Take Action! Kids in PA need YOUR mentorship, kindness, and support. We have a waiting list for children in our PA location. Each staff member who joins us directly corresponds to being able to serve more kids. Read more! 

What is this job?

As a Youth Care Professional, you would provide mentorship, coaching, and support to a young person, aged 12 - 20 years old, in a residential setting.

You would be part of a larger team working together to organize and run programming activities, ensuring the daily schedule of each child meets their goals, assisting with transports to school and offsite appointments (using our vehicles), and modeling life skill building activities such as preparing meals and doing mock interviews for jobs.

What is this company? Board of who?

We would agree with you that our name is not the greatest and we hope to change it in the near future! The Board of Child Care is not a federal or state agency. It is an independent not-for-profit organization that is focused on serving children and their families. It has evolved and adapted from orphanages opened 140 years ago to being a leader in providing high-quality behavioral health, educational, and residential services across the Mid-Atlantic. Our Mechanicsburg, PA, campus used to be called United Methodist Home for Children prior to merging with BCC in 2018.

Do I need any prior experience?

No prior experience in direct care/child care is necessary. If you are compassionate, patient, and creative, we can get you certified in everything you need for this role. All training is paid.

What does a Youth Care Professional do specifically?

Depending on which shift you’re working, here is what you can expect.

When the kids are awake you would: 

• Document daily activities and happenings in the living unit within BCC’s electronic health record system
• Accurately administer medication according to physician and/or nurse’s orders. Document the medication administration record (MAR). [All of BCC's PA staff get certified as medication distribution technicians.]
• Help implement each child’s treatment plan (every child at BCC has one – it’s a list of goals they’re working on while they’re at BCC).
• Coach kids on cleanliness and orderliness in their personal hygiene, living unit and the surrounding campus.
• Link the kids to the medical team if they need anything.
• Support the kids getting ready for school (off grounds).
• Provides safe transportation (in BCC vehicles) to scheduled appointments.
• Conduct inventories for resident belongings upon admission, discharge, and on a quarterly basis. They are all growing teens - you'll help them purchase new clothing once per quarter.
• Engage the kids in whatever is on the living unit’s schedule. Play games, facilitate getting calls or video visits set up with their families or other stakeholders, etc.
• Ensure the kids are dressed in weather and activity-appropriate clothing. Generally, during your shift, you'll always spend a little time outside (weather permitting), like throwing a football around or taking a therapeutic walk around campus.
• Prepare and enjoy meals together as a living unit. Sometimes you’ll pick up meals already prepared from the dining hall (on grounds), other times the living unit will cook together.

While the kids are asleep you would:

• Complete bed checks for every resident every fifteen minutes.
• Finish any laundry and cleaning tasks to get ready for the next day.

Generally, as a part of the team you will:

• Complete a unit inspection checklist (all shifts perform this task) to make sure everything is working, supplies are stocked, and generally, the space is safe and well-lit.
• Rotate in the on-call coverage schedule.
• Foster an atmosphere of collaborative problem-solving among residents and co-workers.
• Provide good notes to the incoming shift so they are aware of what has been working well and what they should be mindful of.

This isn't an exhaustive list of responsibilities, but we hope it gives you a feel for what your day might be like.

What shifts would I work? Are full-time positions available?

• We are hiring for FULL TIME (40 hours a week) positions with benefits!
• Most of our staff work four days a week, either front-end (Sunday through Wednesday) or back-end (Wednesday through Saturday).
• We have morning, afternoon/evening, and overnight shifts available.
• We are open to applicants who can only work part-time hours or who wish to be PRN / on-call only.

Required Education

• High School Diploma

Other Job Requirements

• This position requires you to drive BCC vehicles. Must have a valid, active, driver's license with less than 7 points.
• Background check and drug screen required

The Board of Child Care is an equal opportunity employer by choice committed to excellence through diversity. All eligible candidates, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply for vacancies as appropriate.