Social Worker; SY

Who We Are

Since its founding in 2010, Challenge Preparatory Charter School (Challenge Prep) has provided students and families with a successful academic program in Far Rockaway, Queens. We currently serve over 1200 scholars from Kindergarten to 12th grade across 3 sites. Our school’s mission is to prepare students from the greater Far Rockaway community to excel academically, to demonstrate mastery of the NY State Learning Standards, and to achieve their career aspirations.

Challenge cultivates and supports the intellectual, aesthetic, social, emotional, and ethical development of its students and prepares them to be responsible 21st century citizens. To accomplish its mission, Challenge offers a rigorous instructional program in a safe, supportive, technology‑infused and data‑enriched and social‑emotional learning sequence, authentic field experiences, career counseling, and college coursework. It is understood that we are one organization with multiple sites, and it is expected that all members of the team collaborate to support all of our scholars.

Since its founding in 2010, Challenge Preparatory Charter School (Challenge Prep) has provided students and families with a successful academic program in Far Rockaway, Queens. Our school’s mission is to prepare students from the greater Far Rockaway community to excel academically, to demonstrate mastery of the NYS Learning Standards, and to achieve their career aspirations. Challenge cultivates and supports the intellectual, aesthetic, social, emotional, and ethical development of its students and prepares them to be responsible 21st century citizens.

To accomplish its mission, Challenge offers a rigorous instructional program in a safe, supportive, technology‑infused and data‑enriched and social‑emotional learning sequence, authentic field experiences, career counseling, and college coursework. It is understood that we are one organization with multiple sites, and it is expected that all members of the team collaborate to support all of our scholars.

The Social Worker will work with all constituencies of the school community, their assigned grade span (i.e., 6‑8, or 9‑12), to create an environment of social‑emotional support for every scholar. The Social Worker responsibilities include providing information to students, parents, and school staff, counseling scholars with personal and psychological issues, and addressing relevant issues in the school, such as school attendance, behavioral and social adjustment issues.

The Social Worker should have an understanding of child development, psychopathology, social and environmental conditioning, cultural diversity, and family systems. They should also have the knowledge, skills, and processes for effective casework practice and the understanding of the School Social Work profession which includes associated laws (IDEA, ADA, compulsory attendance, ethical issues, professional issues, standards, foundations of school psychology, and the role and function of the Social Worker).

This role reports directly to the Director of Pupil and Personnel Services and is supported by the Principal of their grade span.

• Help scholars cope with personal and psychological issues that affect their school performance, behavior, and socialization
• Provide information for and/or referrals to outside support services or agencies to help scholars deal with social, emotional, economic, or physical challenges
• Assess scholar independent functioning skills toward possible referrals to outpatient treatment/counseling/support options
• Assess possible abuse and neglect cases to appropriate emergency intervention organizations
• Assist teachers and administrators in dealing with behavioral or attitude issues by communicating with scholars to find the causes of their distress
• Develop and implement professional development training for educational staff and parents as requested
• Provide comprehensive school social work services to parents, students, and school staff, addressing barriers that limit students from receiving the full benefit from their educational experience
• Revi…