Social Worker - Immediate Opening
About KIPP: Together with families and communities, KIPP creates joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. KIPP is a national network of tuition-free, public charter schools open to all students. There are 255 college-preparatory KIPP schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 100,000 students. Nationally, KIPP students are graduating four-year colleges at three times the national average for low-income students.
Who we are: KIPP Colorado Schools (KIPP CO) is a network of six high-performing, college-preparatory public charter schools. Our 300-person staff educates 2,500 students in grades 9-12 at KIPP Denver Collegiate High School and KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy, grades 5-8 at KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy and KIPP Northeast Denver Middle School, and grades Early Childhood Education (ECE)-4 through 4th grade at KIPP Northeast Elementary. In 2019, KIPP Sunshine Peak Elementary became our newest elementary school educating students from ECE-3 through 4th grade. Our alumni community is supported by KIPP Forward, which is our comprehensive support program for our 808 high school alumni who are charting their own paths. Learn more about our student and family experience here.
What we do: We believe in the unique gifts and brilliance of every student. We believe in setting a high bar for joy and academic excellence to ensure the infinite possibilities our students have before them become a reality. We aspire to create and reinforce a culture of achievement, belonging and support. We know that every student is different and we personalize learning based on a student's needs, skills, and interests.
About the Social Worker Position
Essential Functions of the Social Worker: The Social Worker provides services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of KIPP Colorado students:
Evaluation and Services
- Develops and executes needs assessments in the first month of school year
- Uses a variety of appropriate formal and informal tools and techniques including observations and interviews to evaluate the progress and performance of KIPPsters and their families
- Provides services to students in one-on-one and small group counseling sessions
- Collaborates with school team to determine the services needed for each student, based on their IEP goals and requirements, their personal goals, and other school-based goals for their learning and development
- Use knowledge and understanding of how the home, school, and community influence one another to intervene for KIPPster success through such practices as assessment, crisis intervention, home visits, conflict resolution, individual and group counseling, consultation, program development, dropout prevention, college counseling and graduation awareness
- Promote family support of KIPPsters learning experience within the context of multicultural understanding and competencies
- Develop and provides training programs that address school goals and mission.
- Engage in individual and school safety implementation, including prevention, assessment/intervention for KIPPsters at-risk of harm to self or others, child abuse reporting and crisis response
Advocacy
- Advocate and facilitate change that effectively responds to the needs of KIPPsters, families and KIPP Colorado network using appropriate statutes, case law, policies, and procedures
- Assist KIPPsters and their families to gain access to formal and informal community resources
Consultation and Collaboration
- Consult with community members, families, and KIPP school staff to facilitate an understanding of factors in the home and community that impact KIPPsters’ educational experiences
- Consult on issues as attendance, diversity, mental health, behavior management, delinquency, crisis intervention, homelessness, child abuse, neglect, and the importance of confidentiality
- Initiate and support activities to overcome institutional barriers and gaps in services as a participant of interdisciplinary teams in accordance with the school mission and with the unique contribution of bringing the KIPP staff, home, KIPP school and community perspective to the KIPP interdisciplinary process
- Work with internal and external individuals, groups, and organizations to develop programs or systems of care that support and enhance the health, social and emotional well-being, and safety of all KIPPsters and staff
- Promote collaboration among community health and mental health service providers and facilitates KIPPster access to these services
- Orient community providers to KIPP school climate, and the community
- Actively participate on RTI/problem-solving teams, such as KIPPster intervention teams, discipline support teams
- Track student attendance rates
- Lead collaboration with Grade Chairs to take preventative and responsive action toward maintaining a 95% average daily attendance rate
Program Planning, Implementation and Evaluation
- Effectively plan, implement and evaluate KIPP programs that promote KIPPster and family success
- Apply knowledge of environmental factors in planning programs
- Conduct individual and/or KIPP school-wide assessments and surveys to assess the school and/or the community needs
- Assist the KIPP school in planning programs that alleviate situations, which may interfere with the learning process of KIPPsters
- Assist in the evaluation of effective school-based programs
Accountability
- Advocate, facilitate and contribute to school social worker accountability in terms of the local, state and federal policies
- Adhere to the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and Standards for School Social Work
- Evaluate own practice to maximize the effectiveness of services and resources provided to the KIPPsters, families and school.
- Maintain up-to-date documentation and records.
- Organize time and workload in order to meet responsibilities.
- Participate in all KIPP professional development opportunities as well as opportunities that work to directly improve knowledge and skills in job performance.
Student Support Team
- Lead attendance team in identifying and tracking interventions for KIPPsters who are struggling in school.
- Oversee RTI/attendance team so that RTI and attendance concerns are addressed in a systematic and efficient manner.
Qualifications
- Masters in Social Work required
- Colorado Department of Education Special Service Provider License with a Social Worker endorsement
- LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) preferred
- Previous school social work experience preferred
- Fluent Spanish speaker highly preferred
- Able and willing to work extended school day hours
- Commitment to and experience with underserved students
- Relentless focus on results and a commitment to teamwork
Other
- Assist with Affective Needs students as needed
- Other duties as assigned
Compensation and Benefits
- Salary range is $54,000 - $92,000 and is commensurate with experience.
- Benefits package including medical, dental, and vision
- Employee Assistance Program
- Participation in PERA
- Paid family or medical leave of absence
- Paid time off
- Relocation reimbursement (when applicable)
- Stipend opportunities
- Wellness reimbursement
- Voluntary employee, spousal, and child life insurance
- Voluntary long term disability insurance
- Voluntary short term disability insurance
- Optional 401(k)
- Optional Basic Life and AD&D Insurance
- All staff members are issued a laptop computer and cell phone.
- Numerous professional growth and leadership opportunities within KIPP Colorado Schools
KIPP Colorado Schools is dedicated to equal employment opportunities and fair labor practices. KIPP Colorado Schools, KIPP Denver Collegiate High School, KIPP Northeast Denver Middle School, KIPP Northeast Elementary, KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy, KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy and KIPP Sunshine Peak Elementary provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals based on job-related qualifications, and the ability to perform a job without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religious creed, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, legally protected medical condition, veteran status, sexual orientation, or on any other basis made unlawful by federal, state or local laws. It is our policy to maintain a non-discriminatory environment free from intimidation, harassment or bias based upon these grounds.