Who We Are

Since its founding in 2010, Challenge Preparatory Charter School (Challenge Prep) has provided students and families with a successful academic program in Far Rockaway, Queens. We currently serve over 1200 scholars from Kindergarten to 12th grade across 3 sites. Our school’s mission is to prepare students from the greater Far Rockaway community to excel academically, to demonstrate mastery of the NY State Learning Standards, and to achieve their career aspirations. Challenge cultivates and supports the intellectual, aesthetic, social, emotional, and ethical development of its students and prepares them to be responsible 21st century citizens. To accomplish its mission, Challenge offers a rigorous instructional program in a safe, supportive, technology-infused and data-enriched and social-emotional learning sequence, authentic field experiences, career counseling, and college coursework. It is understood that we are one organization with multiple sites, and it is expected that all members of the team collaborate to support all of our scholars.

 Role: Social Worker Reports to: Director of Pupil Personnel Services

 Job Description

 Who We Are

 Since its founding in 2010, Challenge Preparatory Charter School (Challenge Prep) has provided students and families with a successful academic program in Far Rockaway, Queens. Our school’s mission is to prepare students from the greater Far

 Rockaway community to excel academically, to demonstrate mastery of the NYS Learning Standards, and to achieve their career aspirations. Challenge cultivates and supports the intellectual, aesthetic, social, emotional, and ethical development of its students and prepares them to be responsible 21st century citizens. To accomplish its mission, Challenge offers a rigorous instructional program in a safe, supportive, technology-infused and data-enriched and social-emotional learning sequence, authentic field experiences, career counseling, and college coursework. It is understood that we are one organization with multiple sites, and it is expected that all members of the team collaborate to support all of our scholars.

 Understanding the Role

 The Social Worker will work with all constituencies of the school community their assigned grade span (i.e., K-5, 6-8, or 9-12) to create an environment of social-emotional support for every scholar. The Social Worker responsibilities include providing information to students, parents, and school staff, counseling scholars with personal and psychological issues, and addressing relevant issues in the school, such as school attendance, behavioral and social adjustment issues. The Social Worker should have an understanding of child development, psychopathology, social and environmental conditioning, cultural diversity, and family systems. They should also have the knowledge, skills, and processes for effective casework practice and the understanding of the School Social Work profession which includes associated laws (IDEA, ADA, compulsory attendance, ethical issues, professional issues, standards, foundations of school psychology, and the role and function of the Social Worker). This role reports directly to the Director of Pupil and Personnel Services and is supported by the Principal of their grade span.

 Overall Job Goals and Responsibilities:

 The staff of Challenge Preparatory School is committed to teaching scholars the values of scholarship, respect, honesty, courage, and balance in a collaborative technology-infused, inclusive family-like environment. It is the responsibility of the Social Worker to:

●Help scholars cope with personal and psychological issues that affect their school performance, behavior, and socialization

●Provide information for and/or referrals to outside support services or agencies to help scholars deal with social, emotional, economic, or physical challenges ● Assess scholar independent functioning skills toward possible referrals to outpatient treatment/counseling/support options

●Assess possible abuse and neglect cases to appropriate emergency intervention organizations

●Assist teachers and administrators in dealing with behavioral or attitude issues by communicating with scholars to find the causes of their distress

●Develop and implement professional development training for educational staff and parents as requested

●Provide comprehensive school social work services to parents, students, and school staff, addressing barriers that limit students from receiving the full benefit from their educational experience

●Review scholar records to identify previous barriers and/or interventions such as behavior and attendance

●Conduct parent interviews to acquire socio-developmental information as needed for special education referrals

●Analyze information gained through record reviews and interviews to determine environmental impacts and appropriate resource needs; integrate gained information into a written report and oral presentation

●Attend and participate in Manifestation meetings

●Interview students and parents to discuss issues related to non-attendance and develop a plan of action

●Assist the school in following school board regulations for excessive absences and truancy; attend student support team meetings and court intervention

●Provide individual and/or group counseling in response to school-wide crisis

●Respond to referrals requesting verification of residence

●Participate in professional development activities aimed at current trends and best practices for the provision of comprehensive school social work services

●Conduct home visits as a method to access the family and conduct interviews in response to school referrals

●Maintain an ongoing liaison with community agencies and other resources to meet student needs

●Refer parents and scholars to agencies when appropriate

●Any additional responsibilities assigned by Administration

 Who We Seek

 We will consider candidates who demonstrate:

●Commitment to and alignment with CPCS mission, vision, program goals and curriculum

●Committed to thoughtfully engaging in identity work necessary to take a culturally responsive approach to social work and relationship-building with scholars and colleagues

●You possess an exceptional level of patience and focus to overcome challenges and achieve results

●Strong classroom management skills: you can set high expectations in the classroom and keep scholars engaged

●Classroom presence: you are clear and precise when sharing new content with students and can effectively lead students through inquiry-based class discussions ● In person and written communication with parents, families, scholars, staff, and community

●Detail-oriented and highly organized

●Ability to adapt to unforeseen situations

 Requirements

●Bachelor's degree required

●Master's degree in Social Work preferred

●NYS Certification in Social Work

●Experience in an urban school setting and working with students in their grade span’s age group

●Strong collaboration and teamwork skills

 Work Year

 This is a full-time position commencing mid-August through June.

 An Equal Opportunity Employer

 Challenge Charter School is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, particularly in the Far Rockaway area, and committed to educating students. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our relentless work. Challenge Charter School offers a full benefits program and opportunities for professional growth. Learn more about our mission, team, and the exciting things happening at Challenge by visiting https://challengecharterschools.org/. 

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