direct support professional

licensed practical nurse

program assistant

child care teacher

childcare provider

ChildServe

A typical day at work starts with getting organized for the day and making sure each patient from the previous day has been documented/charted on.  Then I go out onto the unit to see which kids or up so I can start engaging in activities with them.  If there are a lot of patients in the sun room I will conduct a group activity that benefits everyone.
My days begin at 8:00am Monday-Thursday; to start out each day I go into the office to check my emails, chart on the kids, and fill out my service activity log from the previous day.  After all the charting/documenting is done I check my emails again to see if there are any new meetings scheduled for the day, then I normally email the nursing supervisors to inform them of any outings going on in the weeks to come.  Once all the emails, charting, and loose ends of the previous day are tied I go out to the unit by about 9:00am to check the board and see the times I have each patient scheduled.  9:00am is normally the time most of the kids are getting out of bed.  
Most days I only have a few kids scheduled so I am able to make my own schedule and hang out with kids when they are not with PT, OT, or speech.  This also allows Katie and me to do group activities with the kids so they can socialize with one another.  From about 9:00am to around noon I see any of my patients on my caseload I have scheduled or are available.  If there are enough kids in the sunroom Katie and I will conduct a game group with the kids or do an activity we think would be most beneficial for the group we are able to round up.  I love doing group activities because it is a great way to see patients interacting and flowing with one another.   
When I am not doing a group activity I normally either go into the kids rooms or conduct the activity with them in the sunroom, playroom, or activity room.  If they are able to communicate with me what activities they want to engage in then I will ask them, but if they are unable to communicate with me verbally I give the patients about three activity options and they will communicate in their particular way what activity they want.  A lot of the patients not able to vocalize what they want either shake their head for “yes” and “no,” or blink for “no” and close their eyes for “yes.”
After the morning sessions are done Katie and I eat lunch.  On Tuesdays we normally have about an hour meeting with the rehab team during lunch to discuss the patients and how they are doing in their different therapies.  After the lunch meetings on Tuesday there is normally a rehab meeting where the rehab team discusses the progress of three patients at a time, with the patient’s doctor present.  This is a great way to get everyone together to discuss interventions or things that should be done differently.  It also allows the said patients doctor to learn more about what we are doing with the patient to improve their daily life.  Meetings normally take place on Tuesdays, which can make it is hard to see a lot of patients.
Most of the kids are put down for naptime between 12:30-3:00pm.  After naptime, the afternoon that is another perfect time to see kiddos and also do group activities when there are not meetings or care conferences.  A lot of the kids like going on walks outside which normally takes place late afternoon.  On Wednesday the pet therapy dog comes in the afternoon for about an hour and a half.  The patients absolutely adore the dog and owner and ask about when they are coming all week long.  Damarius, the pet therapy dog, visits some patients in their rooms but most of the time we make a circle around him and the kids take turns throwing the ball (some with assistance) to the dog.  On Wednesday-Friday Katie and I are normally in the pool for about an hour and a half with patients who are allowed to swim.  The patients that have an order to swim really enjoy being in the water and letting their extremities move freely.  Some of the patients are very timid at first but after about ten minutes they warm up and relax themselves.  For the patients to be able to swim we have to ask for an order from their physician.  If the doctor writes back saying it is okay then we can figure out what times work in the patients schedule.  
By about 4 o’clock I make my way back to the office to chart on the patients that were seen that day.  I also check my emails and get myself organized for the next day.  Each day is filled with something new and exciting and I enjoy what each day has to offer.  I enjoy that I am able to make my own schedule and see my caseload of patients may times a week, which has allowed me to learn more about their likes and dislikes and learn how to interact with many different patients with varying diagnosis.

Being a shift supervisor came with more responsibilities than most other departments as you are required to be at trainings/meeting and in person with the clients on an almost daily basis for the first 3 months. You are also the first on call in many situations as you are responsible for running the individual house you are assigned. On call schedule is rotating every 4 weeks on average (don't let them tell you 6 weeks because that's a lie) and is 7 consequitive nights in a row (not just weekends). You will be responsible for making your staffs schedule, attending clients meetings (even if they are not in your scheduled time), and grocery shopping for the house. The management is fantastic under ICF but SCL management is a mess and completely disorganized. It seemed to me that they took the easy way out of all situations to ensure that they, as managers, didn't have to do as much work. They barely work 8hrs a day and only show up for meetings. Most of the managers haven't even been to the houses they supervise. Shift supervisors are constantly being hired on and leaving due to misinformation about job duties. I will never recommend anyone to work in the Homes department of childserve, and I will never recommend anyone to put their child into the SCL Homes department of childserve. 

