Coach FAQ

Coaches can get DC SCORES gear by attending our in-person Coach Trainings. Gear is distributed to coaches after finishing our in-person training workshops. Coaches can also reach out to their site manager for gear requests.

We’d love to hear your stories, and use them in our reports to funders and promotional materials. Please reach out to your site manager if you’d like to share a story about the program’s impact on a student, you, or your school.

You can contribute to DC SCORES online here. Please email support@dcscores.org if you’d like information about donating directly from your paycheck. Thanks for your support!

Our funding comes from a wide range of sources including individuals, corporations, foundations, and government grants. Our development team works hard to secure this funding, and relies on the information we receive from you (attendance, fitness data, registration forms, and stories) to report to our funders on programmatic outcomes.

Yes! Find compelling content and interact with us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!

DC SCORES is offered D.C. United and Washington Spirit tickets for coaches and/or teams. Check out the D.C. United and Washington Spirit Tickets tab on the top of the CRC to request tickets. We’ll be sure to let you know when you're confirmed!

Each season has two payment dates. In the fall, coaches are paid in October and December. In the spring, coaches are paid in April and June. Direct Deposits are made on the 15th of the month or the day after and checks are mailed or ready for pickup on that day.

Each school year, you must complete and submit a DC SCORES coach agreement, W9 and submit negative TB results from the past two years. If you do not teach at a DCPS school, you must complete at DCPS background check. 

If you do not have a coach agreement, W9, and DCPS background check to DC SCORES 10 days before the first payment date in the season, you will not receive payment until the end of the season. If a coach agreement and W9 is not in at the end of the season, you will not receive payment until the pay cycle following your submission (i.e. if you submit your paperwork on 6/17, you will get your paycheck on 7/1). If you have submitted a coach agreement and W9 but NOT a background check, your paycheck will be processed on schedule but will not be released to you until the receipt of your negative TB test.

Yes! Please indicate in your coach agreement that you would like a direct deposit. If you’d like to change your method of payment mid-season, contact your site manager or email support@dcscores.org.

Coach pay rates are determined based on how long you’ve been coaching with DC SCORES. Completion of two seasons as a paid coach bumps you to the next pay level for the following season. For example, if you’ve coached for an entire fall season and an entire spring season, you will be paid as a “level 2” coach the next fall season. More information can be found here. Please reach out to your site manager with questions.

The October paycheck includes payment for sessions in September as reported on your attendance document. The December paycheck includes payment for sessions in October and November, as well as training and liaison bonuses. The April paycheck includes payment for sessions in March as reported on your attendance document. The June paycheck includes payment for sessions in April, May, and June, as well as training and liaison bonuses.

You will need a new TB test every 2 years. Please get a new TB test as soon as possible. Contact support@dcscores.org if you’d like a recommendation of where to get a TB test.

Yes. If you are coaching at a DCPS school but are not employed by DCPS, you will need to get background check clearance through DCPS. These background checks last two years. We will follow up with you if this applies to you.

You can access attendance on the site workbooks page. The attendance sheet is a google sheet, so you’ll need to be logged in with the email you provided on your coach agreement. If you’re having trouble, contact your site manager. 

You should enter registration forms here. Once you do, you’ll find the student’s information inputted directly into the “student registration” tab of your attendance sheet. If you are unable to enter the forms online, contact support@dcscores.org to make other arrangements. It’s most important that all forms are entered in the first week of programming. 

Please do your best to get the missing information as soon as you can. We’d suggest taking a picture or scanning the form and sending it to your site manager before you send it back home, so that we can ensure to keep whatever information we have.

Coaches will get their training bonus at the end of the fall and spring seasons.

The registration form covers all DC SCORES related activity for the school year. It also provides students younger than 16 with supplemental medical insurance. Though the form covers all field trips, we recommend sending home an extra permission slip for anything that is outside of regular programming time. 

A message will be sent out on TeamSnap the day of the game letting you know if a game is cancelled. If you do not hear from us, then the game will be happening as scheduled. 

Please hold a regular practice if the game is cancelled. If it’s raining, see if you can use an indoor space or play a game in the classroom like soccer jeopardy.

Parents cannot ride the bus. Please reach out to your site manager if you have questions. 

Each team plays a set number of games in the league.  This makes it fair to all teams involved and allows us to create standings. If you would like to schedule friendly practice games then please discuss this with your site manager.

DC SCORES game schedule ensures that all teams play the same amount of games and are in locations that makes the most of the play time. Teams are matched with others in the league who have both girls and boys sides or one single coed team (for middle schools and recreation centers).  

First, check around the school as the buses sometimes go to the wrong entrance. If you still don’t see the bus call the bus driver and your site manager. We’ll get in touch with the bus company and let you know what’s going on.

We record the results on every we play in our DC SCORES league. League standings will be published on Mondays on TeamSnap. 

If there is lightning during your game day, stop the game and seek shelter in a safe place. Please keep your team off the field for 30 mins, check the weather again, then if the lightning has passed please retake the field. 

The DC SCORES staff member is there to help solve any problems that arise. They will lead a fair play talk for all players at the beginning of the game, and will be present to observe and help out as needed until the away team has departed the site. In some cases, the staff member will also referee the game.

