In this episode of Stress-Free IEP®, Frances Shefter interviews Sarah Kodinsky, CEO of Apex Social Group, which specializes in live-in developmental childcare for children with disabilities. Sarah’s background in special education fuels her passion for supporting families, and Apex integrates a cultural exchange element with European caregivers. The company meticulously matches caregivers with families and offers ongoing support through personalized care plans and community-building events.
Tune in to the episode to hear about:
Unique Childcare Solution: Apex Social Group offers specialized live-in developmental childcare for children with disabilities, integrating a cultural exchange element with European caregivers.
Highly Skilled Care Professionals: Caregivers possess expertise and passion for working with special needs children, often with backgrounds in special education or healthcare.
Tailored Matching Process: Apex carefully matches caregivers with families based on personality, skills, and objectives, ensuring a harmonious fit through assessments and interviews.
Ongoing Support and Education: The company provides continuous support to caregivers and families, including personalized care plans, regular gatherings, and access to additional resources.
Building a Supportive Community: Apex cultivates a supportive caregiver community through collaborative events like surf outings and volunteer activities, promoting mutual support and rejuvenation.
Frances Shefter is an Education Attorney and Advocate who is committed to helping her clients have a Stress-Free IEP® experience. In each podcast, Frances interviews inspiring people to share information, educate you, empower you and help you get the knowledge you need.
Voiceover (00:00:03): Welcome to Stress-Free IEP®. You do not need to do it all alone with your host, Frances Shefter, Principal of Shefter Law. You can get more details and catch prior episodes at www.shefterlaw.com. The Stress-Free IEP® video podcast is also posted on youtube and linkedin and you can listen to episodes through Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and more. Now, here’s the host of Stress-Free IEP®. Frances Shefter.
Frances Shefter (00:00:40): Hello, everyone and welcome to the show. Today’s milestone. We are at episode number 50 which is really exciting because I never thought it would grow this quick and this fast and I’m so excited. Um And today’s guest, I’m even more excited about because this is a service that I know you families are going to be so excited to hear about. So I’m going to introduce her and let her tell us about it. Sarah Kodinsky, who is the CEO of apex social group. Sarah, please tell us about your company.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:01:13): Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for inviting me on to your podcast and congratulations. This is a huge milestone. Um really um amazing the resources that you provided. If you think about it over 50 episodes to the disability community. So that’s fantastic. Uh Yeah, so I’m with Apex Social Group and I’ve actually been working with Apex Social Group for about 12 years now. Um And what we provide is a very unique live in developmental childcare solution for families. And it’s got a lot of different components to it, including cultural exchange as most of our caregivers are coming from Europe and living with families who have um Children with disabilities. And so it’s got a fantastic reach in terms of um providing that really crucial extra support in the home that, you know, many parents are, are needing and then providing a, a person who’s not just skilled but also has a heart. They’ve chosen a career path to work with kids with special needs and developmental delays and disabilities. And so um then they also can bring their culture into the home. So it takes um you know, a way that need to travel to be able to get the cultural exchange component. Um And lastly, it’s an amazing promoter for young professionals who’ve chosen this career in, you know, special education or occupational therapy or health care field to be able to engage in it um in a very unique way in the daily life of a child and a family and really expand their understanding of, you know, their profession and how it’s taken home and how it’s implemented in the home.
