direct support professional

youth specialist

support associate

caregiver

coach

Easter Seals Blake Foundation

I work in the call center, which calls out to residents in North Dakota and bordering cities of Minnesota in hopes of raising money for the various programs Easter Seals Goodwill ND, Inc. provides to children, adults and families with disabilities.

A Typical Day At Work:

1) Sit in assigned phone station and manually dial prospective donors as assigned by supervisor keeping donor cards in order 
2) Complete carbon and respective master donor card, verifying spelling of name and address to include city, state and zip code 
3) Stuff envelopes with appropriate information for the region being called 
4) Record proper coding as assigned by supervisor on all donor cards, cold call sheets and envelopes 
5) Make "COLD CALLS" to prospective donors using current phone pages *These are the folks who have never donated to us before* 
6) Respect other team members while they are on the phone with donors *We can still talk and have fun while working, though, as long as are productivity is in check
7) Keep work area clean. Organize and re-stock paper supplies at the end of the shift

What I Learned:

I've learned what it feels like to be a part of a professional team that respects, encourages, and motivates me to be the best me I can be. I've also learned a lot about the local residents I speak with on a day to day basis, and how we are all struggling with similar things. EVERYONE is fighting a battle of some sort, and this has inspired me to do all I can to help make their battles a little less difficult.

Management:

The management at this workplace, in my opinion, are very attentive to their employees' needs and well-being and will provide whatever accommodations are necessary to make that employee feel like they belong. I've had nothing but positive experiences with them... thanking them regularly for all of the support they have given me during difficult periods in my life that I've gone through.

My Co-Workers:

These people are like my family. The Call Center doesn't have a huge number of callers, so we get to know each other on a more personal level and I find that extremely rewarding. I genuinely feel like I have made life-long friendships with some of them.

The Hardest Part Of The Job:

Having patience and not taking things so personally. Sometimes the people we get a hold of can be rude or just not particularly happy with us for calling them. You have to learn to not take anything as a personal attack. Hurt people hurt people. There is almost ALWAYS something going on in their lives that influence the way they can act towards you. 
Another thing that can be frustrating or difficult is when you are not getting donations for hours on end. You must understand that there is nothing you personally are doing wrong. You will have good days and bad days. Just keep a positive attitude and don't allow your frustrations to sneak their way into your speaking voice. It's best to leave your troubles at the door when you walk in (as best you can) and stay as positive and hopeful as you can for a successful day. You will have more good days than bad days, it truly all relies on your perspective and attitude.

The Most Enjoyable Part Of The Job:

Being able to know that I am making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. The money we raise from these telefundraising campaigns go towards a multitude of services that assist citizens of North Dakota to have equal opportunities, regardless of their disability. 
The environment and persona of my co-workers and team leader makes it all the more rewarding. Some days it doesn't feel like I'm working at all. We have FUN. I truly do enjoy my job, and nothing can top that.

I've never felt appreciated at this job. I was asked to come in early, give up shifts, take overtime, etc. CONSTANTLY. This was not a full-time job where I could expect a stable income. I had management call me and cancel my shifts less than 12 hours before I was supposed to be there. I budgeted on working that shift and getting that pay but I got nothing. I also have multiple times shown up to shifts to work with clients and nobody is home and I call the "on-call" and they tell me to go home because they forgot to tell me the client didn't need services today. Even though I spent 30 mins driving to the cite and drove 30 miles, Easterseals refused to reimburse me for any of that. Not only did I waste my time and my gas, but I also was expecting to be paid for that shift and there was never an opportunity to make up that money.

Easterseals will nickel-and-dime you for EVERYTHING. Easterseals management will make a mistake and expect you to pocket the expense. Easterseals will forgo your bonuses and forgo your raises because of a new project they are working on. Meanwhile, Easterseals is sending you an email almost weekly bragging about another tens of thousands of dollar donation they received. To make matters worse, Easterseals will hound you about donating to their mission (20 dollars or more is recommended). As an employee in an industry where people make 12-14 an hour, I am not volunteering my time or donating more than my hourly pay.

