Not great - Site Director Springfield-Greene County Park Board Employee Review

Good managers, consistent hours, fairly easy job

Too few hours for year round part time, low pay

SPARC has flexible schedules for some employees, but it really depends on what your role is. The free health insurance is a major plus and the Park Board gives a generous amount of time off. There is the ability to earn time and a half comp-time for working overtime, but it is capped at a certain amount. Lots of creative freedom to make camps and programs you own. Ability to travel around the city for work and create your own schedule.

Working with children is not easy, and this organization does a lot of great things for the community. That being said, there is not enough training or support for staff experiencing issues with parents/families and behavioral children. Violent kids are often allowed to return to programs after injuring staff and/or other children, destroying property and eloping. $16-$20/hour is not worth the stress that comes with the job and turnover is high for this reason. Staff are expected to work on snow days in dangerous conditions when school cancels. There is little to no opportunity to advance or make higher pay within the Park Board-old guard makes too much money and hires internally most of the time, you will not move up unless you know somebody. This organization is going through massive budget cuts and layoffs.