Company Description

KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open enrollment, college preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and life. There are 285 KIPP schools across the nation and the District of Columbia, serving more than 175,000 students and alumni with more than 15,000 educators.

Founded in 2008 with 50 students in 5th grade, KIPP Columbus currently educates 2,000 students in grades Kindergarten through twelfth. With a mission to, together with families and the community, create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose - college, career, and beyond - KIPP has maintained excellence in its growth, and will improve upon that standard – proving what is possible in public education.

KIPP Columbus continues to rank as one of the top schools for academic growth of any school in the state of Ohio, and is a top performing urban school in the state for academic growth. In our first three graduating classes (in spring 2020, 2021, and 2022) 100% of students were accepted to college and/or military service with nearly $40 million in merit scholarships from colleges and universities awarded.

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with nearly 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. KIPP is also a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, offering more than 10 varsity sports.

The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism, excellence, and joy as we expand to educate nearly 4,000 students on our learning campus in the coming years.

Interested in learning more about our school? Please check out our website: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/

The Opportunity

The Senior Associate of Mental Health will manage, observe and consult with social workers and counselors at all of our schools. They will provide clinical consultation, manage the counseling programs at their sites, and evaluate effectiveness of programs for students with mental health needs. The Senior Associate of Mental Health will participate in staff development, program development, and innovation of special methods and approaches in the implementation of Social Emotional Learning practices. They will collaborate with school administrators and general education staff to effectively employ the special education and social and emotional learning programs and provide compliance expertise at assigned sites. The Senior Associate of Mental Health will report to the Director of Special Education.

Job Description

Responsibilities of KIPP Columbus Senior Associate of Mental Health include, but are not limited to, the following:

Management, Training, and Evaluation

• Supervise the implementation of social work and counseling programs at all KIPP Columbus schools
• Manage Social Workers and Counselors which includes: meet weekly with each social worker and counselor and observations of sessions at least once a week
• Provide counseling sessions for 4 - 6 hours hours per week at each school (this is dependent on student needs per IEP/504 Plans);
• Provide on site support with implementation of behavior intervention, meetings, SEL programming, etc.
• Design relevant trainings to present to Social Workers, Counselors, other KIPP Columbus staff and families
• Evaluate the performance of all assigned Social Workers and Counselors by observing their competencies in practice

Special Education

• Maintain knowledge of current Special Education regulations and best practices
• Supports the compliance of all Special Education services at designated school sites
• Provide clinical support with the treatment of students with Autism, Intellectual Disability, Emotional Disturbance, and a host of other eligibilities
• Provides consultation with the writing of Behavior Support Plans
• Serve as member of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team and attend meetings, as needed and determined by the Director of Special Education
• Recommend and teach techniques for for supporting students’ social and emotional learning in the classroom

Mental Health Emergency Prevention, Intervention, Postvention

• Collaborate with school administration and counselors to provide training to prevent suicide and bring awareness to all grades
• Supports with mental health emergencies and is “on-call” when a counselor at their school site is absent or unavailable
• Like all KIPP Columbus staff, the Senior Associate of Mental Health is a mandated reporter
• Support staff with verbal de-escalation when they are utilizing physical restraint (e.g. CPI)
• Be a trainer in CPI for the district and implement all district wide trainings (physical intervention training)
• Supports counselor and admin with re-entry meetings for unsafe behaviors or hospitalizations, as needed
• Supports the creation of individualized crisis plans for students with challenging/unsafe behaviors, as needed
• Maintains documentation of Risk Assessments and crisis related paperwork

Social Emotional Learning & Behavior MTSS

• Co-leads the implementation of Tier 1 SEL initiatives at KIPP Columbus

Stakeholder Relationships

• Works collaboratively with the School Leaders and admin team at designated sites including communicating concerns and accomplishments of Social Workers and Counselors, provide consultation.
• Works closely with the Special Education team at designated sites.
• Provides support with case management services in the form of referrals to outside agencies and management of community-based mental health partnerships within the school.
• Keeps appropriate documentation with regards to Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs)
• May be asked to deliver family presentations or attend events on a Saturday or evening night to accommodate family schedules.
• Has a ‘team player’ attitude and available to support where needed

This job posting/description may not cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

An effective Senior Associate of Mental Health must be able to:

• Set and communicate a clear direction, goals and strategy
• Builds relationships with team, colleagues, partners/vendors
• Serve as an activator; Build and integrate systems
• Think critically and make decisions
• Effectively lead cross-functional teams
• Champion a high-performing, equitable culture with aspirations of building an anti-racist organization

Qualifications

• Master’s of Social Work (MSW) or counseling degree (required)
• Bachelor’s degree (Required)
• LCSW preferred with ability to provide supervision to BBS registered MSWs.
• Minimum 4 years post-MSW.
• Minimum 2 years of management experience, such as a field instructor
• Extensive knowledge of the following procedures: Special Education referral, identification and delivery of services: MTSS of support/response to intervention systems; Functional Behavior Assessment/Behavior Intervention Plan writing and implementation.
• Demonstrated success working with students from educationally underserved areas;
• Excellent organizational, planning, and implementation skills;
• Ability to manage the ambiguity and multiple priorities inherent in an entrepreneurial environment;
• Relentless results-orientation;
• Ability to communicate and interact effectively with multiple constituencies;
• Excellent written, communication and presentation skills;
• High proficiency in Google Suite, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook;
• Initiative, leadership and tenacity;
• A passion for and understanding of the mission of KIPP Columbus including possessing a deep commitment to improving the lives of kids from low-income communities; knowledge of and experience working with low-income communities, required
• An integrated systems builder with the ability to both build and scale best practices across multiple schools
• Experience leading, planning and managing in an entrepreneurial, client-oriented setting
• Ability to negotiate and execute contracts and manage the quality of service providers and vendors
• Commitment to building relationships and trust with leaders, teachers, students, parents, and the community of Northeast Columbus
• Exceptional organizational skills, particularly in developing and implementing multi-year plans
• Ability to take and quickly implement feedback
• Adept at thinking strategically, translating plans into action, and exhibiting excellent judgment
• Articulate, professional demeanor with strong self-confidence and initiative

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits

KIPP Columbus offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefit plan including medical and dental insurance, as well as group term life insurance, retirement plan and paid time off.

Statement of Non-Disclosure

KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.