Frances Shefter (00:03:14): Um and don’t worry about the dogs. It’s OK. I have two.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:03:15): Zoom does uh get them out and sometimes it doesn’t. Right. Um And so that’s an amazing gift for the young professional community. Um and being able to, you know, one of our goals is to promote inclusion to spread this throughout the world. And so a lot of the young professionals we work with are able to go back home, start their own clinics in Germany, Austria and be able to um use what they’ve learned here in the US to um to really promote that. So,
Frances Shefter (00:03:49): so and so I want to unpack that a lot because there is a lot there and so much important stuff. So you provide basically an au pair a live in au pair at the homes and you do do from overseas and then you mentioned about professionals. So expand on that a little bit like how are your people, your candidates different than other services?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:04:14): Um So basically, we have developed and curated over the last 16 years, relationships with the schools that are educating these um young people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and the teachers in those schools, the administrators in those schools invite us in to over 400 schools every year to really let their students know. Hey, there’s this amazing global opportunity for you to continue your education after you graduate as an occupational therapist, speech therapist. Um and, and to go abroad, improve your English live with a family in a safe and supportive environment and then really be able to add to your learning and add to your resume. Um So they, you know, this creates an amazing talent pool for families. What we hear from our families across the US is that it can be very daunting to try to find consistent, reliable, long term help um to be able to empower their families. And that seems to be the biggest need that they have is like, it’s hard to find somebody who’s not only um capable but really has the heart and wants to stick with our family for a year or more and on a daily basis. And so it’s a win win, you know, and so we’re able to create this opportunity for young people abroad to go to the US, live with a family. They do use an Au pair visa to do that. And so they’re living in and working under the, the regulations of that program. However, our candidate pool is a different candidate pool than your traditional au pair program in terms of the education skills and experience that they’re, you know, able to work with a child in their activities of daily living and understand, you know, what sensory needs they may have as they help them brush their teeth, as they help them prepare a meal and they know how to work through that in daily life. So, um that’s kind of the special, the specialness of it,
Frances Shefter (00:06:21): which, I mean, as a parent, you know, myself, like, I know it’s hard to find good childcare, you know, um even on a daily basis just for going out to dinner or something. Uh But then again, inviting somebody into your home is even harder, I’m sure. Um, you know, I know a lot of people that have done it, some have had great experiences, some have not had great experiences. But then us with our special needs kids, I know think twice when hiring somebody, like, is this person going to be able to handle it, is this person going to be able to, and the day to day is even harder than just a couple of hours because our kids can keep it together for a couple of hours usually, or somebody could deal with it for a couple of hours. But now we’re looking at, you know, the day services, which I’m assuming it’s the same like hour restriction and so forth.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:07:9): Yeah, maximum of 45 hours a week. So our care professionals. Yeah, our families will have them work anywhere from 30 to 45 a week depending on their needs. Um It is a um a lot of times it’s AAA very intense job that they’re taking on. And so really having that understanding from the family side of helping them to, to stay fresh and, and ready for work each day and sometimes they have to work a little less than the 45 a part of our program that is very important is that we have a very strong support system for our caregivers. And I think that really empowers the families to help them retain their care longer and help their care to be more successful because we have um an educational and therapeutic resources team that’s there to kind of be their sounding board, kind of care for the caregiver, so to speak. So. Oh,
Frances Shefter (00:08:01): that’s awesome. Like having a value because I can imagine, you know, especially coming like I’m thinking about my sister has had over au pairs and I’m just thinking about it like, you know, they’re young, they’re, you know, they don’t know the United States, they don’t know our customs and stuff. And I can imagine how hard it is like just adding that extra level of a child with high needs. Um because you only do for, for families with uh neuro diverse Children, correct?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:08:28): Not only, but about 90% of our families have a child that’s got um either neurodiversity or some other disability that they’re, they’re working with.
Frances Shefter (00:08:40): So that, yeah, I mean, it’s just for me like knowing that there’s somebody out there like that you vet them all for this specific for this, you know, this type of child of the high needs just makes it so much easier to like, OK, I can breathe. Um So I know you said so you go, you cut 400 to different schools? That’s amazing. Um So do all of the um do all of the AU pairs have degrees or are they getting them? What does that look
Sarah Kodinsky (00:9:12): like? So most of our, we refer to them as care professionals just to help them have a differentiation. Um Kind of that they are past this place in life where they would have traditionally been an Au pair in Germany. That’s a very popular option. Um Just after high school around the age of 18 or so, our candidates tend to be more in the 21 to 26 range, they finished a degree program. And so they, most of them do have a degree and we say a child related field and that ranges everywhere from OTPT speech to social work or uh bachelor’s in education or a teaching degree. Um And Germany has a very unique approach to many of these education programs and it’s a very internship based education. And so they go back and forth every few months from the classroom to working in a school or a clinic and get a lot of hands on experience, which is a really great benefit for our families too that they’re getting somebody who doesn’t just have the book learning but has actually worked um hands on which I’m sure
Frances Shefter (00:10:19): is a huge difference. I remember, you know, teaching, even with student teaching, I remember my first day I was like, Ok. I’m ready and then I’m like, oh, my God, what do I do? Like, you know, like, my class is coming in and it was just like, my first day teaching. I was kind of like, I don’t know where to go and, you know, jumped in because I student taught during the second semester. So it never dawned on me of like, oh, wait, you actually have to figure out each step. Um, So sure, having that experience and then how do you match people like? Um because obviously, as you said, there’s no diverse kids, you know, physical disabilities, whatever the disabilities are, how do you know and match um the care professional with
Sarah Kodinsky (00:10:58): the family? Good question. That’s a really important part of success is getting it right up front. And so, um you know, we do a lot of, of intake that helps us understand the care professionals, everything from their skill set and experience, also their personality and what motivates them because that’s a big part too of, of having the right fit with your employer. Um And then we actually we use a, a personality assessment called the color code, Dr Hartman’s color code, which um all of our care professionals take this test and all of our families, we ask them to also take it so that they can understand their own personality type and who they would match best with. Um So that’s kind of a unique component. Um In addition, to our, you know, skills assessment references, of course, background checks and all of the vetting that is traditionally done. Um And then we have a, a team of matching specialists who are very hands on. So we’re more of a boutique service and they meet every single candidate that we offer and personally interview them and understand what they’re looking for, what, you know, you want to make sure that the person you’re hiring is like also a good fit for them, right? Whether they with their career goals, what are they looking for in learning in this year? And then they are able to really personally advise the families as they go through the process of interviewing. Um And so our candidates work with us for, on average about a year before they make a match. And that’s because we meet them while they’re still in school, we usually meet them their sophomore or junior year, like if equivalent in Germany, their second or third year um in school. And so they still have a year or two to go. And so we stay in touch with them. We have a whole cohort program and educational program that kind of engages with them and helps them to um stay in touch with us and kind of get ready to go abroad. Um And then they start interviewing anywhere from 6 to 12 months before their ideal start date. And, you know, that’s something that families in the US oftentimes don’t know is that it’s really good to give yourself a head start when you’re looking for a caregiver. And, um, we often joke that families come to us and they always need somebody either today or you. Yeah, if possible to plan ahead, it makes it a lot easier to find the right match. So,
Frances Shefter (00:13:27): you know, like my business coach always says, you know, hire slow fire, fast, like, you know, take the process because it matters. Um I think that it’s 6 to 6 months to a year of planning it out. And then another thing that really struck is that color code, the assessment because there’s so many times and I have this with teachers and IEPs often that it’s just not a good fit. You know, I’ll have that teachers won’t say that the child’s not progressing. I’m like, it’s not you doing anything wrong. It’s just this child needs something different and our kids, all of our Children have different needs, period and all of our care professionals have different skill sets and let’s match the right one because then it’s just, it’s more enjoyable for all of us. Right. Absolutely.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:14:15): Yes. We always say, you know, there’s typically a lid for every pot and it just may not be the right pot that this lid is on. Also, we really, um we talk a lot with our care professionals about pairing and the importance of that just in the first two weeks or month with their family, with their host parents, but also with the child, um, and learning how to pair and how to build that relationship from the start and sometimes it doesn’t take off. And so, you know, the good news is we have an experienced team that has dealt with that many times. It can help both parties to figure out. Uh We always say it’s not necessarily a fail when it’s not the right fit, it’s just a learning opportunity and we’re gonna, you know, we’re all gonna learn from it. We’re gonna fail forward. That’s a big um core value of our, our whole team is just really being growth minded and open to learning in every situation.
Frances Shefter (00:15:10): So then if, if the parents, you know, a family has a match, um a care professional and like after a couple of days, a couple of weeks, it’s like, you know what, this isn’t working, what’s the process?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:15:23): So we have um AC DS which stands for Apex Care and Development leaders. There are our placement managers in every one of our markets. And so they have a really good relationship um with the family and with the caregiver from the start. So they would help navigate through. So you always have kind of that extra layer of support, which I think is really important because I don’t know if you’ve ever lived with an employee or lived with an employer, but that adds an extra special twist to the relationship
Frances Shefter (00:15:53): unless you count my father and mother, you know, a
Sarah Kodinsky (00:15:59): lot of nuances. And so our placement manager really skilled at guiding each party through. It’s so important the communication during that time, figuring out how to, to say what needs to be said and, and part ways in a gracious manner or sometimes a mediation is actually all that’s needed where we can get back on the same page, get back on the same track. And really communication has just not been, has not been working well. Communication is so key. And um sometimes you think you’re communicating when you’re living with your care professional because you see them multiple times a day, but the real communication wasn’t happening. And so our, our um AC DS are just amazing at really skinning that communication tracks and helping them get back on the, on the same track. But if a placement change is necessary, that’s also what we’re here for really helping both parties find the right fit. So,
Frances Shefter (00:16:56): and what’s the commitment for the families and for the care professionals, the length of time?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:17:02): Yeah, so we asked them to commit for a one year placement upfront and that has something to do with the visa they are on. Also, they get a one year visa granted upfront with an option to extend that visa for a second year. And so there are um you know, about 40 ish percent of the time they’ll stay for a second year, which is amazing that continuity of care. However, we have some families who say I really enjoy starting fresh with a new caregiver every year we’ve changed, our needs have changed and it kind of keeps things fresh in the house. And so there’s um a 1 to 2 year commitment.
Frances Shefter (00:17:39): And then if, if one of the care professionals, like they figure out this is the family like this is the match, can they extend more than the two years on their visa or is that a whole different,
Sarah Kodinsky (00:17:50): not on their visa? So they would need to go home and then they could come back two years later. And we have had that happen repeatedly with our caregivers who say, all right, I’ve been back home for two years. I really want to come back to the same family. It was an amazing time with them. I mean, they’re like family for life usually, you know, which is wonderful. And, you know, we are um mostly our primary placement cycle is to have caregivers from Europe coming over. But actually a few years ago, we started also opening up the opportunity to Americans who are early in their career in the same, you know, behavior therapy or um teaching. And that’s actually been really amazing to watch as well. It’s a really um similar cultural exchange when you take a young person from Minnesota and let them live in San Francesco for a year. And create that bond. Um And so that’s been really interesting and, and the Americans could stay longer than two years. However, we’ve kind of seen with this role that it has a bit of a, a lifespan, you know, that the caregiver has a career goal, long term. And it’s, this is a stop in their career goal. And so it tends to be about a twoyear lifespan,
Frances Shefter (00:19:05): which makes sense. It was great. So the Americans also, do they, do you have like do your care professionals say, oh, I only want to work in the north of the States or the south of the States or
Sarah Kodinsky (00:19:16): that they do. Um As you can imagine when you’re coming from Europe, a lot of what you know is what you’ve seen, maybe, you know, more publicized. And so you’re thinking, I want to be in California or New York City, um the things they know about. So we actually do a lot of educating of them like about the different parts of the US and how there’s so much to learn and explore all across our great nation. Um However, we do primarily serve markets along each coast and we have some markets, Denver, Chicago, some in the middle of the country that we also place in. And um so, but they can sometimes have requests and we always encourage them, focus on the family because you can travel in your free time. But where you live and work is so important and that’s really what you want to be looking for, first and foremost.
Frances Shefter (00:20:07): Yes, definitely. Definitely. Yeah, that’s, you know, exactly. Some things are easier to change than others. Um So then for families that might be interested because I’m sure there’s a lot of listeners going, wait, what? There’s, you know, like, what, like, where do you serve, like everywhere in the States or are you limited?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:20:28): So, um we do have markets that we serve and then markets that we don’t serve. And primarily we’re in major metropolitan areas at the moment. Um With a few exceptions, we have a few smaller markets that have been um typically, if a family comes to us in a market, we don’t serve yet. We’ll say, OK, if you can gather at least one or two other families together, we can open your market. And so we try to stay in our key markets. It’s a um it’s a better experience for the caregivers to have a group of like-minded peers. And that’s a big part of what draws caregivers to work with us is we have a, a community that supports them. And so that can be a little tricky when we are going out into more of a remote area. But we serve, you know, we have a great community in Boston, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia DC, and Northern Virginia, Maryland area, Atlanta, um South Florida, Tampa, even in Florida and then across you know, like I said, Denver and Chicago and Seattle, Portland and um California, pretty much, you know, San Francesco, San Diego and Los Angeles and California. And so as you can see, it’s like mostly key markets with a few scattered in between um smaller areas
Frances Shefter (00:21:50): which that’s, you know, just like I can hear everything you’re saying is how you care about supporting the care professionals, which is so important because
Sarah Kodinsky (00:22:01): that is really, we’ve learned over the 16 years is the key to helping the families be successful because that’s why they come to us. They need that consistency, that care in their home. And it’s um you know, so we’ve really built this organizational structure that attracts caregivers that want to dedicate a year of their life to care for, you know, one on one or one on three Children in a home. And um and, and then when the going gets tough, we want to be there to support them and hold them up so that they can continue on. And, you know, burnout is an issue across the board um and caregiving in general and in this community, I know that that’s a challenge. And so that has become something we’ve really focused on is is providing them with the resources, the support um so that they don’t feel alone in their job.
Frances Shefter (00:22:59): And I’m so I’m guessing that since you require 2 to 3 in each market that the care professionals also like are connected. They are, they
Sarah Kodinsky (00:23:10): have a monthly fun meet up where they do, you know, something in the community, they might volunteer, they might go for a hike or a baseball game. Um, and then we have once a year an appreciation event that we invite them all to Southern California for. It’s coming up in May and, um, it’s our annual surf outing. And so we’ve been doing this for 15 years now where we have them all out. We, um, just put on a great weekend for them to show them appreciation and they get to have a, a surf lesson, some professional surfers. They also, we invite out Rocky mckinnon who’s a pro surfer and he demonstrates his adaptive surfboard. And we have, uh, always invited out a couple of our families to let their Children try that out. Um, and then, yeah, they go on a bus tour of Hollywood, you know, all the fun American things. So that’s the time that they all look forward to because then they get to come from all over the country and catch up with each other. So
Frances Shefter (00:24:07): that’s awesome. It’s so funny that you say about the, the surfing and the adaptive board. I just had somebody on the show. Um, I want to say her name was Deborah, but she’s a occupational therapist out in California that does surf therapy. Oh, I love it. It is amazing. Like, go back and check the show because it’s because when you think about it, like when she was going in and explaining how the water provides that pressure and then you can walk on different parts of the body, like, like, whoa, and the kids are having fun because they’re in the ocean surfing. You
Sarah Kodinsky (00:24:38): know, I love that. That reminds me one of our partners is in Kasa in the Caribbean and they have a dolphin therapy program. And uh so that’s, I think probably a similar experience for the child in the water. And we actually send our alumni, we have a, every year they get to apply. We have a certain number of scholarships. We send them there to the Dauphin Center and they love getting to work there.
Frances Shefter (00:25:03): Imagine. OK, I was just corrected. It was Naomi Matanic. So if anyone wants to come back and see it, so, yeah, yeah, it was so cool. Um hearing about that and we’ll, we’ll, we’ll provide a link to her show also in the show notes. So anybody else listening can see it. Um But it’s like that like I love my show because I learn and meet so many people and learn what’s out there. Um And you know, the whole purpose of the show is, is for parents to learn and families to learn and see what is out there. And those of us in the disability community, no matter what role we have, we don’t even know what’s out there,
Sarah Kodinsky (00:25:42): right?
Frances Shefter (00:25:43): You know, like who knew surf therapy was a thing.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:25:47): It’s amazing. Yes, we have noticed that as well and because we’re nationwide, um, we get connected with a lot of, you know, things that our families tell us about nationwide. And so we’ve started building a resource list on our website, which is Apex ST social.com. And if you can go to the drop down and find our resource list, but I think that that’s a real need to be able to connect families back with, you know, and they love to hear, especially from one another because they know it worked. Oh, you liked that resource? Ok, great. Well,
Frances Shefter (00:26:23): we say all the time it’s go to your mom’s group, go ask your mom’s group on Facebook, you know, and a lot of, a lot of, you know, my friends and stuff will say like the husbands, they were having an argument, the husband will say, go check with your moms, go check with the moms, you know, the power of the mom’s group and there’s a few dad’s groups out there but not as much. There’s more. Um but it’s, yeah, like because we trust each other, like we get it, you know, get it, especially those of us with kids, you know, that are neuros. Both my kids are. Um you know, and so it’s, it’s a different, it’s a different, I don’t know, world like, I don’t know how you want to look at. It’s a different community you need to build and that’s what it’s about is building your community, you know, and I love this, that you’re there with the care professionals and you vet them so well. Is there, what’s the, do you do like a care plan or anything or is it just normal?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:27:25): That’s part of the support system that we’ve built out? Really? This is something we built out in the last five years. We have a care plan that every care professional gets to participate in building one for their family and for their Children. Um It’s called the apex individualized care plan. We also call it A IC P for short. Um And so once they’re matched to their family, you know, each family is unique, each child’s needs are unique. And so our etr educational and therapeutic resources team works with the care professional to we have kind of a template that helps them identify with the family. What are the, the goals you want me to work on this year? And they’re oftentimes very, you know, very small goals that we want to work on repeatedly day after day and eventually we will, you know, make some progress. Um But what we found with the, the care plan is that it helps the parents. It’s a communication tool for the parents and caregiver to agree on. Ok, this is what we want to focus on together because it’s a, this is a team effort, you know, I’m pulling in the other care team members, the, you know, a B A therapists or the, the speech therapists, whoever they’re seeing. And then it also really helps the caregivers stay engaged in their work, you know, and not feel like sometimes we’ll hear a few months and I feel like all I’m doing is making sandwiches and, you know, driving to soccer and things like that and, and you can lose sight that in those daily moments, you are making a difference in this child’s life because you’re teaching them the life skills that they need and you’re being very consistent. And so the care plan helps them to track that and feel really um rewarded like, oh, see the progress. So you don’t usually see it day after day, you see it at the end of the month when you look back and say, oh, we were trying to get to this place where we didn’t have a meltdown every day at three o’clock and, oh, my goodness, we’ve had three days this week, we didn’t have a meltdown at three o’clock, you know, um whereas if you don’t track it, sometimes you don’t even notice. So that’s been a really rewarding thing for the caregivers and for the parents to be able to see the, the progress, um,
Frances Shefter (00:29:40): which is definitely different because I think usually you think of, you know, live in Nanny Au Pair. Um, it’s just somebody more driving the carpool, making the lunches sometimes making dinner, doing the laundry, you know. But it’s nice to know that. So they’re doing more than, um, help reaching some goals and I guess because they have the background, they can like PT or OT or things like that. Right.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:30:04): You know, they have the background to bring that into their daily care. They’re not coming into the home as a therapist. I mean, they’re not licensed to do that. That’s not their role in the home. But because of that knowledge and background, they can apply it, you know, in making the bowl of cereal with the child or unloading the dishwasher, the things that they want to do. And we, we usually refer to them as kind of the nucleus of the child’s care team. Most of our kids have a multiple layered care team, you know, between parents, the different therapies every week, the school, the IEP and the care professional is the 40 hour a week nucleus that takes the child to the therapies that take, you know, hears from the therapist, what the homework is and works on it every night with the child, what you accomplish things. And then, you know, a lot of our care professionals are even invited into the IEP meeting. Just they want to observe, they want to understand how that works in the US. And then they’re able to really learn and also understand how what’s happening at home is impacting the child at school. And just kind of be that person who ties it together.
