Colleen Maher is in her first full year as a licensed paraprofessional at Fairview Early Childhood Center in Rockford, the preschool she attended as a child. Her route back to Fairview included a state credential, classroom experience and college coursework through a program for students with intellectual disabilities, according to Yahoo News and MyStateline.
Maher passed the ACT WorkKeys test before becoming licensed, Yahoo News reports. The Illinois State Board of Education lists a WorkKeys score report as one possible qualification for applicants who do not meet the required college-coursework route; that pathway also requires a high school diploma or equivalent. WorkKeys is therefore one route to a paraprofessional license, not a requirement for every applicant, according to the state’s licensing checklist.
At Fairview, Maher works in a classroom led by teacher Ashley Smith and provides individual help to students, MyStateline reports. Her responsibilities include helping a nonverbal student communicate. Maher attended Fairview from ages three to five, the station reported, giving her current work a connection to the school’s early-childhood classrooms.
Before taking the job, Maher attended Judson University through its RISE program, MyStateline reports. Judson says RISE stands for Road to Independent Living, Spiritual Formation and Employment, and is designed to prepare students with intellectual disabilities for independent living and customized employment. The program’s stated aims place Maher’s college experience in a broader transition-to-adulthood context, while her Fairview position is a specific example of work in an educational setting.