While working at Easterseals, I received the bare minimum in training. Once I subbed at a site that needed a staff and Easterseals gave me two hours of training before they left me on the cite alone. It was terrible. The clients had to teach me how to do their care routines and I was so stressed but told to suck it up because it was an emergency. This was so unsafe. It makes me wonder why Easterseals is always bragging about opening new cites when they consistently have to pull staff who are not trained to work at the houses. Similarly, I always worked the morning shift at a house and was asked to stay and work the evening shift as well. I told management I didn't feel comfortable because I had never been taught or shown how to put the clients to bed. Management told me to ask the client and they would teach me how to do it. How can Easterseals claim to be client focused when they are failing to train staff on how to take care of the clients.

Throughout my time at Easterseals, there was only one time the management ever came to the 24 hour houses I worked at. Many of the clients at the 24-hour houses would complain about the management failing to actually implement the care plans made by the case managers. Managers would rather 24-hour staff leave the houses and put the clients on alone time so the staff can go pick up cleaning supplies, masks, technology, etc. from the office than the managers step foot outside the office. Multiple times I had to leave clients who could not use the bathroom independently alone for 30+ mins because the managers didn't want to visit the 24-hour houses to drop off needed supplies. It is obvious the managers put their comfort above the quality of life for many of these clients.

After I quit, Easterseals took away all my remaining shifts and then didn't pay me my last paycheck.  They claimed they forgot, and it was an innocent mistake, but I wonder how many other employees they have "forgotten" to pay their final check.

I've never felt appreciated at this job. I was asked to come in early, give up shifts, take overtime, etc. CONSTANTLY. This was not a full-time job where I could expect a stable income. I had management call me and cancel my shifts less than 12 hours before I was supposed to be there. I budgeted on working that shift and getting that pay but I got nothing. I also have multiple times shown up to shifts to work with clients and nobody is home and I call the "on-call" and they tell me to go home because they forgot to tell me the client didn't need services today. Even though I spent 30 mins driving to the cite and drove 20 miles, Easterseals refused to reimburse me for any of that. Not only did I waste my time and my gas, but I also was expecting to be paid for that shift and there was never an opportunity to make up that money.

Easterseals will nickel-and-dime you for EVERYTHING. Easterseals management will make a mistake and expect you to pocket the expense. Easterseals will forgo your bonuses and forgo your raises because of a new project they are working on. Meanwhile, Easterseals is sending you an email almost weekly bragging about another tens of thousands of dollar donation they received. To make matters worse, Easterseals will hound you about donating to their mission (20 dollars or more is recommended). As an employee in an industry where people make 12-15 an hour, I am not volunteering my time or donating more than my hourly pay.

While working at Easterseals, I received the bare minimum in training. Once I subbed at a site that needed a staff and Easterseals gave me two hours of training before they left me on the cite alone. It was terrible. The clients had to teach me how to do their care routines and I was so stressed but told to suck it up because it was an emergency. This was so unsafe. It makes me wonder why Easterseals is always bragging about opening new cites when they consistently have to pull staff who are not trained to work at the houses. Similarly, I always worked the morning shift at a house and was asked to stay and work the evening shift as well. I told management I didn't feel comfortable because I had never been taught or shown how to put the clients to bed. Management told me to ask the client and they would teach me how to do it. How can Easterseals claim to be client focused when they are failing to train staff on how to take care of the clients.

Throughout my time at Easterseals, there was only one time the management ever came to the 24 hour houses I worked at. Many of the clients at the 24-hour houses would complain about the management failing to actually implement the care plans made by the case managers. Managers would rather 24-hour staff leave the houses and put the clients on alone time so the staff can go pick up cleaning supplies, masks, technology, etc. from the office than the managers step foot outside the office. Multiple times I had to leave clients who could not use the bathroom independently alone for 30+ mins because the managers didn't want to visit the 24-hour houses to drop off needed supplies. It is obvious the managers put their comfort above the quality of life for many of these clients.

