Mayor's Office of Early Childhood | Summer Bike Crew Youth

Mission:

The Office of Early Childhood (OEC), Streets Cabinet (Streets), Park and Recreation Department (BPRD), and Boston Centers for Youth and Family (BCYF) are partnering to expand the Connect, Learn, Explore: Youth Cycling Program across Boston's neighborhoods. OEC aims to promote policies, systems, and infrastructure to increase the number of young children accessing the resources they need to thrive in the area of health and wellbeing. Biking helps children explore their neighborhood, have fun, and develop gross motor and socio-emotional skills. This program aims to provide the resources and support so every child in Boston has the opportunity to learn to ride a bike from an early age. Our overarching goal is to improve equity and increase access to programs that promote healthy lifestyle changes through physical activity. These programs are driven by our commitment to health equity, aiming to serve neighborhoods with the highest rates of chronic disease and prioritizing opportunities for families of color and lower-income households. The Connect, Learn, Explore: Youth Cycling Program is an initiative designed to help young children in Boston learn to ride a bike, develop essential motor skills, and engage in physical activity. The program aims to enhance health equity by focusing on neighborhoods with the highest rates of chronic disease and prioritizing access for families of color and lower-income households.

As part of the initiative, we are expanding the Summer Youth Cycling Program to provide hands-on bike education and maintenance skills to children across various neighborhoods. This program is designed to ensure that every child in Boston has the opportunity to learn to bike from an early age, while also improving their overall health and well-being.

Brief description:
The Boston Streets Cabinet is seeking candidates for its Summer Bike Crew. Team members will be assigned to one or two of 8 sites at parks and BCYF Centers across the City, and will be responsible for running bike education programming for children up to 12 years old. Sports camps will run daily for five hours each day (daily hours vary for each site) from July 7, 2025 through mid to late August, 2025. Summer Bike Crew Members must commit to attend a training and orientation during the weeks of June 23 and 30. Sites for the Summer Bike Crew include:
Franklin Park (Roxbury/Jamaica Plain), East Boston Memorial Stadium Park (East Boston), Almont Park (Mattapan), Ronan Park (Dorchester), BCYF Gallivan (Mattapan), and BCYF Pino / BCYF Paris Street (East Boston), and South Boston Neighborhood House / Moakley Park (South Boston).
BOSTON RESIDENCY REQUIRED

Under the supervision of the Bike Crew Supervisor, responsibilities of the Summer Bike Crew Members include, but are not limited to:
- Have fun with kids on bikes! Summer Bike Crew members will be responsible for helping children build skills and confidence on a bike, while engaging in safe, engaging outdoor activities.
- Lead on-bicycle skill-building activities and games, keeping participants organized and safe
- Assist with age-appropriate group rides within park grounds and/or on off-street paths adjacent to parks
- Run activities to build basic bicycle skills and knowledge, including: identifying the parts of a bicycle, fixing a flat tire, and understanding bicycle safety and rules of the road
- Preparing bicycles for daily programming, including removal from storage container, checking for flat tires and other basic maintenance needs
- Ensuring bicycles are securely stored at the end of each day
- Ensuring bicycles are properly used and kept in good condition
- Communicating with Boston Transportation Department professional mechanics on bike fleet maintenance needs
- Act as a role model for children in exercising safe biking skills

- Enthusiasm for riding a bike.
- Value working with diversity of people and team teaching methods
- Reliable, punctual, and strong work ethic
- Positive, professional attitude and capacity to adapt quickly in response to circumstances
- Experience working with children helpful but not required
- Proficiency in other languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Haitian-Creole, and Arabic, is helpful but not required
- Bicycle maintenance and mechanic skills helpful, but not required