Student Support Specialist – Medford After-School Program

The Student Support Specialist provides dedicated, individualized 1:1 support to ensure that students with significant, diverse learning, physical, emotional, and sensory needs can meaningfully participate in after-school activities alongside their peers. This role balances safety and specialized care with an asset-based, inclusive approach—implementing tailored accommodations while fostering social-emotional learning (SEL), peer connections, and student autonomy in alignment with Massachusetts inclusive education principles (603 CMR 28.00).

Essential Responsibilities

Direct Support & Inclusion

Facilitate Inclusive Participation: Scaffold activities to ensure the student can fully access after-school enrichment, games, snacks, and open play alongside peers in the least restrictive environment.
Implement Accommodations & Behavior Plans: Consistently execute individualized behavior support plans, sensory diets, and transition strategies developed in alignment with the student's IEP, 504 Plan, or after-school support plan.
Proactive Safety & Health Management: Provide vigilant oversight for high-need safety concerns, including wandering/elopement (bolting), pica (ingesting non-food items), spatial safety, and physical safety during dynamic movement or unstructured times.
De-escalation & Sensory Regulation: Recognize early triggers for emotional and physical dysregulation; utilize low-arousal, trauma-informed, and de-escalation practices. Accompany the student to designated sensory or quiet spaces for proactive breaks when needed, guiding them back to group activities.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Actively model and facilitate positive peer interactions, turn-taking, conflict resolution, and friendship-building using strength-based strategies.

Collaboration & Goal Setting

Caregiver & School-Day Alignment: Partner with the Site Director to attend regular check-ins with caregivers, special educators, and school-day staff.
Insight Sharing: Gather insights into student strengths, preferences, effective regulation tools, and home/school routines to ensure continuity across the student's day.
Goal Development: Help establish, track, and adapt individualized SEL and inclusion goals for the after-school setting, documenting daily progress and adjusting strategies as needed.

Qualifications & Competencies

Experience: Minimum of 3+ years of direct experience supporting students with disabilities in educational, therapeutic, or structured out-of-school-time settings.
Targeted Experience: Demonstrated background working 1:1 with students in substantially separate special education classrooms or intensive support environments, including direct experience responding to elopement, pica, and verbal/physical behaviors.
Knowledge & Practices:
- Familiarity with Massachusetts special education frameworks, positive behavior intervention strategies (PBIS), and trauma-informed care principles.
- Proficiency in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices or visual schedule tools is a plus.
Mindset: An asset-based focus that presumes competence, respects student dignity, and views behavior as communication.
Certifications: First Aid/CPR certification (or willingness to obtain upon hire); Safety-Care, CPI, or similar crisis prevention/de-escalation training preferred.
Education: High school diploma or equivalent required; Associate's degree or Paraprofessional Certification under MA DESE standards preferred.

Physical & Working Conditions

Ability to maintain active proximity to student, move quickly to maintain safety (e.g., preventing elopement), and escort students to break areas.
Comfort working in active, moderate-to-high noise environments common to after-school recreational spaces.

Compensation

$22-25/hour (commensurate with training and experience)

Position Type: Part-Time / Non-Exempt (School-Year Schedule)