on a typical day at work i would start by helping all our 19 participants to get out of their transit or private buses. We start the day by getting everyone involved in the activity of the day. on a normal day we have about 4 different activities because some of the kids in the program can only be involved for a few minutes at a time so making sure we have something different for them helps a lot. There is a 4:1 ratio with staff so it helps to focus on those individuals in the program. I have learned so many things while working at Easter Seals. Before working for Easter Seals i had never worked for a population of people with disabilities so it was a learning process. I have seen physical and behavioral issues and have even been told by my supervisors that i do an exceptional job with the kids. I believe i do so well because i have a great attachment to the kids and the values that the company strives for. I have become a friend to these kids and they trust that what i do is correct and i see this by the imitations they do. Throughout the night i love to be a very energetic person and give that positive reinforcement so that the kids can believe in themselves and the other kids they interact with. I love to come up with different ideas to keep the kids busy and excited about being in program by maybe having "yoga night", "Richard Simmons", "chair salsa", Xbox "just dance", and many others that have definitely worked. Before the program ends we all have schedules on transferring, changes, and feedings. thoughout the week i am responsible for feeding 3 times a week and changing all participants 2 times a week . If i am up for it i dont mind changing everyone and doing all feedings. I love our team because we are able to communicate things like " i need help with _____ transferring could you help me out" or " could someone get ____ feeding ready I am a bit busy helping ____ with there homework. Just like i love how the program has goals for the kids i have learned a lot about myself and the job through the goals i put myself for the year. To name a few of my goals they include:being able to communicate issues in an appropriate manner, coming up with interactive ideas for the kids and my co-workers, being involved with my supervisors in communicating concerns or ideas to better the program. By having goals for myself and the kids i work with gives a better understanding on how we are all working to be more positive individuals. I have not been able to find one thing i dislike about the job because it has made me grow as an individual where i found patience, humbleness, grateful, and so much more. Dealing with behavior plans, in my opinion, has made me look as different aspects of how individuals can be helped in life and in the program. I don't look at negative aspects of the job and if issues arise I have always communicated that to my supervisors and coworkers through meeting we have to make our program a success.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The clients. The clients are the only reason to work there. Knowing you made their life better is the best part.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Broken down paratrasport vans, and the low pay. Being paid a poverty wage affects your whole life.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Unorganized, and unsafe. They don't fix their paratrasport vans. The schedule is always changing and sometimes doesn't come out till that morning. Sometimes you will be driving a van in the morning and there's no gas, or money for gas, and you try to help a client leave the van, but when you try to pull out the wheelchair ramp the van door comes off the rails and is dangling, and the van doesn't get fixed for months and is still probably broken to this day.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You wake up at 4:30 am get to work, schedule is just posted, you start the paratrasport van, there's probably not enough gas to drive your route, but you're not sure because the gas gage is broken. You take a different van, and the entire route to pick up clients you have to worry about someone using the broken door and the door falling off, and the windshield wipers are broken, the motor won't turn off and doesn't get fixed, for over a year. So at this point the wipers are screeching so loud because we also have no wiper fluid, but at this point it's so bad that even when there is wiper fluid, and rain, the wipers screech, so loud ,clients were making comments about it hurting their ears. Then you return to the clients you picked up on your route. The schedule might get changed a few times, and you could be reprimanded by the activities coordinator for not leaving the building with your group of clients for the morning on time when the clients are having maladaptive behaviors and you are being told to use your personal vehicle to transport multiple clients that day because the vans are broken. Two of your clients wear adult diapers and need to bring their change of clothes but they also have dementia so you have to find everything for them. The third client is still in the restroom and needs help cleaning up menstrual blood all over the restroom stall. You leave, go walking in the park, and one of your clients removes his adult diaper, outside the restroom, and has a maladaptive behavior so you have to wait till you can finally go in with him to the dirty public restroom to clean him because there is feces all over his body and on the floor. When you return to the program facility, you assist clients non stop with their food and hygiene and activities they want to do, and sometimes you don't have a chance to eat because Easter Seals has no lunch breaks or any breaks at all. Then you take your one on one client for 3 hours in your personal vehicle. Drive them home, then write therapy notes when you get home, so essentially working 10 to 12 hours with no breaks.

My Experience Working at Easterseals

Working at Easterseals has been more than just a job for me—it has been an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of others. Every day brings something new, and while the work can be challenging, it is also incredibly rewarding.

A Typical Day at Work:
Each day is centered around caring for and supporting the individuals we serve. From helping with daily routines and monitoring medications to offering encouragement and simply being there to listen, no two days are ever the same. It takes patience, compassion, and teamwork, but seeing someone smile or accomplish something they didn’t think they could makes every effort worthwhile.

What I Believe I Learned:
This job has taught me so much about compassion, patience, understanding, and resilience. I’ve learned that even the smallest acts of kindness can have a lasting impact. It has also helped me grow personally by improving my communication skills, my confidence, and my ability to stay calm during difficult situations.

