Serve Together. Change Lives Together.
Children's Village is seeking compassionate, committed married couples to serve as Relief Cottage Parents in our family-style cottage homes.
Relief Cottage Parents provide the consistency and continuity that help children heal while allowing Cottage Parents the opportunity to rest and recharge. By maintaining the established routines, relationships, and family environment within each cottage home, Relief Cottage Parents play an essential role in helping children experience stability, safety, and hope.
If you and your spouse are looking for a meaningful opportunity to serve children together, we'd love to hear from you.
About Children's Village
Children's Village is a Christian home providing hope and healing for abused and neglected children in East Texas.
Our family-style cottage homes provide children—often sibling groups—with a safe, stable, and nurturing environment where they experience consistent relationships, healthy routines, and opportunities to heal and grow.
Every member of our direct care team plays an important role in helping children experience safety, stability, and hope.
Position Overview
Relief Cottage Parent Couples provide scheduled care and supervision while Cottage Parents are off duty, helping ensure children experience the same family-style environment, daily routines, expectations, and treatment philosophy regardless of which caregivers are present.
Because Cottage Parent Couples serve together as a team, both spouses are employees of Children's Village and participate fully in the hiring, training, and onboarding process.
Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you'll partner with Cottage Parents, Assistant Cottage Parents, Overnight Awake Staff, Case Managers, the Treatment Director, and Administration to maintain continuity of care throughout the Children's Village Cottage Home Program.
Typical Schedule
- Provide scheduled relief coverage for Cottage Parent Couples.
- Children's Village provides care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays. Employees should expect to work schedules that may include evenings, weekends, holidays, and other times based on organizational needs.
- During assigned duty periods, each cottage provides a private Relief Cottage Parent suite with a bedroom and private bathroom.
- Assignments may occur in either cottage home.
Primary Responsibilities
- Provide attentive supervision and direct care for children during assigned relief periods.
- Maintain the established routines, expectations, and family-style environment of each cottage home.
- Build healthy, supportive relationships with children through patience, consistency, and encouragement.
- Assist with meals, homework, recreation, transportation, appointments, church attendance, and daily living activities.
- Support children's emotional, behavioral, social, and developmental growth using trauma-informed practices.
- Communicate effectively with Cottage Parents and other team members to promote continuity of care.
- Complete required documentation and reports.
- Help preserve the consistency, structure, and stability that allow children to heal and thrive.
Qualifications Required
- Legally married couple.
- Both spouses must be at least 21 years of age.
- High school diploma or GED.
- Valid Texas driver's licenses with acceptable driving records.
- Ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively as a team.
- Must successfully pass DFPS Child Abuse and Neglect (CPS) and criminal history background checks.
- Must successfully complete fingerprinting and pre-employment drug screening.
Preferred
- Experience working with children, youth, or families.
- Experience in childcare, education, residential care, healthcare, ministry, or related fields.
- Knowledge of trauma-informed care.
- Strong communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
Compensation & Benefits
- Starting salary: $20,000 annually per spouse ($40,000 annually per couple).
- Paid Time Off (PTO).
- Paid training and professional development.
- Supportive, mission-driven team environment.
- Opportunity to serve together while making a lasting difference in the lives of children.
Application Process
This position is designed for a married couple serving together. Each spouse must submit a separate employment application and successfully complete the Children's Village hiring process. When applying, please indicate your spouse's name so both applications may be reviewed together.
Why Children's Village?
Children's Village is more than a workplace—it's a mission. Every member of our team helps provide hope and healing to children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma. We believe healing happens through consistent relationships, safe environments, healthy routines, and compassionate care.
As a Christian ministry, we seek couples who are comfortable working within a faith-based environment, support our mission and values, and are committed to modeling compassion, healthy relationships, consistency, and respect for every child entrusted to our care.
If you and your spouse are looking for meaningful work where you can serve together while making a lasting difference in the lives of children, we encourage you to apply.
Pay: From $20,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid orientation
- Paid sick time
- Paid time off
- Paid training
- Professional development assistance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
