Right At School educators are experienced individuals with a passion for working with children. We hire retired teachers, current school aides and paraprofessionals, and college/graduate students studying to be teachers. As part of our focus on safety, our employees must pass comprehensive fingerprint background checks. In addition, our educators and coaches receive ongoing safety training and abuse prevention and neglect training, and at least two staff members at each program are CPR-certified. Our educators also participate in extensive education- and behavior management-focused training throughout the year.

We have a robust process for hiring and developing Right At School staff members:

• We look for local educators with experience working with school-age children who will build a love of learning while providing a safe environment for children to explore and grow.
• Candidates are sourced and pre-screened by our recruitment team, interviewed by our local Area Managers, and evaluated using a behavioral interviewing framework. All employees complete in-depth background checks, including state and FBI fingerprint-checks, to meet all state and District requirements.
• We seek to build strategic program staff with individuals whose skill sets and personalities balance one another. We hire staff to support everyone – parents, schools, and the District.

Right At School will prioritize existing staff by offering first right of refusal to current before and after school program staff. We have not historically hired staff who are under 18 years of age to work in our programs. We are working with the district to determine a process for hiring existing Scotch Plains – Fanwood School District program staff who may be under the age of 18.

If positions remain open, we will target current Scotch Plains – Fanwood School District staff, such as paraprofessionals and aides who know your students and the school community well. We will also recruit undergraduate and graduate students studying to be teachers since these individuals are passionate about working with children. We also hire retired educators, who are passionate about maintaining a connection to kids but are often looking for part-time hours.

Right At School will prioritize existing staff by offering first right of refusal to current before and after school program staff. We have not historically hired staff who are under 18 years of age to work in our programs. We are working with the district to determine a process for hiring existing Scotch Plains – Fanwood School District program staff who may be under the age of 18.

Right At School staff participate in an industry-leading blended training model, where a “flipped classroom” approach has staff learn core concepts and methods through custom online modules, followed by assessments to validate comprehension and scenario-based application. Training topics include: child and staff safety, injury and crisis response, abuse and neglect signs and mandated reporting, program quality methods, child development, positive and progressive child guidance, curriculum delivery, leadership and program management, parent/school relationships, effective communication and marketing, professionalism and ethics, childcare licensing regulations, supporting children with challenging behavior, peer mentorship, and more.

Staff are also expected to participate in 1-2 professional development opportunities per month as determined by their managers. Right At School will coordinate with each school to ensure that staff are also trained in school-specific policies.

Right At School has a demonstrated history of consistently staffing programs for over 11 years, including in many of the hardest to hire areas in the country.  We average approximately a two-thirds retention rate of our New Jersey-based staff. Many of our staff have been with us for 3-5 years.

Right At School’s skilled Human Resources team is dedicated to recruiting and retaining the most qualified personnel at every level. Here are just a few of our strategies:

• We develop strong relationships with area colleges and universities and participate in job fairs at the schools.
• We train our hiring managers to build a balanced team of individuals whose skill sets and personalities complement each other. Our Central Office recruitment team partners with field managers to support the recruitment of local staff.
• Right At School will prioritize existing staff by offering first right of refusal to current before and after school program staff. We have not historically hired staff who are under 18 years of age to work in our programs. We are working with the district to determine a process for hiring existing Scotch Plains – Fanwood School District program staff who may be under the age of 18.
• We also target current district staff who are seeking additional hours, ensuring continuity for students.
• We have a robust referral program.
• We proactively recruit candidates even when we don’t have a need—so we can fill our talent pipeline with highly skilled candidates to quickly fill roles as they become available.
• We offer highly competitive salaries–typically about 10% higher than the average pay for childcare workers in the area.
• We offer a robust professional development program. All staff are incentivized (with pay increases!) to grow their knowledge and skills through our online library of 300+ learning modules.

We run efficient programs and our hiring model allows us to scale programs as needed. We proactively hire sufficient staff at each site to accommodate drop-ins and we also have dedicated additional educators available as needed to meet demand.

Staff are the same every day to provide consistency for students and families.