Management:
I appreciate that management wants the best for both the individuals we support and the staff who care for them. While there is always room for growth in communication and support, I recognize the effort that goes into managing a busy environment and keeping everything running smoothly.

Workplace Culture:
The culture at Easterseals is built around caring for others. It feels good to work alongside people who genuinely want to help improve someone else’s life. When everyone works together and supports one another, it creates a positive environment not only for staff but, most importantly, for the individuals we serve.

The Hardest Part of the Job:
The hardest part is knowing that you can’t always solve every problem or take away someone’s struggles. There are emotionally difficult days, and the work can be physically and mentally demanding. Even so, those challenges have made me stronger and reminded me why compassion and patience matter so much.

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job:
Without a doubt, the most enjoyable part is building meaningful relationships with the individuals we support. Watching them laugh, gain confidence, learn new skills, or simply have a good day reminds me why I chose this kind of work. Those moments make even the toughest days worthwhile and give me a true sense of purpose. Knowing that I may have made someone’s day a little brighter is the greatest reward I could ask for.

A typical day at was extremely busy. Opened the office, retrieved email and faxes via email. Filed or distributed documents accordingly among 30 support coordinators, supervisors, and the project manager. Attended to incoming and outgoing phone calls. Performed data entry with help of my assistant. Logged time sensitive data using Excel spreadsheets. Typed necessary office correspondence. Maintain inventory of office supplies, equipment, furnishings and miscellaneous needs. Ensure servicing of all office equipment. Assist and supported Project Manager and Supervisors to prepare and submit daily reports.

Responsible for the region’s billing. Processed monthly, supplemental, outstanding claims, and dummy billing. Researched and contacted Medicaid, Statistical Resources, or Unisys on denied billing when necessary.  Record and file training documents, record insurance, attendance, and payroll records for HR. Oversee the preparation and delivery of certified personal plans for our clients to Louisiana State Medicaid and Waiver offices. Entered diagnosis / ICD-9 codes.  Communicates newhires and terminations to HR and Payroll departments. Compiles and submits leave, timesheets, payroll and milage/reimbursements to corporate office. 

The most challenging part was answering to the needs of 30 something support coordinators with different personalities. Some were so very needy! Overall my coworkers were wonderful caring people, and luckily I in turn was a calm, patient, efficient, and caring manager. Everyone was respectful to each other. I was able to maintain an efficient and well run office. Priorities and deadlines were always successfully maintained. However, the absence of voicemail proposed great challenges even with the ability to multi-task. We were contracted by the state of Louisiana to have the phone always answered by a human.I believe with the volume of office personel and phone calls another office assistant or voicemail capabilities should be implemented. My main focus was to perform billing claims and research daily. 

I learned so much from working for Easterseals. I love medical billing and research billing. I learned about a population that I had never been close to. I felt special and privileged to be able to comprehend and be a part of helping people in need. I was able to see things I never knew existed and truly get a wonderful caring perspective on life. My job made me feel fullfilled and that I made a difference in others' lives. Easterseals was in turn a very caring employer to its employees with generous benefits.  Life is good and I am lucky!

The most enjoyable part of my job are my clients. Making them happy is my number one goal! A typical day at work is changing diapers, feeding, bathing, etc.. The hardest part of the job is dealing with management and their nasty attitude towards employees. They are e very messy and love to keep up drama! They schedule you to hallways based on if they like you or not so if you’re not likes you’re going to be on a difficult hallway well at least they think they’re difficult but they’re not and will place you with someone who doesn’t really like to help out to make your workload chaotic! Therefore you’re forced to do everything alone or not get things done because no one wants to help you including managers! If you’re sick you will receive a point regardless unless the doctors note place you in restriction. If your kids are sick and you cannot work you will receive a point if it snows and you can’t make it to work due to having kids at home and nobody to watch them you get a point for each missed day and we all know the snow sticks around for days so by the time it melts and roads are clear you’re almost fired for having too many points. If you’re running a few minutes late ( not even 8 minutes) you receive a half a point! When calling in for anything at all HR leaves it up to the supervisors on whether you receive a point or not even with proof you will receive a point!  If your kids have extracurricular activities this is not the job for you even if you request time off before two weeks of even it will be denied or they will call you the day of after the event is started or already over to approve it they don’t let you know in a timely manner so you won’t know whether to go to work or not! They hire through agency for extra help and pay them over $20/hour but pay their regular employees well under $18/hour. They will call an inclement weather day out of the blue and force you to stay over even after your normal hours are worked and done but if you don’t stay you will receive a half of point!  It’s a whole system to get you fired if you ask me they don’t have your best interest at heart. If there is a combative client they don’t care how uncomfortable you are working with them if you let them know you’re not comfortable they will place you with that client all the time and will not help you! Good luck on ever taking your 15 minute break because they purposely schedule them during bath time and dinner time and completely took it away from overnight shift which goes against labor laws. 

