Physical Therapist: EI/ECSE - 2026/27 School Year

Physical Therapist, Early Intervention / Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) 
Location: Itinerant in Clackamas County
Schedule: 8 hours per day / 5 days per week / 190-day Instructional Calendar
FOR 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR

Clackamas ESD strives to infuse equity in all our programs and bodies of work by maintaining an inclusive, barrier-free environment in which everyone participates and fully benefits.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in the job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be the one who comes from a less traditional background. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of our qualifications described. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualifications of this position, or how this would be determined, please feel free to contact Human Resources at hr@clackesd.k12.or.us to discuss your application.

Find your "why" with Clackamas ESD
At Clackamas Education Service District, our mission is to lead, serve and innovate for learning. Clackamas ESD provides services in early learning, special education, technology and teacher/staff support to Clackamas County school districts. We ensure students and families in all of our communities -- big and small -- have access to equitable education services. Learn more about CESD here.

About the program:
Clackamas ESD delivers Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) support to young children who exhibit delays or disabilities that affect learning. We coordinate services, and provide specialized consultation and instruction at no cost to families. We work hard to fully include children with disabilities in their communities and prepare children to enter kindergarten ready to learn, providing our services in local preschools, child care centers and homes. Services we provide include home visiting, consultation in early learning settings such as community preschools, specialized preschool classes, parenting education, and related services. 

About this position:
The Physical Therapist (PT) provides direct, monitoring and consultation services for young children with disabilities from birth to entry to kindergarten and their families which address developmental motor learning, motor skills, balance, positioning, muscle strength, mobility and endurance to achieve developmentally appropriate play skills and preschool skills. The PT works as a member of a Transdisciplinary Services Team to complete eligibility evaluations, determine the developmental needs of children, develop Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) and deliver services integrated with those of other professionals into the learning environments of young children. The PT provides direct instructional services to children and their families, consultation and support to community based early childhood service programs and service coordination with other community service providers when serving as the Case Manager. The PT is responsible for supervision of assigned Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant(s).

Essential functions:

• Provides physical therapy and related services across developmental domains of typical child development, to minimize the characteristics of delayed development and the patterns of atypical development associated with disabilities
• Participates as a member of the Transdisciplinary Services Team to select, administer and interpret information through the use of appropriate instruments for screening, eligibility, program planning, child progress and program evaluation
• Completes standardized evaluations in all developmental areas affected by the suspected disability to determine eligibility for Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education under Oregon Administrative Rules as a member of an Transdisciplinary team
• Integrates assessment results into required documents and formal reports related to the evaluation results and explains the results of the evaluation to families in a meaningful and usable way
• Supports and teaches parents positive ways of facilitating skill development in motor learning, motor skills, balance, muscle strength, mobility and endurance at home and family settings
• Elicits input from parents to determine needs and desires for the child to participate in developmental activities that are meaningful in their lives by considering: a) the child's physical abilities and limitations in the context of their developmental functioning in cognitive, social and communication domains; b) the gross motor and positioning features of the tasks the child and family wish to perform; and c) the characteristics of the environment in which the task occurs
• Supports families through the development and delivery of specially designed instruction which incorporates the preferences and goals of the family for their child
• Cooperates with IFSP team to develop the Individualized Family Service Plan
• Cooperates in the design, implementation and evaluation of appropriate services for Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education children and their families in their local communities
• As a member of the IFSP team, determines placement of children according to the IFSP and develops a plan for the delivery of needed services
• Consults with other early childhood program providers to provide adaptive equipment, develop therapeutic activities and evaluate physical accessibility to provide for successful inclusion of children with disabilities in community settings as determined by the IFSP
• Leads the implementation of gross motor, positioning, balance and mobility goals and objectives, and supports all other parts of the Individualized Family Service Plan, through direct instruction with individual children, in child and parent groups, small and large group instruction, consultation to staff within early childhood settings and parent education.
• Provides individualized or small group direct physical therapy within a variety of natural early childhood settings as in integrated service with professionals from other disciplines
• Obtains, produces and prepares appropriate instructional materials and implements developmentally appropriate curriculum following department guidelines
• Integrates physical therapy into learning environments in way that support learning and encourages autonomy in children
• Determines and implements systems to track, monitor and interpret developmental progress with the child's IFSP team and reports progress regularly to families following program requirements
• Manages children's behavior, individually and within groups, using instructional and behavioral procedures which conform with best practices for young children and the individualized needs of each child as well as program and agency procedures
• Assigns responsibilities, provides training and supervises Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant(s) following the State regulations for delegation of duties and frequency of supervision and/or education assistants working in various early childhood settings
• Designs, fabricates, adapts and modifies equipment for individual children or directs these activities by paraprofessionals or assistants
• Maintains accurate and complete records in compliance with program requirements, ESD policy, state and federal regulations
• Records evaluation and service information for the district to bill Medicaid
• Selects therapeutic materials and equipment appropriate to home and early childhood environments and manages the district resources assigned
• Provides physical therapy services as a member of the IFSP team in a manner that ensures that efforts of the family, the program and the community services are complementary and unduplicated and that they are in concert with identified needs and family preferences
• Consults and cooperates with other members of the child's IFSP team and/or community-based service providers to deliver services which are coordinated and integrated into the daily activities of the child and family
• Consults with other early childhood program providers to implement specialized instruction and provide for successful inclusion of children with disabilities in community settings as determined by the IFSP
• Develops and implements individualized plans with families and local school districts for the child's transition from early childhood services to kindergarten
• Provides service coordination for eligible children and their families to ensure positive collaboration with health, social and other community-based service providers as required by Oregon Administrative Rules
• Serves as Case Manager for children whose primary disability is related to gross motor delays, as assigned 
  
