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Youth Recreation Leader Scholarship Programs and Paid Internships

Youth Recreation Leader Scholarship Programs and Paid Internships

Looking to develop your skills and experience working with children?

A Youth Recreation Leader scholarship and employment can help you grow!

Bend Park and Recreation District is the largest childcare provider of school-age kids in Central Oregon. The Kids Inc. program serves families with high-quality afterschool and no school day care.

BPRD is teaming up with education partners to provide area students new scholarship and employment opportunities for youth recreation leaders.

Scholarships for college students and paid internships for high school juniors and seniors offer you relevant, real-world experience to use towards professional pathways:

Build experience in childcare and education
Gain team leader experience
Lead and plan STEM, art and sports activities for afterschool fun
Works with your school schedule
Opportunity for summer employment

If you're in college at COCC or OSU-Cascades, what does it take to qualify for a scholarship?

To be a qualify for the higher education scholarship at COCC or OSU-Cascades, you:

Must be enrolled in at least nine credit hours per term.
Must commit to paid employment for approximately 10 to 20 hours per week for a minmum of three days a week during the school year in addition to a scholarship.
Applicants with previous childcare or education assistant experience also qualify for Team Lead position.

Not exactly sure what this takes? See more details about COCC and OSU-Cascades programs.

Central Oregon Community College students

A scholarship fund has been established to support eligible Central Oregon Community College (COCC) students.

Students are hired as BPRD Youth Recreation Leaders during the school year and may receive up to $5,250 annual scholarship funding based on their weekly work schedule:

Weekly Work Hours	Scholarship Award (per academic term, Fall – Spring terms)
10–14.99 hours	$1,050.00
15 or more hours	$1,750.00

Scholarship awards are available each academic term, provided eligibility requirements continue to be met.

Oregon State University–Cascades students

A scholarship program has launched at Oregon State University-Cascades for up to 12 students at the growing university campus. OSU-Cascades students taking at least nine credit hours per academic term are eligible for $5,250 scholarships (awarded at $1,750 per term, Fall through Spring terms).

Scholarship recipients will work with BPRD Kids Inc. as youth recreation leaders for approximately 20 hours per week during the school year in addition to a scholarship.

Current OSU-Cascades students are encouraged to learn more and apply. The scholarship and employment program is available now.

For high school juniors and seniors, what does it take to get a paid internship?

High school juniors and seniors can choose between 10-hour per week and 20-hour per week options. Interns will receive $19.53 per hour or more, school credit, work experience and also have summer employment opportunities.

To be a qualify for the paid high school internship, you:

Must be 16 years or older.
Must be currently attending at Bend-La Pine Schools high school – Bend, Caldera, Bend Tech at Marshall, Mountain View or Summit.
You must have your last period of school open. (Kids Inc. hours start earlier than high school release time.)
Applicants with previous childcare or education assistant experience also qualify for Team Lead position.

The internship will begin in fall 2026, and interested students are encouraged to visit The Future Center for details.

Bend High Future Center

Bend Tech Academy at Marshall High Future Center

Caldera High Future Center

Mountain View High Future Center

Realms High Future Center

Summit High Future Center

What does a youth recreation leader do?

After a full day of school, kids need some down time to be care-free and our youth recreation leaders lead activities while creating a safe and enriching environment. The Youth Recreation Leader is responsible for instructing classes and leading activities. You will interact with youth through developmentally appropriate crafts, games, and/or other planned activities.

You’ll learn to:

Create daily plans for classes and activities
Adapt activities as needed to meet the abilities and needs of individuals
Communicate effectively with the public, including parents and guardians

See the full job description for more information.

What are the hours?

Kids Inc. operates after school Monday through Friday from September to June.

Weekends and evenings are free. Opportunities vary for working on no-school days and during the summer.

Look for more details on hours on the Youth Recreation Leader job webpage.

What's the application and hiring process like?

Great question! Thanks for your interest in a scholarship or paid internship.

Please tell us more about you! To be considered for the COCC scholarship program and Bend-La Pine School paid internship, applicants must complete an online application. OSU-Cascades students must apply here.

Your application and submitted responses to the supplemental questions will be the information we use for our evaluation.

Training:
Next, you’ll begin your training… as youth recreation leaders work in a small team and training will begin and continue as needed so you feel supported and confident. For fall, this will happen in late August and/or early September.

Interested? Let's connect about being a Youth Recreation Leader, internships and scholarships.

Ready to apply? Take the next step!

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Youth Recreation Leader Scholarship Programs and Paid Internships