A typical day at work was that it was NEVER typical. It changed everyday, regardless of which position I played a role in. There was always a surprise around every corner. I learned how to be flexible and bendable in my positions at Easter Seals. I could plan out my day as a manager or nurse, and at the drop of a hat that would have to change due to an illness or a behavior or an emergency IDT meeting. The rest of my day could wait and and would ALWAYS get accomplished at a later time. I learned a lot about prioritizing my daily tasks. Communication was the most vital link in our care for the clients. This was the part of the job that if just one piece of information wasn't communicated, the client sufferred.

The management at Easter Seals were a team. Most of them, myself included, began working as an RA which gave them a sense of empathy and understanding for how important the "frontline" position of the RA really is. The majority of the managers are in their role, not for the money, but for the service that they get to provide for the residents. There is a warm, home-y feeling when you walk into most group homes as it is the goal of the staff to make it a home instead of of an institution.

The co-workers I have had over the years are one of a kind. Many of us have worked together for years, providing a team envitonement while working the floor at the group home. The newer staff that come in to be trained are welcomed and taught the same values I was taught that have been passed down for years. We have a common purpose, to improve the quality of the lives of our residents.

The hardest parts of my job has been dealing with behavior issues that arise in some of our behavioral clients, dealing with reports of abuse to a client, taking disciplinary action on staff for various reasons (that was hard because I always wanted my staff do perform their jobs well). And, lastly, when I made the decision to step out of the nursing position due to the untimeliness of the curriculum being offered.

After all these years, the most rewarding part of the positions I held at Easter Seals remains the same... Watching my residents develope independence in areas they once struggled with, and knowing that I was a small piece of that achievement.

I thought very highly of this company since so many people from my old job would come and work here after getting experience. The hiring process takes about a month to finally get a start date. First, a phone screening and then an actual interview, once you get the job they make you do a bunch of paperwork.
The training is 2 weeks long and I was told the training would not interfere with my school schedule because I had school on days when I would be doing training from home. So I can work at my own pace. That was a lie because I had to be on call for the trainers and the trainers would be tracking my progress. I ended up missing class one day because I had a meeting scheduled on the day I could “work at your own pace”. I meet someone during the in-person training who had to request time off from their first job just to get through the training.
The second week of training is shadowing and going to other sessions and getting “hands-on experience”. I just mostly sat and watched the BIs work. None of the other BIs were helpful they would mostly ignore me.  
Being on call was a huge thing for them. You need to be by your iPad during all hours of the day even if your schedule reflects that you aren’t available during that time OR you don’t have anything scheduled for that day. What is the point of having a schedule if 1. You aren’t going to schedule me fully and 2. Not adhere to my schedule. I was told by management that I’m not on call. I’m not on call BUT expected to work hours that aren’t on my schedule. Hmm, then what would you label that?   
Some of the families cancel like having services is an option. If I were to call out once a week I would get reprimanded. But it’s fine for the family to cancel on you all the time. I went a whole month not working my scheduled hours because the family was always canceling. 
Management likes to talk to you very passive-aggressively. They try to remain professional but they are still rude and disrespectful toward you. Management talks about how high standards ES has but for really high standards this is a horrible company. You get ZERO benefits as a BT. There is only room for growth if you want to work in this field. If you aren’t interested in ABA then you don’t really have much growth other than becoming an RBT. I could go on about my horrible experience with them. I should’ve just stayed at my old job instead of having to deal with this mess of a company. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 1056 salaries reported	$15.79 per hour
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Caregiver 225 salaries reported	$15.07 per hour
Coach 249 salaries reported	$16.07 per hour

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