Title of Position:
School Adjustment Counselor
Early Childhood Center
Work Year:
School year; Plus 10 extra days per Appendix D Category I Stipend
Salary:
In accordance with the Teachers' Salary Scale according to education and experience.
Organizational Relationship or Line of Authority:
Directly responsible to the Principal/Director in all matters pertaining to the building. Jointly responsible to Principal/Director and Executive Director of Clinical Services.
Job Summary:
The School Adjustment Counselor at the Early Childhood Center (ECC) provides direct and indirect social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health support to preschool-aged students and their families. The counselor works collaboratively with educators, related service providers, administrators, and community agencies to support the developmental, behavioral, emotional, and social needs of young learners in inclusive and specialized early childhood settings.
This role includes collaboration with Early Intervention (EI) providers, community agencies, and families to support smooth transitions into school-based services and ensure continuity of care for students entering preschool programming. The School Adjustment Counselor plays an integral role in promoting early identification, prevention, intervention, and family engagement to support school readiness.
Statement of Duties:
- Provide direct services to students with social-emotional, behavioral, developmental, and mental health needs through individual, dyad, classroom-based, and small group interventions.
- Support the implementation of developmentally appropriate social-emotional learning experiences that promote emotional regulation, communication, play skills, peer interaction, and school readiness.
- Collaborate with teachers, administrators, related service providers, and support staff to develop and implement strategies that support student success within the classroom environment.
- Collaborate with and visit Early Intervention (EI) providers, families, homes and community agencies to support transitions from EI services into preschool programming and coordinate continuity of care and supports. Collaborate with the ECC evaluation team to develop reports from Early Intervention for evaluations. Arrange and participate in Transition Planning Conferences (TPCs).
- Support families in accessing community-based services and resources, including referrals for counseling, developmental evaluations, psychiatric services, and family support programs.
- Promote family engagement and maintain ongoing communication with caregivers to support consistency between home and school.
- Provide crisis intervention and support during school-based behavioral or mental health crises.
- Participate in Instructional Support Team (IST), Individualized Education Program (IEP), 504, Risk to Resiliency meetings, and other student support meetings as appropriate.
- File 51A Reports.
- Assist in developing proactive regulation supports, classroom strategies, and individualized plans for students with significant social-emotional or behavioral needs.
- Collect and analyze student data to monitor progress and support intervention planning.
- Accommodate differences in student developmental levels, learning styles, cultural backgrounds, communication needs, and readiness levels, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners.
- Attend district-wide and school-based meetings, trainings, and professional development opportunities.
- Act as liaison to the Department of Child and Family Services (DCF), Human Services & Mental Health Providers and McKinney Vento.
- Administer assessments and/or collects data to measure student learning, growth, and/or development through a variety of methods, including formal and informal assessments and common interim assessments where applicable.
- Demonstrate professionalism, ethical conduct, confidentiality, and culturally responsive practices in all interactions.
- Perform all other duties as assigned by the building principal/director.
Qualifications Required:
- Master's Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or related field
- DESE Massachusetts School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor license required
- LICSW or LMHC preferred
- Experience working with young children in school, clinical, or early childhood settings preferred
- Experience collaborating with families, Early Intervention providers, and community agencies preferred
- Knowledge of child development, early childhood mental health, trauma-responsive practices, and social-emotional learning
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills
- Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams
- Flexible, organized, and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to maintain confidentiality
- Bilingual in Spanish or Portuguese preferred
Skills and Abilities Necessary:
- Knowledge of early childhood development and social-emotional learning
- Ability to build positive relationships with young children and families
- Strong collaboration and consultation skills
- Ability to support students through developmentally appropriate behavioral and emotional interventions
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Active listening and social perceptiveness
- Problem-solving and decision-making skills
- Service orientation and family-centered approach
- Ability to remain calm and supportive during crisis situations