Teaching Assistant - Residential

Pay Rate: $20.50 per hour

About the role

Our dedicated classroom staff, support teams, and clinicians offer a host of services in a team environment where we strive to meet each child’s unique needs. Together with parents, we help our children become better learners, understand their feelings, and change their behaviors.

Catholic Charities of Baltimore, Villa Maria School is currently seeking a Teaching Assistant-Residential who assists in the care and education of severely emotionally disabled children within the Residential Treatment facility and within the Villa Maria School system.

Within the residence, the Residential Teaching Assistant (RTA) assists in supervising and helping children with before-school tasks (including wakeup, dressing, personal hygiene, and breakfast), as well as all residential activities (meals, games, trips, etc.) on school holidays. Within the school, the RTA assists in supervising children, supporting the teacher in classroom activities, and providing individual and small-group instruction as directed. The RTA escorts children within and between the residence and Villa Maria School.

The work schedule is Mon-Fri 7am-3:00pm. Villa Maria School is a 12-month program that provides educational and clinical services for children with significant emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges. We serve students from kindergarten through 8th grade in small classrooms (up to nine students) who are experiencing emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges such that their local school system refers them to VMS for placement.

Responsibilities

• Assists teachers in the classroom by helping with the implementation of class lesson plans and providing individual or small-group instruction as directed to ensure that curriculum and IEP goals are met.
• Serves as substitute for absent teachers as assigned.
• Serves as a positive role model for children while engaging them in and supervising them during a variety of activities.
• Escorts children within and between buildings and to and from various appointments to always ensure adequate supervision of children, including driving children for appointments, field trips, etc.
• Provides crisis intervention including recognizing and deescalating problems and providing resolution.
• Contacts teachers, parents, therapists, and counselors to effectively communicate information regarding children's progress.
• Supports classroom and/or a specific child as 1:1 coverage.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High School diploma plus 2 years’ experience working with children or vulnerable populations. Working in a school setting with adolescents preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field with experience is preferred.
• Requires the ability to walk and stand up.
• Requires physical ability to intervene and restrain children in crisis situations including the ability to run, lift, and transport children to another location.
• Driving (Agency and/or personal vehicle) is required for this position. Driver must be at least 21 years of age, with a minimum of 2 years of driving experience, and a valid driver’s license issued by the state of residence. There can be no state-issued restrictions on the license that would impede the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle as required by the Agency, and there must not be more than three (3) points on their driving record.

Skills

• Effective childcare skills including nurturing, patience, consistency, and ability to apply effective discipline and behavior management techniques.
• Capacity to relate to severely emotionally disabled children in a sensitive, understanding, and insightful manner.
• Ability to assess problem situations and apply the most effective yet least restrictive intervention within established therapeutic goals.
• Ability to acquire and maintain TCI certification in order to demonstrate continued compliance with the established TCI competencies.
• Ability to utilize computer systems and software necessary to perform position functions.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

• Requires ability to stand/walk throughout the School building and residence.
• Will be exposed to resistant or aggressive client behavior requiring ability to implement crisis intervention and therapeutic holds.

Benefits

• Health/Dental/Vision
• Vacation/sick/holiday pay
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with a discretionary employer contribution
• Tuition Advancement
• Paid Parental Leave

Schedule

Mon-Fri 7am-3:00pm