CAREER

Position Summary:

The Please Touch Museum is seeking an enthusiastic and creative educator to coordinate the museum’s social-emotional and toddler programming.  The Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Coordinator will initiate, design, and facilitate transformational educational programs, workshops, and experiences that offer young children and families developmentally appropriate opportunities to learn and play.

Museum Learning staff creates and facilitates programs, coordinates events, and guides experiences that encourage families, to discover, imagine, get curious, and learn through play. Our work contributes to unparalleled experiences for every visitor. Through our interactions with visitors, we embrace diversity and encourage our visitors to think differently and open their minds to the world around them. Museum Learning is committed to excellence in developing programs, events, and experiences to further Please Touch Museum as a leader in childhood learning and development.  The Museum Learning department creates programming for routine daily visitors, special events, and school groups.

Essential Functions:

• Develops and facilitates play-based learning programs for children, families, and schools that utilize the Museum’s exhibits and build early-childhood and social-emotional learning skills.
• Program content areas include toddler programs, music, and drop-in experiences provided throughout the Museum exhibits. This role will oversee our toddler subscription series, Museum Minis.
• Create specialized programming for events in the Museum’s strategic plan, including but not limited to cultural celebrations, museum festivals, and selected holidays.
• Supports efforts to create spaces conducive to play. Observe the play environment and thoughtfully considers what modifications, if any, are necessary to allow the child and family to play.
• Works collaboratively with other coordinators to create interdisciplinary programming.
• Coordinates and maintains usage and inventory of content programming supplies.
• Ensures Museum programming, events, and experiences are inclusive and accessible.
• Coordinates logistics for museum programming, experiences, and events.
• Works with Director, Research & Evaluation to track performance metrics and facilitate evaluation efforts.
• Contributes to the facilitation of all departmental initiatives (programs, workshops, events, experiences, and spaces) across all learning disciplines offered.
• Actively maintains an interest in and contributes to professional learning conversations on current practices, topics, and discussions in Early Childhood Development and Education, Museum Education and content that is relevant to Please Touch Museum.
• Assists Museum Learning management team with training, developing, and updating facilitation and program development standard operating procedures as needed.
• Assists Museum Learning management team to oversee professional development projects carried out by Museum Educators that are specific to programming content area.
• Takes necessary initiatives to ensure work exemplifies and aligns with best practices in Early Childhood and Museum Education.
• Coordinates and maintains partnerships with organizations, schools, performers, and institutions.
• Assists with the development of print resources, including marketing materials, curriculum, self-guided resources, and lesson plans.
• Conducts administrative duties including maintaining and responding to emails, calendar, shift schedule, and other departmental communications, preparing for facilitation and engagement, routine cleaning of department materials and spaces, tracking program metrics, and other duties as assigned or delegated by a Museum Learning Manager.
• Provides a regular presence on gallery floor. Approximately 60% of work hours will be spent on the museum floor with visitors, with the other 40% of the time spent in an office environment on professional development and administrative tasks.
• Ensures spaces are cleaned and reset utilizing department standard operating procedures. Actively maintains the Food and Family exhibit, including restocking the exhibit during the day.
• Supports Admissions, Membership, and Visitor Experience teams as needed, including Carousel operations, informing visitors of ticketing and membership opportunities, and assisting in the admissions process.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree and 2-4 years’ work experience or bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years’ work experience required.
• Master’s or bachelor’s degree must be in: Education, Museum Studies, Music, Early Childhood Education, Urban Studies, Anthropology, Youth Development, Social Work, or related field.
• Experience teaching children and their families aged 0-8 in a formal and/or informal setting required; museum education experience preferred.
• Available to work Sunday-Thursday.
• Knowledge of early childhood education and music education commonly used in preschool and elementary education programs.
• Advanced experience in social-emotional learning modality (including but not limited to music, play therapy, occupational, physical, or speech therapy) strongly preferred.
• Must be able to effectively and politely interact with all Museum visitors and colleagues and be willing to problem-solve in a fast-paced environment while maintaining a sense of humor.
• Must exhibit a mature, flexible, and professional demeanor in both presentation and actions. Must be able to self-monitor and correct behavior.
• Openness to learning new content and skills outside area of experience and comfort zone.
• Motivated, reflective, self-starter who proactively and frequently debriefs and communicates frequently with colleagues and supervisors about exhibit engagement and facilitation experiences.
• Attention, sensitivity, and care regarding issues of inclusion, equity, and diversity as they pertain to caretakers and children.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience working in a classroom or daycare setting, preferably with toddlers and their families.
• Qualified applicants must submit sample of work pertaining to their experience with Early Childhood, Music Education, Social-Emotional Learning, and/or Museum education with their cover letter, resume, and job application.
• Must have PA Act 153 clearances (PA criminal history, FBI fingerprints, and PA Child Abuse) completed prior to hire.
• All employees are required to have COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 booster, and flu vaccination, as a term and condition of employment.

Physical Requirements & Environment:

The physical demands and environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel.
• Must be able to reach with hands and arms.
• Must be able to use hands and fingers continuously.
• Is frequently required to stand and walk; will frequently be required to move from one position to another.
• Ability to perform the physical requirements of the position, i.e., pushing, pulling, reaching, bending, squatting, kneeling, climbing.
• This job is performed in an office and visitor-facing environment. The employee must be able to focus on assigned tasks where activity and interruptions are constant and demanding.
• The noise level in the work environment is typically moderate but ongoing, noise level may be overstimulating at times.
• The individual performing this job must be comfortable in an environment where people are coming and going regularly.
• Ability to walk up and down flights of stairs; and stand for periods of time every day.

The statements in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being executed by the employee assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of the position or individual. Other duties may be assigned in addition to those described in this document.

Please Touch Museum offers an excellent work environment, benefit, generous time off package and competitive salary. To apply for this opportunity, please fill out our online application. Should you have questions on the application process or require assistance in completing our application, please email employment@pleasetouchmuseum.org.

It is the policy of Please Touch Museum to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on account of a person’s race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, family status, veteran status, genetic information, disability or any other protected group or status.

Equal opportunity shall be applied in all aspects of the employment relationship and personnel actions, including but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, orientation, assignment, employee development, discipline, promotion, demotion, transfer, assignment, separation, pay and compensation, benefits, layoff and recall, granting of and return from leave of absence, training and education, employee facilities, and social programs. Furthermore, all employment decisions, policies, and practices are in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws.