Albemarle, NC – Stanly Community College (SCC) recently signed an agreement with Partners in Learning Child Development and Family Resource Center that gives students the opportunity to gain clinical education experience within programs that provide services to persons diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In addition, the course prepares students to sit for the Registered Behavioral Technician examination and added marketability for jobs.
The course is part of a new Special Education certificate offered at SCC that gives students the skills necessary to work with children with ASD and other diagnosed disabilities in the classroom. SCC is one of only two community colleges in North Carolina to offer the course for credit and the first to offer it online.
“Stanly Community College is pleased to be the first community college to offer this course completely online in partnership with Partners in Learning’s ABA clinical director,” said Cyndie Osborne, M.Ed. Early Childhood Program Head. “Partners in Learning has been providing Community-Based Rehabilitative Services (CBRS) as well as in-home therapies to children and families in Stanly County and other surrounding counties for many years and this collaboration will only strengthen early intervention services needed for children in Stanly County and beyond.”
“We are so excited to be able to partner with Stanly Community College. Partners In Learning has been serving children for over 25 years and with the addition of our clinical services department, it brings our vision full circle,” said Norma Honeycutt, M.Ed., Executive Director of Partners in Learning. “Our ABA clinical director, Kelsie Hoilien, will be able to share her knowledge and years of experience with new people in the field that are interested in becoming a registered behavior technician and make a difference in children’s lives with autism.
The rate of autism in NC has seen a 17% increase in the past ten years and with it comes an increased need for qualified individuals to work in settings to serve persons with ASD. There are currently 188 behavior technician positions available throughout the state on the Glassdoor website. The average pay rate for these positions ranges from $17 to $25 an hour.
Partners in Learning is a leader in the early childhood education arena and provides a comprehensive network of services for children with special needs regardless of family economic resources. Although headquartered in Salisbury, they provide services for children living in Stanly County.
For more information about SCC’s Early Childhood Education program, contact Jessica Baker at (704) 991-0180 or jbaker1035@stanly.edu.