It is the home team’s responsibility to make sure that goals are set up and the field is cleared for game day. DC SCORES staff will line the field periodically or make other arrangements with you. If you need help setting up the field, let DC SCORES staff know ahead of time. 

Contact your site manager or email support@dcscores.org with all questions/problems. 

All coaches must attend trainings or make them up online. Soccer coaches must attend games, Fall Frenzy and Jamboree, and writing coaches must attend Poetry Slam! However, we encourage all coaches to attend these important events.

First, you should try to find a substitute from the school, or switch the writing and soccer days to have the other coach cover. If you cannot find a solution, contact DC SCORES and we will help you figure it out. Please let us know if you’ll be cancelling or changing a practice time for any reason. We know that consistency is critical to having a strong and safe program and would like to help you make that happen.

Please do your best to finish practice before it gets dark out, or move practice inside when you can. We will be sure to end games before dark, unless the field has lights. We’d advise sending home a letter explaining that writing and soccer practice will continue - it’s important to keep attendance up to have a strong end to the season.

Remain calm and assess the injury. Keep the student still and calm and do not move the player until they are ready to move. Use your DC SCORES first aid kit to treat minor injuries. All accidents need to be recorded and monitored using an incident report form. If a student is hit on the head then the parent/guardian should be informed when they pick up their child. If there is an emergency situation then 911 will be called. A parent or coach should accompany the child. See Safety Policy.   

It is up to each school to determine their schedule, as long as it includes two writing sessions, two soccer sessions, and one game day each week. At the beginning of the season you will let DC SCORES know your schedule on your Team Planning Sheet. If you need to change your schedule, please let your site manager know. It’s helpful for us to know when you’re meeting so that we can drop off equipment or come by to help out.

DC SCORES provides two in-person trainings each year and multiple virtual training opportunities. These are mandatory for all coaches, and are a great opportunity to meet other coaches, learn about DC SCORES programming, and get tips on the curriculum. We’re also available to support you and help with anything you need during the season, just contact your site manager or support@dcscores.org. We can provide you with extra resources or connect you with others depending on your needs.

DC SCORES’ three core values of teamwork, leadership, and commitment are a great way to enforce good behavior, responsibility, and team culture. We’ve developed some structured ways to teach and celebrate these throughout a three month season. We especially emphasize setting team expectations at the beginning of the season and rewarding students with extra playing time or other leadership roles. Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss a particular behavior issue.

Please collect uniforms and equipment and keep them at the school to use in the spring. The equipment you received in the fall is to be used for the entire year.

When choosing a training location, we look for sites with field, gym, and classroom space that have easy access to metro or parking. Please let us know if your school is interested in hosting a DC SCORES training.

Invite families to game days and special events! Teams should hold a family meeting at the start of each season to share about DC SCORES and expectations for the team. At some sites, families volunteer to help set up the field for game day or practice with students before the Poetry Slam! 

Please fill out this form if you are in need of additional soccer gear. Jerseys must be collected and stored at the end of each season. Players are welcome to keep shorts, shin guards, and socks which will be issued in the fall for use over the entire year.

We hope that teams will make an effort to recruit more players to be able to field a boys and girls team. This ensures that as many students as possible get to participate in DC SCORES! Contact your site manager for help. If there are not enough players on a game day, the team with too few players will forfeit. Coaches are able to work together to come to an agreement of how to still play the game despite the forfeit result. Find the full description of our league rules here. 

All players, home and away, should be encouraged to bring their own water bottles. Home teams with access to a convenient water source should notify travelling team coach of a location upon arrival. If you would like to request a large water jug for your site, please fill out this form for availability. 

Take a look at the curricula up on the CRC. If you’d like to get some tips from a staff member, please reach out to your site manager.

The curricula are resources for you and contains structured lessons that you can easily implement. Most coaches find them to be really helpful! You do need to follow the scope of the season that is laid out in each curriculum, and you will see that some lessons are required. However, you may adapt lessons to fit the needs of your team, and may also add in your own creative ideas as you choose! We would love it if you would share any ideas or successes you have with DC SCORES staff so that we can help other coaches. 

In the fall you will receive 32 notebooks and a bin with pens, pencils, markers, etc. This should last the whole year, but fill out this form if you need additional supplies. In the spring you will also receive a poster board for the service-learning poster competition.

Together, poetry and service-learning make up the writing component of DC SCORES. Fall is poetry season, and students have poetry twice a week and perform in the Poetry Slam! In spring, those writing days become service-learning practice instead.

Every DC SCORES team is expected to perform at the Slam! Each DC SCORES participant should have either a speaking or movement role in their school’s performance. Due to the large number of performers we ask that only the students perform at the Slam!

Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. It is different than community service, because it is a process, one that involves planning, reflection and more. 

Similar to the fall, DC SCORES has developed a thorough curriculum for service-learning. If you have additional questions about service-learning please reach out to your site manager. 

There are 3 deliverables due to DC SCORES in the spring season (two required and one option). First is the required project proposal, which shares about your intended issue area and project plan. Second in the optional minigrant application -- fill this out if your team would like funding from DC SCORES to buy materials for the project. Lastly, is the required poster, which must share how you completed all four stages of service-learning and is due at Jamboree! We also hope that you will share pictures and information about your project throughout the season! DC SCORES staff members love to hear about what you are working on!