Frances Shefter (00:31:14): So being part of the team that makes sense. And so because yeah, with IAP meetings and stuff, we always like to um I, you know, my clients always ask like, can I should I bring the outside professionals? Um Usually, yes, because it’s just they can just help develop a plan. And then if we’re all being consistent home, speech therapist, physical therapist, everybody outside, we all have that same consistent plan. It just, it works better for the child because they know like this is the expectation in every place I go. It’s not ok. School, I have to do this and home, I have to do that and therapy. I have to do that
Sarah Kodinsky (00:31:54): consistency. And a lot of parents have said it’s such a relief to have somebody caring for my child who can do the, the therapy homework with them or can help them through their homework from school each day. When I come home from work, I get to be a parent again. You know, I know parents um, in this, in this group are on 24 7. And so it’s so nice to have an extra adult who can take some of that off.
Frances Shefter (00:32:21): Yeah, I keep telling my husband we need a full time assistant. He’s like, yeah. No. So, I mean, goals in life. Right. You know, look, I waited long enough to be a parent as much as I love being a parent, it is hard, the days in the days out of doing the homework and doing the lunches and making sure they have their field trip forums and making sure they have their laundry clean and put away and all that fun stuff. It’s nice to know that there’s somebody that gets it also on that level of where the needs are different. Right. You know, and to kind of give us that consistency at home, right?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:33:03): Yeah, every year we have um really, I mean, my favorite time of the year we have a contest for the care professional of the year and host families, you know, submit their essays describing why their caregiver is, is the care professional of the year. And our winner this year, the essay just opened with the most amazing paragraph about confidence. Um and how confidence she says is one thing that parents with special needs, Children almost never fully have um confidence in hitting the next big milestone, how the future looks. Um But she said it turns out the ability to have confidence is a superpower and one that our awesome speech therapist Hannah possesses. Um and she just really talked about how amazing it is to have an extra person who is so committed to her child’s success. And when she gets tired as a parent, even that there’s this person who continues to help her have confidence and it’s a two way street, you know, but I love that partnership of um in the home that is created. So, yeah.
Frances Shefter (00:34:11): No, that’s awesome. It’s so because it’s because it’s more than just the babysitter or the nanny or somebody there, they really truly become, especially with that individual care plan. They become part of the family in the sense of driving it and helping. Um, and then the consistency for the child. Sure. And then bringing the culture in from another country has got to be really cool as well.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:34:35): Yeah.
Frances Shefter (00:34:36): You know, because, you know, reality is those of us with special needs kids. Not quite sure how often we’re going to make it to Europe. Possible, but this makes it a lot easier by bringing it into our house is a lot easier. I’m just thinking about like, how cool it would be to do, like a, um, the thing for the family is like the different, the different care professionals in that area of, like, doing like a, um, international day or something. And each teaching about, you know, like that type of thing on a weekend or something that would be about everybody else’s. Ah, this is so awesome. I’m so excited. I wish I knew you when, which I thought I hear a lot. Um, yeah, it’s, you know, it’s, that’s why we’re here to let other people not have to say. I wish I knew you with that, that, that, to let people know that you are there, there is help out there. Um And love the idea that there is help out there for those of us with our nora diverse Children that specialize in lives for that because it’s such a difference, such a different time of knowledge. Thank you so much, Sarah. This has been so wonderful and so informative. Thank you for being on the show.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:35:50): Thank you for having me and congratulations again on 50 episodes and being such a great resource for the community. Thank you.
Voiceover (00:36:02): You’ve been listening to Stress-Free IEP® with your host, Frances Shefter. Remember you do not need to do it all alone. You can reach Frances through Shefter law.com where prior episodes are also posted. Thank you for your positive reviews, comments and sharing the show with others through youtube linkedin Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and more.