   

Minimum qualifications:

• Current Oregon license to practice as a physical therapist
• Demonstrated awareness of typical development in motor learning, motor skills, balance, muscle strength, demonstrated mobility and endurance, the characteristics of delayed development and patterns of atypical development associated with disabilities
• Training in pediatrics or recent successful experience in providing physical therapy services to young children and their families
• Training in selection, administration, scoring and interpretation of evaluation instruments for children with special needs
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with program staff, local districts and community agency personnel
• Ability to integrate assessment results into a Trans-disciplinary report and explain the results of the evaluation to families in a meaningful and usable way
• Awareness of design and the provision of physical therapy appropriate for children with a variety of special needs ages 0-3 and 3-kindergarten age
• Demonstrated ability to work as a member of a collaborative and self-guided Transdisciplinary team providing Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education services within a variety of settings
• Ability to manage time, prioritize and schedule multiple activities across settings and to coordinate these activities with others
• Ability to design, develop, construct, or adapt equipment which supports learning and encourages autonomy in children
• Ability to acquire and maintain a valid first aid and CPR card
• Ability to train, supervise and provide support to adults whose roles and responsibilities vary depending on the early childhood setting, including licensed physical therapy assistants and education assistants
• Demonstrated skills in communication, collaboration and cooperation with other disciplines, community-based professional teams and families as resources for planning and delivery of physical therapy services
• Ability to apply current research and best practice within the field of physical therapy to Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education service delivery
• Ability to compose and produce concise professional documents
• Ability to acquire computer skills for word processing and production of instructional materials
• Physical and mental attributes sufficient to perform essential functions
• Written and oral communication skills sufficient to perform essential functions 
   

Salary: Salary based on experience and education. The 2026-27 salary schedule is still being determined. For reference, the 2025-26 salary schedule was between $54,260 - $105,122 per year. See the Licensed Salary Schedule. 

Benefits:  

• Full medical, dental, and vision insurance with generous district-paid contribution
• Retirement through the Oregon Public Retirement System (PERS) includes pension and individual account program
• Paid time off, including paid holidays, sick leave, and other personal leave
• Opportunities to grow with us with generous professional development expense reimbursements
• Clackamas ESD covers the full cost of fingerprinting for new employees, saving you $82.50 - a benefit not offered by most other districts
• Read more about our benefits here

Retirement plan contributions:
Clackamas ESD employees working 600 or more hours in a calendar year are eligible for the Oregon Public Employee Retirement, or PERS. There are two components to PERS, including the pension, which is primarily funded by CESD and The Individual Account Program, or IAP, which is funded by a six-percent deduction from your paycheck. If you are new to PERS, your PERS deduction will begin automatically after a six-month waiting period.

How to apply:
Submit your application at https://www.applitrack.com/clackesd/onlineapp/. Applications for this position must be submitted by 11:59 PM on the listed closing date.

Clackamas Education Service District is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We respect and seek to empower each individual and support the diverse cultures, perspectives, skills and experiences within our workforce along with the students and families that we serve.

Clackamas ESD policy provides veterans and disabled veterans with preference as required by law.
Clackamas ESD Notice of Nondiscrimination