Most recently I worked part time with ChildServe as a skill development assistant with three different young men on an a one to one basic weekly. I provided social skills guidance, opportunities for life skills in the community and at home and support with personal cares and needs. I worked once per week with two of the young men and twice per week with another young man. Each young man had special needs, but I learned a great deal from them and their families and it was a very good part time job. This job experience added to my skills in teaching and mentorship and I developed good relationships with the individuals and their families. The most challenging part was having the young men try something new and difficult for them, but they often tried things like activities or foods, even if it was briefly and I considered that a success. The most rewarding part was when they would gain a new skill, make progress on their goals or demonstrate social skills in the community.

Check schedules and see what needed to be filled, see if all positions were filled for the day, if not, find someone who was qualified to fill the position.  Make certain everything was entered into the computer correctly so that payroll and billing could be done from  the entries. I learned a lot about teamwork within our department, it was excellent.  The management within the department was wonderful, above the department, I felt they did not always listen to our problems and act on them. Co-workers were the best and I would love to work with all of them again.  The hardest part of the job was not being able to fill some of the positions, leaving the family to do cares for their loved one. The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting and getting to know the co-workers, clients and their families.

The workplace culture is supportive and positive and you can tell everyone is passionate about the mission/vision of the company and the work we do to help kids/families live a great life. Management onsite values our opinions and is constantly looking for ways to improve our facilities and work/life balance. The work is rewarding, but it can be hard to not take some of the emotions/stress of the day home with you. The pay is lower than most, if not all, competitors in the area but has recently made steps in the right direction. Childserve takes pride in ethical billing and does not support or promote ethically grey billing practices seen elsewhere. It does seem like the VPs and above are disconnected from the day-to-day work lives and operations of those in direct care. 

Provided personal cares to include bathing, grooming, positioning and daily cares of disabled children on a Continuing Care unit as a CNA/Resident assistant.
I learned how precious life is and how to truly work as a team.
Providing medical care is a team effort in any facility. From physical therapist, RN's and office staff, we all came together and gave the true meaning of a team.
The hardest part of my job was meeting children with conditions that affect the quality of their life. Some caused by abuse, accidents birth defects and illnesses.
The best part of my job was giving that child a smile, comfort, love and exceptional care.

Overall, my experience at Childserve wasn’t too bad, I enjoyed it for the most part. I didn’t like how the higher ups communicated with staff members on the lower levels. The workplace also wasn’t very inclusive but the kids made up for it. The compensation was very low for a company that required a bachelor’s degree to practice, and the benefits were also low-tier. We had many meetings about things that could’ve been said in an email—during our lunch time. There is absolutely no room for advancement within the company for low level employees, so if you’re looking for vertical growth—look elsewhere. They also didn’t let you exceed more than 38 hours per week, so you’re pretty much bummed if you needed some extra money.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The kids and their families.
Everything else here including management is horrible, no one listens and not to mention it is not the best situation for kids.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The management is very unprofessional and the only one that suffers is the kids. It’s very political. 


What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
No one here listeners to you, it’s all about them that’s why they don’t let outsiders in because then families will know what they are doing and how bad it truly is.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It’s very stressful, it’s chaos all the time that why most of the kids act up because they don’t know who they can trust.

I absolutely love working at ChildServe. The staff are all amazing and specialize in different things, therefore there are always people to ask specific questions to. A variety of patients are served and the mission is clearly articulated and lived out. The leadership care about the employees and try their hardest to make it a fun, productive, and caring environment. After having my third child they were very understanding and willing to work with me on decreasing my hours. This is a wonderful place to work!

Cleaning and waking up clients in the morning when they needed to be somewhere later that morning. I didn't have much contact with my supervisor since I worked overnight, but my other coworkers complained about them never being at the house or attending to the clients needs (ordering important supplies, setting up appointments for haircuts, etc.) Benefits and PTO buildup are both really great, but I didn't want to work under this supervisor anymore. My manager was great, but the home supervisor was an issue.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 53 salaries reported	$17.23 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 11 salaries reported	$32.36 per hour
Program assistant 43 salaries reported	$14.79 per hour
Child care teacher 29 salaries reported	$14.09 per hour
Childcare provider 20 salaries reported	$15.14 per hour

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