🚀 Site Support - ASALA (After School Arts for Learning Academy)

Site Support - ASALA (After School Arts for Learning Academy)

2025–2026 AFTER SCHOOL ARTS FOR LEARNING ACADEMY (ASALA) SITE SUPPORT

Arts for Learning Maryland (formerly Young Audiences of Maryland) is devoted to enriching the lives and education of Maryland’s youth through educational and culturally diverse arts programs. Through Arts for Learning, professional teaching artists from all disciplines partner with educators, schools, and school districts to provide — on average — over 560,000 hours of learning in, through, and about the arts to more than 155,000 Maryland students annually.

Arts for Learning is a mission-driven organization that values community, innovation, and passion. The staff, board, and teaching artists have a shared commitment to advance equity in the field of education by working tirelessly to generate opportunities for students to imagine, create, and realize their full potential through the arts.

About the After School Arts for Learning Academy (ASALA)

The After School Arts for Learning Academy (ASALA), operated by Arts for Learning Maryland (A4L) in partnership with Baltimore City Schools, gives students the opportunity to imagine, create, and express themselves through the arts.

This exciting program runs four days a week, three hours per day , and introduces students to a wide range of art forms—from illustration and spoken word to percussion, drama, and dance—while also strengthening literacy and math skills through co-planned, arts-integrated lessons. Each site serves up to 156 students, working in groups of 26 with a certified teacher and professional teaching artist.

Mission, Core Values, and Anti-Racist Practices:

ASALA’s mission is to provide students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn with outstanding teachers and teaching artists in a dynamic, creative, supportive, and student centered environment.

We are committed to:

• Believing in the potential of all students to achieve through the arts.
• Honoring students’ voices and creative processes.
• Creating safe, inclusive, and brave learning spaces.
• Cultivating strong relationships with students, families, and staff through a culture of learning, collaboration, and reflection.
• Encouraging critical thinking, problem solving, inquiry, imagination, and creativity through multiple pathways of teaching and learning.
• Knowing, honoring, and leveraging the cultural knowledge and lived experiences of students and communities.
• Ensuring every student is known, loved, supported, celebrated, and valued.
• Creating inclusive environments where all students’ unique talents are discovered and cultivated, and where their identities are reflected all around them and matter through acknowledgement and affirmation
• Confronting biases and taking small, but consistent steps to eliminate systemic racism in education.
• Cultivating spaces where Black joy thrives.
• Engaging with families as true partners in the work.

Position Overview

The After School Arts for Learning Academy (ASALA) Site Support is a part-time, non-exempt position reporting to the ASALA Site Director. Site Support staff are assigned to a school site and serve as the primary substitute for classroom teachers and teaching artists. On days when subbing is not required, Site Support works closely with the administrative team to ensure smooth site operations. This may include assisting in classrooms, supporting logistics, planning events, contacting families, and other program needs.

This position requires flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to step into multiple roles in service of students and the program’s mission.

• Serve as a substitute for classroom teachers or teaching artists in all program areas (SQUAD, arts-integrated math and literacy, arts explorations, and recess) across grade levels.
• Provide one-on-one or small-group instruction and support as needed.
• Build positive, supportive relationships with students, staff, and families of diverse backgrounds.
• Contribute to a positive school climate by modeling ASALA’s mission, values, and expectations.
• Support planning and facilitation of family and student engagement events.
• Supervise students during recess, mealtime, and late dismissal.
• Act as a positive role model for students.

Site Operations & Administration

• Support daily site operations in partnership with the Site Director and administrative team.
• Track student attendance, staff attendance, and student pre-/post-assessments.
• Monitor staff clock-in/clock-out procedures and enter adjustments when needed.
• Ensure teachers and teaching artists submit weekly lesson plans; review and confirm plans are ready for use in case of staff absence.
• Assist with distributing snacks and dinners.
• Submit required reports, including incident reports, in a timely manner.
• Support planning and execution of the culminating student showcase, including gathering student work samples, photos, and assisting with the ASALA yearbook.
• Collaborate with site directors, student support specialists, and school administrators to develop and implement schedules, site protocols, and tracking systems.
• Partner with the Site Director and Student Support Specialist to design and implement site-wide behavior management systems and policies.
• In the absence of the Site Director, help oversee site operations, monitor student attendance, and lead weekly staff meetings/trainings.
• Engage parents/guardians through timely communication, including progress updates and addressing concerns.
• Attend all required professional development, training sessions, and planning meetings.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will bring professional experience, adaptability, and a deep commitment to students and the arts.

• Current teaching certification (special education certification strongly encouraged).
• Experience teaching, co-teaching, or leading groups of up to 26 students.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Commitment to regular site presence to ensure staff and students are supported.
• Flexibility to step into multiple roles and responsibilities as needed.
• Ability to build inclusive, student-centered environments that affirm diverse identities (racial, cultural, social, gender, etc.).
• Experience with restorative practices and conflict resolution.
• Awareness of institutional and structural racism and its impact on education, with a commitment to equity-driven practices.
• Interest in and appreciation for arts integration (experience preferred).
• Willingness to use the school office phone or personal cell phone (with number blocked if desired) to contact parents/guardians.
• Commitment to ongoing learning through participation in all required training and program dates.
• Passion for working with students and ensuring their success through meaningful relationships and high expectations.

Required Dates & Hours

• Program: Monday–Thursday, 2:30–6:45 PM (3 hrs/day), plus arrival 30 minutes before program start (times may vary by site).
• Meetings: 30-minute weekly staff meeting.
• Training:
  • Up to 10 hours of asynchronous training before PD week.
  • In-person PD prior to program launch.
  • 12 hours of race equity training during the program.
  • Monthly in-person collaborative planning (first Friday of each month, 4–7 PM).

Time Off

This is a grant-funded, temporary, part-time role and is not eligible for PTO. However, employees accrue Sick and Safe Leave at 1 hour per 30 hours worked, beginning on day one. Leave may be used for illness, preventive care, family care, parental leave, or issues related to domestic violence/assault. Leave cannot be used for vacations, tardiness, or remote work.

Compensation

This is a part-time, non-exempt, temporary position.

• Instruction time: $40/hour
• Meetings & planning: $30/hour
• Not eligible for benefits

To Apply

For consideration, please apply on our website, Please do not send applications that include headshots or photos of yourself. No phone calls or recruiters, please. All employees will be subject to a federal and state background check in accordance with state and federal law.

Arts for Learning Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to cultivating a diverse workforce and equitable workplace. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, veteran status, and disability. All qualified applications will be given equal opportunity.