http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/146889291

Paraprofessional Work with Troubled Children

There is a severe shortage of professionally trained workers in the fields of remedial reading, psychotherapy, and preventive psychological/educational preschool programs. In response to this shortage, many paraprofessional workers have entered these fields. Since 1966, the Children's Center for Educational Therapy in Venice, California, has relied on a largely paraprofessional staff for work with children in educational and therapeutic situations. The development, philosophy, approach, and accomplishments of the projects which make up the Venice Children's Center are reviewed. The training and supervision of paraprofessional staff members, and the work they perform are described in detail. Ethnographic information, in the form of anecdotes and case descriptions about the children the Center serves is provided. The Center's programs have target audiences ranging from kindergarten to junior high school children. Services include the development of reading skills in emotionally or developmentally impaired children, emotional and psychological therapy, and support programs for former Center students now enrolled in public schools. The primary role of paraprofessionals in all these activities is stressed. A case is made for the improvement of therapeutic and educational services through the broad scale utilization of a trained paraprofessional work force. (Gc).

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