Recreation Assistant

Company: Chileda Institute Inc.
Location: La Crosse
Posted on: February 18, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description RECREATION ASSISTANT Chileda's mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals with cognitive and behavior challenges. Chileda's goal is to help students increase their appropriate social behaviors and develop independent living skills, through an enriched learning environment and individualized behavior programming. Chileda's population includes children and young adults with special needs including Autism, Attachment Challenges, related developmental delays, and intensive behavioral needs. SUMMARY: Chileda's Recreation Department provides leisure and recreational programming suitable for the ages, abilities and interests of our students. The Recreation (Rec) Assistant is responsible for facilitating campus-wide therapeutic and structured recreational programming during residential shifts, as well as assisting in planning and preparing for special events and daily activities. REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: Must possess a high school diploma or equivalent Must be at least 18 years old Must demonstrate behavioral skills and judgment conducive to role modeling appropriate skills for students Experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities is preferred. Experience facilitating recreational activities is preferred. GENERAL HOURS OF DUTY: Part Time, Monday through Friday, every other weekend and rotating holidays, and overtime as approved. Shift days, lengths, and times may vary: the hours are generally 2pm-8pm Monday through Friday with some variance on non-school days and weekends. REPORTS TO: Recreation Manager JOB DUTIES: Facilitate recreational activities in assigned areas guiding staff and teaching students independent leisure skills. Continually encourage and support students to achieve their recreational and leisure goals through appropriate, consistent, and patient prompting. Promote recreation participation and development of social skills through role modeling and positive encouragement with all staff and students. Facilitate and adapt a variety of recreational activities to meet the individual needs of the students at Chileda. For all areas and activities, review and ensure all staff and students are reviewing and following expectations, as well as schedules for assigned area(s) for each shift. Prepare all planned recreational activities and have available for students and staff 15 minutes before programming begins. Assist Recreational Manager in planning and preparing for special events and other rec programming. Complete inventory of rec supplies when assigned. Work with other recreation assistants to ensure that all residential programming shifts are covered. Complete recreational tracking for assigned area(s) before the end of each shift. Complete all tasks assigned to the end of shift checklist. Attend all meetings as assigned by the Recreational Manager. Use a Trauma Informed Approach by communicating with and about students in a respectful, positive, and age-appropriate manner while consistently using a therapeutic tone even in high stress situations. Utilize visual supports, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), communication boards/books, and other communication devices with students who use these resources. Demonstrate the ability to consistently and competently implement PBSPs with all students. Complete all assigned trainings within the designated time frame and complete at least 24 hours of training annually. Use crisis management techniques taught in trainings including verbal de-escalation, creative redirection, topic changes, and allowing space and time for processing during a crisis. Recognize, take immediate action when necessary, and report unsafe conditions to the appropriate manager. Participate in emergency drills such as fire evacuation, severe weather, tornado, and disaster plan. Ensure a safe and clean environment by removing damaged items, ensuring classrooms and residential programming areas are clean, and reporting maintenance needs to Recreational Manager or Shift Manager. Work collaboratively with co-workers throughout the organization in a respectful and positive manner. Complete job duties of DSP when scheduled to work directly with students. All other job duties assigned. If this position interests you, please apply. We'd love to hear from you!

Keywords: Chileda Institute Inc., Rochester , Recreation Assistant, Social Services , La Crosse, Minnesota