Youth Programs serves children aged 3-12 split into three primary programs:
- Kids Club 3-4 (Ages 3-4, Ski/SB, all levels, half day only)
- Kids Club 5-6 (Ages 5-6, Ski/SB, all levels, full and half-day options available)
- Adventure Club (Ages 7-12, Ski/SB all levels)
All lessons are Group Lessons, which means all kids signed up for each day are split into groups based on age and ability. We offer half day morning and afternoon lessons, and full day lessons that participate in both, with lunch with us in between. The Youth Programs facility is very specialized, in that it only caters for 3-12 year olds taking our group lessons.
Our Youth Programs facility caters towards families because it offers:
- The flexibility of coming any day
- Snacks, lunches, and restrooms for the students
- Packages that include lesson, lift ticket, and rental equipment + a helmet
- Exclusive teaching areas
- Exclusive indoor space
- Incredible, kid friendly staff!
Products to know:
Checkout the following pages on our website to learn more about the program structures, pricing, and how guests can sign up.
Working in Youth Programs
Most new instructors are assigned to work in Kids Club or Adventure Club. We rotate instructors to ensure everyone gets some variety. You need a lot of energy, and it’s one of the most rewarding jobs you can do!
A Day in the Life of a Youth Programs Coach:
Instructor Check-in
As always, the first thing to do is to Check-in on the computer so that we know you are here and to double check the start time of your first activity. If you are not scheduled to work until 9.30am or later, there is often a clinic going out that you could sign-up for. Otherwise your morning is your own.
Support
In Youth Programs, you may be assigned to work between 8:00-9:30am for support tasks to help us get ready for the day. These include; setting-up fencing, greeting guests, fitting boots and snow removal. When you report for support be sure you are ready to teach as you likely won’t have a break between your support tasks and the start of your lesson. The Supervisor will be assigning tasks, and others will be around to help show you the ropes!
Hint: If you are someone who would like extra hours, doing support tasks is a great way to get those. Let Admin know if you would like to be scheduled for these.
Student Check-in
You may be asked to assist with checking-in students. Even if you do not do this very often, it is important to understand the basics as they affect the rest of your day, your class and the procedures for how parents pickup kids from lessons.
Here are some of the details
Security Cards and Legbands
Security Cards: Security cards are given to a child’s parent/guardian when they check-in to Youth Programs. This card will give them information on when/where to pick their child up, but more importantly, it’ll have a unique number on it. That number will match the voucher in the child’s leg band. When picking their child up, the parent must present the card to the child’s instructor. That way we can ensure the person picking up is the correct adult for that child.
If the adult doesn’t have their security card, the instructor will ask to see their Driver’s License or ID. Be sure the name on their license is the same as one of the child’s emergency contacts. We’ll look to ensure that person is one of the child’s emergency contacts. If they don’t have that either they will need to refer to a supervisor or cashier who can look them up in the system.
Leg Bands: When a student is enrolled and checking-in to our Youth Programs facility, they will have a leg band put on. This leg band stays on the child from the moment they are checked-in by their parent to the moment they are checked-out. In the leg band, there will be a series of vouchers. The one in the window will have:
- Childs name
- Security card number
- Lesson purchased
- Emergency Contact info
- Allergy or other important info
Once on, please do not take the child’s leg band off for any reason. If you ever find a child unattended and wearing a leg band, there is a good chance that child is lost. Please assist them in finding their coach or getting back to Youth Programs.
Vests : All students 6 and under (Kids Club students) will wear a vest upon checking-in to our Youth Programs facility. Like the leg bands, this vest should stay on the child from the moment they are checked-in to the moment they are checked out with the exception when the vest may need to be removed to assist with removing bibs/bulky layers.
Instructor Line-Up
At 9:30am (on weekends and during holiday periods), everyone assigned to Youth Programs will report to the corral in the ?Front Yard ? for Line-Up. This is where we do a roll call, give assignments, and inform you of what is going on for the day, both in snowsports school and around the mountain. After the meeting you’ll be given your vouchers. Your vouchers will tell you who is in your class, their level, discipline, and all the other information found on their legband/vest. Line-up in the afternoon is at 12:45 and will be considerably shorter than the morning meeting.
Understanding Class Lists
Vouchers: When you are given your vouchers you’ll know who is in your class, what discipline and ability level they are, and how long their lesson is. You’ll also find out each child’s allergy information. Once you have your vouchers you’ll find your class. There may be days you’ll be given a larger stack of vouchers to split between two or more coaches.
