Part Time Therapeutic Support Staff

As a part-time therapeutic support staff at FamilyForward’s Early Childhood Center, you will provide psychoeducational treatment services to preschool-aged children who have experienced child abuse, neglect, or family violence victimization. You will work collaboratively with other teachers and therapists to provide a structured therapeutic environment to support students with developmental delays, emotional difficulties, and behavioral challenges resulting from the experience of adverse life events.

FamilyForward is committed to upholding the Organizational Health Anchors that we have set for the agency, including: safety; mindfulness and self-regulation; relational health; cultural diversity, inclusivity, equity, and anti-racism; clinical lens; vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue.

[I stay involved with FamilyForward because] the passion and experience of staff is inspiring; the opportunity to build connections with children who have significant histories of adverse experiences and being witness to their progress; [and because of] the agency’s commitment to being out front being progressive in programming and ever-evolving to meet clients where they are and in response to available research/knowledge. Program Manager, Early Childhood Center

What puts FamilyForward Out Front:

• Small adult-child ratios and high levels of support for staff in the classroom
• 4-days of programming, Fridays without students for flexible use
• Brand new facility built intentionally to support the needs of staff and students
• Paid time-off for Agency Wellness Week (December 24th to December 31st annually)
• Programming based in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics
• Use of all other de-escalation methods before implementing restraints only as a last resort
• Emphasis on professional learning, growth, and development

How we wholeheartedly take care of our people:

• Competitive pay & benefits package includes:
  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family
  • Optional short-term disability
  • Virtual medical and mental health care coverage
  • Employee Assistance Program counseling services
  • Pre-tax medical Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Health Reimbursement Account for deductible expenses over $1000 individual; $2000 for families
  • 3% dollar for dollar company-matched 403(b) retirement savings account
  • Company-paid long-term disability and life insurance
• Wellness Week (December 25th - 31st paid holiday week)
• 10paid holidays in addition to Wellness Week, including 2 floating holidays for religious/cultural celebrations
• Paid vacation time and health and wellness leave
• Education assistance program
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligible employer
• National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Eligible Site
• Member and active participant in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce
• Diversity Awareness Partnership Non-Profit Partner

What to expect on a given day as a Therapeutic Support Staff:

• You will care for children during all before-care and after-care hours
• You’ll create an environment in the classroom that supports play, felt safety, and co-regulation.
• Throughout the school day, you will provide classroom coverage to give additional support in the therapeutic classrooms and fill gaps for staff absences
• You will help implement lesson plans, engaging students in developmentally appropriate and trauma-informed therapeutic activities.
• You will continually build your toolbox of strategies through training and supervision to proactively support the regulation of your students through sensory integration, regulation, and relational domains.
• When students need support with challenging behaviors and big emotions, you will implement these strategies and individualized therapeutic interventions.
• You will be responsible for ensuring the safety of students at all times, including utilizing the safe room and/or appropriate restraints (that you will be trained in, and as a last resort) when absolutely necessary.
• When needed, you may be asked to provide support to the ECC Coordinator, Teachers, Educational Therapist and/or Program Manager with specific tasks.

You would be a good fit for this position if you:

• Have compassion for children, families, and caregivers who have experienced adverse life events.
• Are willing to grow your knowledge of developmental trauma to better understand our clients and engage in regular training and skills-building.
• Enjoy using creativity to develop fun activities for children.
• Can develop trust-based relationships with children, caregivers, and co-workers.
• Are comfortable supporting children experiencing challenging behaviors.
• Have an Associates or Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Social Work, or similar field, or equivalent experience. Credit hours in early childhood education considered (minimum 6 credit hours in early childhood or related field).