Join the team at The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School, featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and on 60 Minutes for its revolutionary salaries and its outstanding results. TEP aims to achieve educational equity for students from historically underserved communities by utilizing world-class teachers and social workers, while re-imagining the social work profession as a place in which individuals prioritize their own growth as experts and community leaders.

Watch the video below to learn more about TEP's Middle School facility, designed with community and equity at the forefront. 

About the Role

Applicants will be eligible for the Early Childhood/Elementary School Student and Family Intervention Specialist role (Kindergarten through 4th Grade) or the Middle School Student and Family Intervention Specialist role (5th Grade to 8th Grade).

The Student and Family Intervention Specialist will perform professional-level social work within the team at one of TEP's campuses.  This individual will support students and families in a variety of ways, including attendance intervention programming, restorative practices, and behavioral supports. 

More than a quarter million New York City students miss a month of school every year, and one of every five students in kindergarten through fifth grade is chronically absent.  Attendance is a baseline factor in determining academic success, and students are more likely to excel in school when they attend consistently. TEP works closely with students and families throughout the course of the year to ensure a 97 percent attendance rate – which is in the top 1 percent of all peer schools.

Each Student and Family Intervention Specialist at The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School focuses their efforts ons supporting and collaborating with students and families, while refining their skills and prioritizing their own professional growth. 

This is an amazing opportunity for a developing child and family social worker who is looking to deepen their clinical expertise and work alongside a team of expert clinical social workers while building long-lasting relationships with students and families.

Looking to have a significant impact while developing into an expert Clinical Social Worker within a community of master clinicians?  This is the role for you.

The Early Childhood / Elementary School Student and Family Intervention Specialist will work in vibrant and colorful spaces that reflect the learning and development that takes place. Social Workers will support students in developing foundational emotional and social skills within classrooms, as well as private and collaborative Social Work office spaces.

The Middle School Student and Family Intervention Specialist will work in a state-of-the-art learning environment carefully designed, built, and crafted to spark joy and instill a love of learning for TEP students. Our school building in the Washington Heights/Inwood community, provides a perfect learning environment for developing students by providing a Social Work suite with both private and collaborative offices/spaces, innovative classroom settings, a full gymnasium, a high-tech performing arts space, and an indoor/outdoor café where meals are prepared fresh on a daily basis for students and staff.

"I believe this is where I have the greatest impact within the Social Work profession. I can do the work that is going to last! I can connect with people, very young, and see the fruits of the work last for years and years." - TEP Social Worker

Responsibilities

Prevention/Intervention Programming

• Track daily attendance/tardies, and develop year-long creative intervention programming to motivate students to attend school on time and on a daily basis
• Monitor and assess psychosocial and non-psychosocial factors that might be influencing attendance and tardiness
• Conduct solution-oriented family meetings to assess obstacles, and make recommendations for increasing attendance and prompt arrival 
• Create and implement supportive intervention programming to increase safe behavior on the bus to and from school
• Lead mediations as necessary, using relational-based models within your social work practice, in alignment with TEP's commitment to Restorative Justice Practices

Behavioral Supports

• Coordinate communication with grade level social worker, teacher, family and student in response to behavioral incidents 
• Support students in TEP's Social Work "Reflection Space" using a relational-based perspective, in alignment with TEP's commitment to Restorative Justice Practices
• Lead outreach and communication with families in response to behavior infractions
• Respond to day-to-day challenges and low-level student crises at TEP during the course of a school day
• Design and implement creative clinical interventions for students with repeated instances of similar challenges

About You (Qualifications)

• Language Proficiency: Complete fluency in Spanish required
• Deeply aligned to TEP’s mission of providing a world-class mental health services and social work interventions to historically under-resourced student communities (90% of TEP students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, 22% of TEP students receive Special Education services, and 25% of TEP students are Multi-Lingual Learners).
• Social Work experience: Experience working with children and families, with a preference for individuals who have worked within a school setting. 
• The ability to design and implement in-school prevention programming according to current best practices within the field of social work.  
• Ability to simultaneously manage a family and student communication,  while prioritizing multiple competing urgent tasks.
• Education requirements: We value candidates with a Master's degree in social work, counseling, human services, or education, but we also welcome individuals with degrees to apply.
• Certification requirements: TEP does not require Student and Family Intervention Specialists to have any specific level of certification/licensing (ie LCSW) outside of the above educational and experience preferences.

Why TEP (Benefits)

At TEP, growth isn't just for our students—continued growth is also a central priority for our Social Work Team. That's why we're redefining the Social Worker experience, offering a rewarding career that includes an annual salary that matches TEP’s high expectations.

• Compensation: Student and Family Intervention Specialists earn an annual salary of between $60K and 70K
• Redefined Work-Year: 3 extended rest breaks and 3 professional development institutes focused on learning and collaboration with the teaching and social work team
• Unmatched Social Work Talent: Be surrounded by a collaborative community of experienced, passionate Social Workers and Educators who care about educational equity
• Time Off: Approximately 10 weeks of vacation per year (all school vacations)
• Employee Wellness: We value your well-being through our Staff Food Program, Staff Retreats, and Wellness Programming
• Healthcare: World-class medical, dental, vision, Short-Term Disability (STD), Long-Term Disability (LTD), and Life Insurance policies
• Family Focus: Parental leave and dependent care account so you can care for your loved ones
• 403b Retirement Plan: We care about your ability to save for your future
• Learning & Development: A culture that provides and encourages professional growth and development, including professional development and tuition/continuous learning reimbursements

Note that as this role requires a strong on-site presence, TEP's Student and Family Intervention Specialist is a fully in-person position at one of TEP's campuses in the Washington Heights/Inwood community of NYC.

Application Process

TEP is designed and structured around the belief that great staff members are the key to achieving educational success for students. As such, we require Student and Family Intervention Specialists applicants to demonstrate their qualifications throughout the application and hiring process. The requirements for each  Student and Family Intervention Specialists applicant include:

• Resume: Potential candidates must submit an up-to-date resume
• Cover Letter: Potential candidates must submit a well-written cover letter that highlights their specific interest in joining the TEP community

TEP is currently reviewing applications on a rolling basis. If you submit both a cover letter and resume, you will receive a response from us as to whether or not you will be invited to the next stage of the process for the Student and Family Intervention Specialists role.