Before your Lesson
Morning line-up will end promptly at 9:45. Afternoon line-up shortly after 12:45.
For Adventure Club (7-12 year olds)
By this time, all of the Adventure Club kids have been lead outside and grouped by age and ability level. We’ll have signs pinned to the fence- simply find the sign that coincides with your class card and your kids will be there!
For Kids Club (3-6 year olds)
If you’ve been assigned to Kids Club, head inside and your children will be waiting for you at their tables. Again, look for the sign corresponding with the age of your group and their ability level.
Checking Out
Once you have your class and you are ready to begin your lesson it’s time to check-out of the corral. We’ll have a supervisor waiting at the exit point to ensure:
- Your class knows your name
- You have all of your students
- You are aware of the coaches one level up and one level down from yours (This will make it simpler to find the right coach during the evaluation process if anyone needs to switch)
- We know where you are planning on going after your evaluation is complete
Before you check out you’ll want to ensure your kids have their equipment and are dressed appropriately. You may need to help Kids Club participants with their outer layers. We have a semi-strict ?no pee-no ski ? policy, so you can assume all of your students have at least seen the inside of the bathroom in the past half an hour.
The First 15 minutes
The most crucial part of the lesson! This is the time when you build that solid first connection with your students and start to develop trust. It is also when you need to give them time to practice and warm up within their comfort zone so you can evaluate them, and ensure they are placed in the correct level.
You may be working together with other coaches that have classes at the same level, and knowing which instructors are teaching classes above and below you is very important, so that you can move students if needed.
Evaluations and warm-ups should take place in particular locations so that the supervisors and other instructors know where to locate your class if there are students to be added or moved. The locations for evaluations are as follows:
- Kid’s Club Beginners will start inside
- Adventure Club Beginners will start outside in the backyard
- All Novice’s evaluate in the corral
- All Intermediates on the big carpet
- All Advanced on the rope tow
Splits and Sad Campers
If you have a “Split” in the Class
It is quite typical to be working with some form of split, which is when the ability or confidence levels of students in your class differ slightly. If however, during the first 15-20 minutes of the class, you think that one or more children have been placed incorrectly, take a look at a Progress Report. If a child is skiing/riding one level above or below the rest of the group you may need to make a change. We usually do not like making changes much after this time frame as once a student has developed trust and a rapport with a coach, it can be very disruptive to them to have them moved.
Handing off to Another Coach
Upon leaving the corral, the supervisor will have let you know which coaches are above and below yours. Be aware that class lists are strategically organized and classes are often full so you should always plan on taking a student of theirs when leaving a student with them. Be sure to trade vouchers with the other coach. Get down on your students level, and explain to them that they are going with the other instructor so they can have more fun and learn more. If you are the other coach, be sure to welcome them with a smile! We do not expect you to take on too many students. Always make a plan with the other coach so you can give up one of your students to keep the classes even and within ratio.
You may also seek assistance from your supervisor to facilitate an exchange or moving a student to help it go smoothly.
Sad Campers
If the child doesn’t want to ski/ride or is being disruptive it could be because of a number of different things. We refer to these students as Sad Campers. To figure out what’s going on first run through a basic checklist of physical reasons:
- Are they cold
- Are they hungry or thirsty
- Are they tired
- Are they sick
The reason could also be a mental one:
- They feel sad
- They feel lonely
- They are bored
- They are embarrassed or frustrated
Ensure they are dressed appropriately. Look for red skin, white, waxy patches, or poor circulation in the nose, cheeks, fingers, or toes. Ask them questions to try and determine what is wrong. Many times, if their physical needs are met, focusing on them and connecting with them for a few minutes can help to pinpoint the solution.
If the reason is physical or they are taking too much time away from the rest of the class it may be necessary for the child to take a break inside. If so, bring them to Youth Programs, let the lead attendant know and be sure to write their information on the whiteboard inside Youth Programs. This indicates which children the attendants should be looking after. Never leave a student without telling the lead attendant or supervisor.
In the Class
Once you are teaching, you’ll want to ensure you have the progress report for the level you are teaching, as well as the progress report for the level below. Run through the skills on the easier progress report as part of your warm-up/skills check. Then move to the appropriate progress report. This will give you a great idea of the tasks you are looking to accomplish while in the lesson. Pace yourself and your students! We’re not expecting everyone to master a new level every single day. Get creative, have fun, and be sure to teach to the level of your students. Even though we’re giving you the skills we want you to teach, we’re not giving you only one way to teach them!
