on their phones all day.

A lot of the things feel like a facade for a great company. Expectations keep on increasing, and are the worst near the end of the school year. (imagine learning, dodger dream team, facilitating two different clubs) They really do try to upsell on everything to get more funding. 

On a typical day we usually have our students do homework for about an hour. Then we get them organized and ready for club time. We have the students run and stretch before any equipment is taken out. When they are done stretching we pick leaders,for the day, to help distribute equipment and clean up after everyone is done. I learned how to be organized, a leader, a good judge of character, hospitable and assertive. As for management we are overseen by a regional manager but the clubs are individually run by the club leaders, so any event or activity done in my club was organized by myself. I enjoy working with all of my co-workers, we try and collaborate with one another as much as possible to have more activities for the students. The hardest part about the job is getting the students to work with us but only because they are at an age where they tend to be rebelious towards any person overseeing them. The thing I enjoy most about my job is that I get to see every one of my students progress and get better everyday.

Since the first day, the club leaders were left in the dark. The own cite coordinators did not have the answer to our questions. You can tell the program was not thought out and planned thoroughly. There was ALWAYS lack of communication, organization, and support. 

For instance, club leaders had to figure out where to run their club. Assigned classrooms were given to only 3/7 camp leaders. The rest, had to run their clubs outside in 90+ degree weather.

Mid way through the program, 30+ students were added to the program. Most students had special needs, which was not communicated to camp leaders. The site coordinator had to ask the camp leaders who had special needs. How do they not know? How does Woodcraft process their applications? You can’t just throw special ed students in summer camp where the staff is not trained for it. When asked for support from the district, minimal support was given. There was no special accommodation for children on the spectrum. Staff were told to try their best. 
You can tell that Woodcraft only cares about money and not the wellbeing of the children or employees.









When I would walk into the workplace, i would be greeted with beautiful smiles from the children I worked with. I would right away help the student with homework and then joined them for fitness. I would then provide them with their snack, so that they could go on and play. I would assist the site coordinator and club leaders with any task they needed me to complete, such as calling in the students and having their parents sign them out. I got along with my co-workers very well and together we made the environment better for the students. The hardest part of the job was to see the students go home after a long day of school, as for I very much enjoyed to work with them. The most enjoyable part of the job was to see the students' smiles and hear their laughter, as they enjoyed being surrounded by their friends. From this volunteering experience, i learned that there is more to just work with children, but to enjoy the working with children and knowing that you somehow make a difference in their day and maybe even in their lives.

A typical day at work consists of managing 20-30 children by yourself and/or with other club leaders. Providing them meals, homework assistance, advice, exercise, support, and enrichment activities such as: art, dance, soccer, theater, cooking, science, robotics, computers, skate boarding, etc. Club leader is responsible for the kids under their care and communicates daily with the Site Coordinator of the school. The hardest part of the job is keeping a watchful eye on all the children and keeping them safe and out of harms way. The most enjoyable part of the job is the sense of accomplishment one feels when they witness a child has retained a lesson and is applying it to their life. Essentially, changing their life for the better. Uniform needs to be worn at all times. Uniform is either a t-shirt, hoodie, or zip-up jacket that has "Staff" printed on it as well as the company name.

A typical day starts with sign in and supper. As children arrive to the program I sign them in and guide them to have a meal.  When that's is done students are encouraged to do homework and I help when needed. I have an 8 week cycle plan to follow that I create at the beginning of each cycle date. This involves teaching dance choreographies to 1st- 6th graders. I speak to parents at the end of each day Andy inform them of their child's performance when asked. I learned how to deal with stressful situations; child conflicts, parental concerns, and incidents that may occur. My manager was great at  communicating with me. The hardest part of this job was learning how to transition from working with a 1st grader to a 6the grader because of their different mind sets. The most enjoyable part was experiencing the joy the children have while being my students.

It was really aspiring to work at Woodcraft at first, but the honeymoon period died down really fast. First, we are responsible for planning our own projects for our clubs and we are compensated very low for our efforts (as this project planning can take hours to develop as we need to plan our materials we need for project). Management may vary as the first manager we had was great as they left us to our devices; however, he was quickly promoted and our second manager was way worse based on general direction and event planning. During my time at Woodcraft, we being paid very little compared to the rising gas prices and that's when I decided to leave for greener pastures. 

*If you are currently a student looking for part-time work, this is fine for year but you should look for greener pastures soon.

I worked for Woodcraft Rangers for less than a year but it was an absolutely rewarding job and introduction to working with students and in education. The initial training once hired lacked depth and thorough information but the company provides training and development days throughout the school year, which is helpful. I really enjoyed working with my other co-workers, great collaborative effort, and support system. The only drawback is sometimes supplies for the students lacked, especially when it came down for students to incorporate outdoor play (little to no equipment) and not a lot of time for the students. 

Other than that, I learned immensely and would recommend if anyone is interested in getting a foot in with working at schools and education. 

It's way better than retail since you get weekends off and holidays. Overall it can be a great environment. Coworkers can make the job better depending. Management is getting a little better. It is slightly higher pay than other after school programs but still not enough unless you have a second job. They offer a lot of training. Parents can be great to work with or a bit difficult at times. It's a chill environment if your a community Liason compared to the club leaders or site coordinator. You're usually in one spot/area keeping track of the kids who are going home. There are a couple days that can be understaffed or experience call outs which can be a bit more work at times and stressful. Especially when there are kids who are not engaged and harder to manage. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
School program staff 456 salaries reported	$23.57 per hour
Site coordinator 66 salaries reported	$27.57 per hour
Camp leader 21 salaries reported	$23.45 per hour
Camp counselor 1 salary reported	$960 per week
High school teacher 8 salaries reported	$24.54 per hour

Working at Woodcraft Rangers: Company Overview and Reviews

Woodcraft Rangers

Woodcraft Rangers Ratings

Popular jobs at Woodcraft Rangers

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected