Ronald McDonald House Charities – SK is partnered with Tykes and Tots Early Child Learning Centre to offer Child Care every Wednesday evening. Through this agreement, Tykes and Tots (a licensed Early Learning Centre) will provide a certified Child Care Educator who is responsible for the program and the children attending. RMHC-SK is also responsible for the provision of supplies and for promoting the program to families. As a volunteer for this program you play an important role in creating a safe and comfortable environment for the children of our families, as well as providing parents and caregivers much needed personal time to take care of themselves and rejuvenate in order to care for their sick or injured child. You will report to the Tykes and Tots staff person and the Family Service Associates and Family Programs staff lead.
Qualifications:
- Ability to work with the families, staff and other volunteers in a helpful and supportive manner
- Understand and practice confidentiality – volunteers are not permitted to take photos of children with personal devices
- Be dependable, arriving on time as scheduled and staying for the entire duration of your shift
- Be able to deal with a variety of people and situations in a sensitive manner without imposing views or passing judgment
- Be comfortable and enjoy interacting with children of all ages
- Possess the qualities of friendliness, fun, dependability, tact, flexibility and compassion
- Neat and clean appearance
- Able to pass a background check
Responsibilities:
- Follow instructions as directed by Tykes and Tots and RMHC-SK staff
- Begin with good hand hygiene and practice this throughout evening
- Adhere to all RMHC-SK Protocols Policies and Procedures
- Be available for the KidsCare program shift Wednesday evenings 5:30pm – 9:00pm. The program runs 6:00pm – 8:30pm, but you are required to be there for set up, tear down, and clean up
- Set up (stations/games) and take down and tidy space after use
- Play and interact with, hold and console children (age range: infants to teen)
- Prepare and provide snacks to children upon request
- When attendance is low, assist in the organization, upkeep and cleaning of toys and craft supplies in the Rowdy Playroom and the Multi-purpose room
- If cleanup is finished, you may be given the opportunity to leave early
- Be a liaison (and runner) between the KidsCare Coordinator and the RMHC-SK staff
- Conduct regular head counts of participants
- One on one interaction may be necessary with children who have special needs (ie. children with wheelchairs, casts, medical dressings and devices)
- Assist in evacuation during a fire alarm – as directed by KidsCare Coordinator
- Initiate distribution and collection of parent feedback surveys
- All toileting and diaper changes will be the responsibility of the KidsCare Coordinator
- Please bring any concerns you have about the program or more specifically, the children attending the program, to the Family Programs Coordinator
- In event that you need to cancel your volunteer shift, please do so as early as possible as this will impact the number of families we are able to support
- KidsCare Volunteers will wear a RMHC-SK name tag
Training and Support
- General orientation and training will be provided
- Role specific training will be provided
- Continuing training and support will be offered to all volunteers.
Time Commitment:
- 1 shift per week for a commitment of 8 months to a year
- Or a casual shift when applicable
- Shift times are 3-4 hours
Parking:
We recognize that parking is a challenge in our community. We would recommend, if possible, that you walk, bike, bus, or get dropped off. If you must drive, we request the following:
- For visits to the House 2 hours or less, please park on University Drive west of Clarence Ave.
For visits two hours or longer, park in the ONE volunteer parking space in the lot (if open). Alternatively, you can park in a family parking space in the lot if there is one available. If you are parking in the lot, you MUST register with the front desk to ensure we are able to contact you while on your volunteer shift in case of needing to move your vehicle for emergency. Unregistered vehicles may be towed.