Taking a Break
We assume that all lessons for kids 5-12 will need a short break during their lessons. You may bring your students in any time from 10:30-11:30, and from 1:30 onwards. This allows the indoor support staff to complete their tasks as well. We have water, hot chocolate (be sure they drink at least one up of water before hot cocoa!) and snacks for students. Please do not give them anything without checking their allergy information. We expect breaks to be no longer than 10 minutes, and you don’t have to take a break if your class doesn’t need it.
3-4 year old students will be inside for an hour either before or after their hour on snow with you, so it’s safe to assume that the indoor staff has already given them water and a treat. We expect you to be on snow with your littles for the entire hour, if possible.
Lunchtime
All of our 3-4 year olds will be checked-out after the morning session.
5-6 year olds will have lunch in the Youth Programs building. When you have a full-day class, bring them inside, find their table (the same table you picked them up from this morning!), and help them take off their outerwear. Once they are settled you may leave them with the indoor staff for lunch. Your lunch break lasts from 12:15 until 12:45.
7-12 year olds will have lunch in the Tye Creek Lodge Deli unless your supervisor tells you otherwise during the Morning Meeting. Bring your class here at your designated lunch time (morning meeting is important!). We prefer you to eat lunch with your class. You may purchase your lunch from the deli or you may drop your brown bag lunch in the large tote in Youth Programs and it’ll meet you at the deli. Once your class has finished taking the break, you can head back out on the hill.
Ending the Lesson
Morning lessons will end at 12:00pm. Afternoon and Full-Day at 3:00pm.
All classes should be back in the corral no later than their ending time. You’ll want to have your Progress Reports already filled out, and your students ready to tell the person picking them up what they’ve done (with your help, of course). The highest number of Code 54’s happen during this time period because the instructor and parent are talking to each other making it the perfect time for wanderers to wander. Bringing your class back into the corral after the lesson will add a level of security to this time.
The Parent Pick-up Process
At the end of the lesson, bring your class back into the corral in front of Youth Programs. It is very important to make sure the right kids go with the right adults!
Give the parent the pre-filled out progress report. Let the child help you tell them what you worked on that day. This is the time you have with the parent to let them know not only what you worked on, but what they can do to help their child practice. Let them know what level they should sign up for next time, taking into consideration how long it may be, what the snow conditions were like, and what terrain they skied on. This is also the time to let them know if there were any behavioral problems.
At this time, collect the security card and take off the child’s leg band/vest. Only in the case of an emergency should you release a child on the hill or anywhere outside of the corral. You always get the security card, no matter the situation. If a child leaves the class early, be sure to mark it on your voucher.
If the adult doesn’t have their security card, ask to see their Driver’s License or ID. Many times they won’t have it on them either; just remind them it is for safety purposes. Once they retrieve it, you can check their name against the name(s) on the voucher. If they don’t have that either they will need to refer to a supervisor or cashier who can look them up in the system.
Progress Reports
Progress Reports
During the lesson you can use the progress reports to help you with your progression. Everything we expect to see from each particular level is on the progress reports. Choose the appropriate progress report for the level of class that you are teaching.
Near the end of the class you should begin debriefing the students on what you did that day and filling out the reports. After the lesson, give the progress report to the parent and let the child help you explain what you did that day. Full-day students can use the same card for the morning and the afternoon.
To create our well-rounded, independent, and strong skiers and snowboarders, we expect each instructor to uphold completely filling out and using the progress reports for each lesson they teach. When a child can independently do all of the tasks on their progress report they are ready to move on to the next level.
After Lessons
At the end of the afternoon session at 3:00pm, it’s time to clean-up the corral (we call this ?tear-down ?). We don’t assign people to do this because if everyone helps it’ll be done in no time! Ask the supervisor or lead in the corral what he or she would like you to do. Once tear-down is complete you may check out.
Check-out/Sup. Sheet
Once tear-down is complete, head inside. First you’ll want to tidy the leg bands/vests you used for the day and put them away.
Then, you’ll check the ?Supe Sheet ? to make sure the supervisors recorded all your activities down correctly and sign it.
The Future
That’s it! Youth Programs is a very fun, and rewarding department to work in. Be sure to talk to your supervisors regularly. They’ll want to know what is going well, what may be causing you troubles, and what your goals are. They are a great source of information for you regarding tactics to use on snow, ways to accomplish your goals, and more! Clinics will be available after lessons on the weekends starting in January.
ABILITY LEVELS | ADULT BEGINNERS