Sparks Play Assistant

YMCA Reading is looking for a fun-loving, energetic and imaginative Play Assistant to join our team at Sparks Play Cafe! Sparks is a unique play cafe designed with both parents and children in mind. At Sparks, we value imagination, curiosity and joy. Children are encouraged to play, explore and feel independent in a safe and stimulating environment. Our designated play space aims to spark all of these things to happen while parents relax and catch up. Parents and carers stay with their children, so the Play Assistant role focuses on creating a welcoming atmosphere, encouraging imaginative play, and making every visit a brilliant experience for all. What you’ll be doing: No two days are quite the same! You’ll be: * Bringing the fun to life! Encouraging children to explore, play, create and spark their imaginations in our themed zones. * Being the friendly face of Sparks. Welcoming families, showing them around and making sure everyone feels comfortable and at home. * Getting creative. Coming up with exciting play scenarios, refreshing our themed areas and helping us introduce new ideas. * Making connections. Building great relationships with children, parents, carers and visitors, helping to make Sparks a place families love coming back to. * Serving up smiles (and coffee!). Taking food and drink orders, making sure guests receive the right orders and helping create a fantastic cafe experience. * Keeping things looking amazing. Resetting our play zones between sessions, keeping equipment and seating clean, and making sure everything is ready for the next wave of little adventurers. * Thinking on your feet. Keeping the cafe running smoothly when things get busy and finding useful things to do during quieter moments. * Sharing your ideas. Helping us change up our play zones weekly and monthly, monitoring how families use the space and sharing feedback with your manager. What you’ll need: * A big personality and a positive attitude. Someone friendly, approachable and happy chatting to both little ones and grown-ups. * A creative imagination. You love coming up with ideas, creating fun play scenarios and thinking outside the box. * Energy and enthusiasm and with a can-do attitude. Proactive, quick on your feet and happy rolling up your sleeves and keeping everything running smoothly. * Reliability and flexibility. You have a willingness to help move, refresh and reinvent our play zones. * A genuine love of making people smile. You understand that even the smallest interaction can make a family's day. What we are looking for: We want someone who is ready to get involved! Someone with great enthusiasm and personality. Experience working with children or in hospitality would be great, but what really matters is your attitude, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Role Details: 13.5 hours a week (split over 3 days) 8:45am – 1:15pm Why Join us?: Everyone should have a fair chance to discover who they are and what they can become. YMCA believes in fairness and opportunity. These are essential building blocks for a full and rewarding life: a safe home, acceptance, guidance, friendship, physical and mental health, academic support, employability skills, and access to real opportunities Many young people have never known these things, other people have lost one or more as they grew up, but we all need them. All of us. At YMCA, we provide these critical foundations for a fresh, strong start for young people and a better quality of life in the community. What we offer: * Private medical insurance and Free flu vaccination * Company pension * Cycle to work scheme and Tech Scheme * Discounted food in our Cafe and Discount on hire of our community spaces * Free on site Parking Any appointment will be subject to suitable references and an enhanced DBS check Interviews will be held on a rolling basis so don’t delay to submit your application