Day Habilitation Zumba/Dance Instructor

A PlusCare behavioral Health; East Brunswick Township (NJ); On-site; USD 10,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a vibrant and supportive environment as a Zumba/Dance Teacher, where you can inspire individuals to embrace movement and enhance their physical health. In this role, you will create fun and engaging fitness classes tailored to the unique abilities of each participant. Your passion for dance and fitness will shine as you promote healthy movement, build confidence, and foster social skills among individuals with developmental disabilities. This is an incredible opportunity to make a meaningful impact while working collaboratively with a dedicated team. If you are enthusiastic about bringing joy through movement and have the skills to adapt to diverse needs, we invite you to apply and be part of this rewarding journey.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of experience in dance or fitness instruction.
• Group fitness certification or equivalent training preferred.

Responsibilities

• Create and implement engaging Zumba/dance classes.
• Monitor students and adapt exercises for individual needs.
• Collaborate with staff to track progress and set goals.

Skills

Dance instruction

Fitness training

Choreography

Communication skills

Adaptability

Organizational skills

Education

Group fitness certification

Zumba/dance license

Experience with developmental disabilities

Job description

Reporting Supervisor: Day Habilitation Program Director

Position Summary: The Zumba/Dance Teacher is responsible for creating and implementing engaging and fun Zumba/dance fitness classes. The teacher will utilize Zumba's dance-inspired cardio workouts to help improve individuals' physical health, coordination, social skills, and confidence in an encouraging environment tailored to their abilities.

Duties:

1. Promote healthy movement, exercise, and personal growth among our Day Habilitation Individuals at an appropriate level based on each individual's needs and goals.
2. Prepare energizing Zumba/dance routines incorporating simple, repetitive Latin-inspired dance moves, squats, lunges, and other aerobic exercises.
3. Lead classes using cues, visual demonstration, and individual guidance to keep students engaged and actively participating.
4. Adapt choreography and pace to suit ability levels of students.
5. Monitor students and provide modifications to exercises to account for physical limitations or health issues.
6. Promote a fun, celebratory atmosphere with upbeat music and positive reinforcement.
7. Collaborate with therapists and staff to track progress and set fitness goals for each student.
8. Maintain safe conditions and utilize assistants to help minimize injury risks.
9. Communicate with caregivers to share updates on participation and progress.
10. Stay up to date on new Zumba/dance techniques, music, and instructor training workshops.
11. All other duties as assigned or requested.

Qualifications:

1. A minimum of 2 years of experience teaching dance, fitness, or movement.
2. 1 year or more of previous experience with individuals with developmental disabilities, or similar environments; or equivalent education is preferred.
3. Group fitness certification, Zumba/dance license, or equivalent training strongly preferred.
4. Ability to choreograph fun, simple routines combining dance and aerobic exercise.
5. Good verbal communication and cueing skills.
6. Reliable and passionate about bringing joy of movement to students.
7. Organizational skills to plan and coordinate programs and activities.
8. Flexibility to adjust teaching strategies based on individual progress and abilities.
9. Must be at least 18 years of age.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions:

1. Appropriate level of fitness and flexibility to run and instruct classes.
2. Ability to actively demonstrate moves for up to an hour at a time.
3. Capable of moving freely to observe students and provide hands-on guidance.
4. The ability to effectively communicate (orally and written) and interact with others, including diverse, inter-disciplinary, cross-functional teams.
5. The ability to read, concentrate and learn.
6. Physical requirements include: sitting, standing, kneeling, squatting, walking, exercising, high cardio tasks, lifting in excess of 50 pounds, and crisis management techniques including physical holds and restraints.
7. Excellent listening skills and ability to communicate effectively with individuals with developmental disabilities.
8. Patience and emotional resilience to handle challenging behaviors and adapt teaching methods accordingly.
9. Support and maintain all corporate policies, procedures, and quality and confidentiality standards.
10. Duties and responsibilities may be added, deleted, or changed to meet the needs of the organization.

Trainings: All must successfully complete the mandatory DDD trainings: Overview of Developmental Disabilities, Abuse and Neglect, Medication Administration, CPR & First Aid, Agency New Hire Orientation, Agency's approved training on handling Life-Threatening Emergencies/Danielle's Law, and other professionally based training deemed necessary.