board certified behavior analyst

aba therapist

special education teacher

speech language pathologist

physical therapist

Happy Hour 4 Kids

This school, is looked at as a business. The priorities need to be revamped, and the mindset needs a transformation to create a system that works better for the students and staff to be better trained right from the beginning vs when its too late and people leave. You don't get paid enough to do the amount expected of you, and with little to no support unless the student you work with has high needs. Being thrown into the role before having a chance to get familiar is not a great way to start.
So many call outs every day, nothing can possibly get done consistently and schedules are constantly changed with little to no coverage. There is no time for training or enough time to get to know how things are done. You are throw in immediately and expected to figure it out or ask 1,000 questions to anyone walking by who can answer. People are helpful, but no one has time because there are too many kids and not enough staff to manage. 
Benefits are way too expensive with high out of pocket expenses because they are a small company. 
Yes you get school days off and vacations- but 5 combined personal and sick days when you work with kids is not enough or realistic. 
Don't sign any contracts without reading through all the fine print, could come back and bite you later. No room for growth unless you have degrees/certifications to go with it, and if the opportunity comes up, don't take it without proper compensation, cause you will get screwed. Pay is a touchy subject, so if you are expecting to get a raise, you will have to fight very hard even if you are a highly valued person. While they say they support you, they don't have time or extra staff to do it properly.
High turnover creates more chaos and stress for all.

Foundry Learning Center is a very unfortunate place to work. It has a strange company culture and very misaligned priorities. The school runs more like a revenue generating business over an actual place for kids to learn and grow. The upper management either does not understand the sincerely negative impact they are directly having on their staff's mental health or they just dont care. Staff regularly call out because everyone is so overwhelmed and burnt out which impacts the ability for students to even get the 1:1 services advertised. Upper management has a very "get over it" kind of mindset and does not provide any support for their staffs emotional wellbeing, which is so important when working closely with kids with higher needs. The pay is low and they are not open to negotiation, in fact it is very very highly frowned upon to even inquire about. Overall it is a job that in nature is already hard, and the profound lack of care from the upper management make it not possible for anyone to grow or thrive as an employee. Good luck to Foundry and good luck to anyone who chooses to work there. You all need it. 
       

The management there is very toxic. They do not list to staff or consider mental health; burnout and compassion fatigue are nonexistent to them.  Management is very cliquey and make accusation without proper evidence. Communication between supervisors and their “subordinates” is nonexistent and when it occurs is very condescending, disrespectful, and lacking in basic respect. 

The programs are not updated often. Management creates and barely execute behavior intervention plans. Supervisors flex their positions by forcing employees to stay when there’s nothing to do.

The slaraky is barely livable for a single person living in nyc due to tax and cost of insurance. Education background and experience are not taken into consideration when salaries are determined. Some employees who lack both education and experience are given greater salaries due to family connections, clear room for nepotism and favoritism. 

The work life balance is overall perfect, but that gets shadowed by an overgrowth of toxicity in the workplace. This environment is very unorganized to a point where there is too much miscommunication. I warn anyone who is looking to work here, be cautious that you are not allowed to question anything in this environment. It is possible that you will not be trained properly and be misinformed about your overall performance. You could be told from "your bosses" as in leads, or BCBA that you're doing an excellent job, then to find out it was a lie and you actually were a problem from the higher management. For most people it's a pretty good job, but I wouldn't try to get to know anyone or question anything that they do. The people who work here don't like feedback from new people, and they treat you like you don't belong. If you choose to work there, just be advised to go to work, do your job, don't talk, and go home.

This is the best 1:1 ABA program in New York for students on the spectrum. There are more resources and talented therapists available for the kids there than anywhere else I worked for or interviewed. Those kids are very well taken care of and served. Other programs are good in New York, but foundry has more BCBAs and RBT's than even other 1:1 programs. there has definitely been turnover there recently, but there's been so much turnover in these schools since the pandemic that this is not an issue they alone are facing. All my friends  at other special needs schools complain of severe staff shortage. And despite all the turnover in schools right now, Foundry is overstaffed. They are constantly hiring and looking for good staff for their children  

management wise this place could use some major improvements. classes are often short-staffed, major decisions will be made without the notification of RBTs and even supervisors until the last minute, and requests are often met with flakey at best fulfillment. i've read some of the other reviews and there seems to be an ongoing trend of criticism toward one supervisor, but i'm 99% sure the one that is being talked about it no longer at the company. 

the best part of the job for me has been the clinical experience of working directly with children as well as the bonds i've formed with the other RBTs. the people who i've worked with have provided me with great mentorship and emotional support and that is extremely valuable. i also love my supervisor. 

probably not the best place if you're looking for upward mobility in an ABA career, but it's a good place to start. 


I had a pretty negative experience at this place. The most frustrating part for me was the lack of professionalism or expertise on the part of the management. I had many parents and coworkers tell me that they made them feel uncomfortable. It was pretty common.

Another upsetting part for me is the outdated/ableist practices that they used when working with such a vulnerable population. The people in charge admitted that they don't believe in inclusion or sensory integration. They also don't allow stimming ("hands down" programs have been written for some kids), and don't use AAC devices properly. This is inexcusable when there's so much research on these topics.

Lastly, even though I loved the kids I worked with, I did not feel like I could trust the people I worked for and never felt proud of the work they were doing. 

0 concern for therapist safety/mental health, senior management has no credentials/academic background related to business administration or the ABA field, no HR department, poor sanitary conditions, staff w/o any experience in the field or credentials receive the same compensation as experienced RBTs, overworked and underpaid with no acknowledgment of the tireless effort the staff put in each day, lunch break/any break whatsoever not guaranteed, no behavior plans or data for the kids, poor (and unethical) supervision for the RBTs and BCBA candidates, expect therapists to gaslight the parents into thinking their kids are receiving services they aren't actually receiving. The entire staff is miserable and feels run down/under-appreciated. 

A typical day at foundry is being short staffed. 

Admins show favoritism towards the staff that they like/ are friendly with. The favoritism used to be more covert now it’s blatantly overt. 

There is a lack of diversity at the supervisory level. 

Rbts do not receive recognition or grace throughout the work day. The expectation is for everyone to smile and look happy when we’re burnt out, underpaid and feel under appreciated. There are a handful of RBTs who have been at foundry for 2 years or more and they still make the same salary; raises do not occur here. 

Not everyone is trustworthy and hypocrisy runs rampant at this school. 

You have been warned. 

Foundry Learning Center (also known as Happy Hour 4 Kids) is a disorganized, poorly managed school. The school has "expanded" by accepting more students without ensuring proper staffing and resources. As such, the classrooms are not fully staffed. One classroom did not have a lead teacher for the entire school year. The facility itself is poorly maintained and very dirty. Infectious internal diseases spread throughout students at the school because of poor sanitation. The "Head of School" does not have a background in education or related services and is highly unprofessional. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Board certified behavior analyst 1 salary reported	$94,000 per year
Aba therapist 3 salaries reported	$43,167 per year
Special education teacher 4 salaries reported	$89,500 per year
Speech language pathologist 2 salaries reported	$95,000 per year
Physical therapist 1 salary reported	$122,500 per year

Working at Happy Hour 4 Kids: Company Overview and Reviews

Happy Hour 4 Kids

Happy Hour 4 Kids Ratings

Popular jobs at Happy Hour 4 Kids

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected