Child & Family Development Aide (Part-time)

Pacekids Programs is a non-profit organization that empowers children with diverse needs and their families through excellence in therapy, education, and play. Pacekids offers a dynamic, active environment, specializing in therapeutic learning, supporting each child's unique developmental and physical needs.

We are hiring for a part time community-based Aide for the following schedule.

- Monday - Thursday 4:00 PM -6:00 PM

Each in-home family session is 1.5 hours each day, with additional hours to complete planning and paperwork. We work with families throughout Calgary; Aides are required to drive and have access to a reliable vehicle to drive to/from and between family homes.

**What We Offer**

- Paid flexible sick and personal time for all staff, accrued at 5.38% of hours worked
- Employer-paid health and paramedical benefits for full-time employees
- Paid observance of 13 holidays
- 3 weeks annual paid vacation
- Paid mileage (for commute between multiple families)
- Support for professional development including in-house learning and development

**Role Overview & Responsibilities**

Reporting to a Community Coordinator and working with a multi-disciplinary team of therapists, the Aide works with children with disabilities and their family in the family home each day. With the guidance of the therapists, the Aide is responsible for developing and implementing a variety of play-based activities that support the child and family to achieve the goals identified in their program plan.

Many children Pacekids supports have developmental disabilities; often including an Autism diagnosis’. Many of the goals we focus on with this population are surrounding emotional and sensory regulation because, a dysregulated child can often be viewed as a “bad kid” or a “kid with behaviours”, when really they just need the skills/help to become regulated. Other potential goal areas with this population could include development of speech and language skills, activities of daily living (i.e., getting dressed, eating independently, etc.), development of gross and fine motor skills an empowering parents through increasing their understanding of their child(ren). Pacekids takes a developmental approach. Which means, we work to help children develop in their own time on their own path rather than changing the behaviours we view as negative. Through the developmental lens, the service delivery team (i.e., aides, coordinators, and therapists) will encourage positive child development through play. The primary job of the aides will be to spend their time purposely playing with children in their natural environment and where they prefer: on the floor, at tables, outdoors, and in the community where they can participate in age appropriate activities that encourage growth, learning, and positive interactions.

- Be knowledgeable about child development and the assessed needs of the child as outlined in the child’s program plan
- In collaboration with the Community Coordinator and the Multi-Disciplinary Therapy Team, develop approaches and programming to promote the child’s development
- Develop and implement a weekly program plan based on the child’s goals, ensuring every session is adequately prepared for in advance
- Implement strategies developed by the Multi-Disciplinary Therapy Team to achieve the goals outlined in the child’s program plan, supported by the development of the weekly program plan
- Provide a positive learning environment for both the child and the parent(s)/guardian(s)
- Empower and support parent(s)/guardian(s) to manage the needs of their child, generalize skills and strategies in a child’s natural environment, and increase independence with the implementation of the child’s goals into their daily lives
- Attend any training sessions or meetings organized by Pacekids or other outside agencies pertaining to the child’s needs
- Adhere to all Pacekids policies and procedures
- Complete necessary paperwork including time reports and session summaries by applicable deadlines

** What You Bring**

- High School Diploma or equivalent minimum; however, a certificate or diploma in social services or a helping profession i.e., Therapy Assistant, Disability Studies, etc. is preferred
- Experience working with and passion for supporting children with diverse needs and their families. Including children with complex emotional, behavioral, social and physical needs.
- Experience as an assistant in Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Pathology, Physiotherapy, or Behaviour therapy is an asset
- Proficiency in the English language, both written and verbal
- Must be able and willing to work with children where they are. This may include playing on the floor, moving quickly, bending, squatting, and lifting up to 50 pounds
- Current Alberta driver’s license and reliable personal vehicle that can be used throughout your workday to travel to/from and between family homes.
- Excellent communication, relationship building, te