Childcare Empowerment for Special Needs Families with Sarah Kodinsky
Stress-Free IEP® with Frances Shefter, Episode 50
In this episode of Stress-Free IEP®, Frances Shefter interviews Sarah Kodinsky, CEO of Apex Social Group, which specializes in live-in developmental childcare for children with disabilities. Sarah’s background in special education fuels her passion for supporting families, and Apex integrates a cultural exchange element with European caregivers. The company meticulously matches caregivers with families and offers ongoing support through personalized care plans and community-building events.
Tune in to the episode to hear about:
Learn more about Sarah Kodinsky:
Check out the episode on Surf Therapy referenced during the interview:
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Stress-Free IEP®:
Frances Shefter is an Education Attorney and Advocate who is committed to helping her clients have a Stress-Free IEP® experience. In each podcast, Frances interviews inspiring people to share information, educate you, empower you and help you get the knowledge you need.
Watch more episodes of Stress-Free IEP®:
Connect and learn more from your host, Frances Shefter:
Read the whole transcript here:
Voiceover (00:00:03): Welcome to Stress-Free IEP®. You do not need to do it all alone with your host, Frances Shefter, Principal of Shefter Law. You can get more details and catch prior episodes at www.shefterlaw.com. The Stress-Free IEP® video podcast is also posted on youtube and linkedin and you can listen to episodes through Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and more. Now, here’s the host of Stress-Free IEP®. Frances Shefter.
Frances Shefter (00:00:40): Hello, everyone and welcome to the show. Today’s milestone. We are at episode number 50 which is really exciting because I never thought it would grow this quick and this fast and I’m so excited. Um And today’s guest, I’m even more excited about because this is a service that I know you families are going to be so excited to hear about. So I’m going to introduce her and let her tell us about it. Sarah Kodinsky, who is the CEO of apex social group. Sarah, please tell us about your company.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:01:13): Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for inviting me on to your podcast and congratulations. This is a huge milestone. Um really um amazing the resources that you provided. If you think about it over 50 episodes to the disability community. So that’s fantastic. Uh Yeah, so I’m with Apex Social Group and I’ve actually been working with Apex Social Group for about 12 years now. Um And what we provide is a very unique live in developmental childcare solution for families. And it’s got a lot of different components to it, including cultural exchange as most of our caregivers are coming from Europe and living with families who have um Children with disabilities. And so it’s got a fantastic reach in terms of um providing that really crucial extra support in the home that, you know, many parents are, are needing and then providing a, a person who’s not just skilled but also has a heart. They’ve chosen a career path to work with kids with special needs and developmental delays and disabilities. And so um then they also can bring their culture into the home. So it takes um you know, a way that need to travel to be able to get the cultural exchange component. Um And lastly, it’s an amazing promoter for young professionals who’ve chosen this career in, you know, special education or occupational therapy or health care field to be able to engage in it um in a very unique way in the daily life of a child and a family and really expand their understanding of, you know, their profession and how it’s taken home and how it’s implemented in the home.
Frances Shefter (00:03:14): Um and don’t worry about the dogs. It’s OK. I have two.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:03:15): Zoom does uh get them out and sometimes it doesn’t. Right. Um And so that’s an amazing gift for the young professional community. Um and being able to, you know, one of our goals is to promote inclusion to spread this throughout the world. And so a lot of the young professionals we work with are able to go back home, start their own clinics in Germany, Austria and be able to um use what they’ve learned here in the US to um to really promote that. So,
Frances Shefter (00:03:49): so and so I want to unpack that a lot because there is a lot there and so much important stuff. So you provide basically an au pair a live in au pair at the homes and you do do from overseas and then you mentioned about professionals. So expand on that a little bit like how are your people, your candidates different than other services?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:04:14): Um So basically, we have developed and curated over the last 16 years, relationships with the schools that are educating these um young people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and the teachers in those schools, the administrators in those schools invite us in to over 400 schools every year to really let their students know. Hey, there’s this amazing global opportunity for you to continue your education after you graduate as an occupational therapist, speech therapist. Um and, and to go abroad, improve your English live with a family in a safe and supportive environment and then really be able to add to your learning and add to your resume. Um So they, you know, this creates an amazing talent pool for families. What we hear from our families across the US is that it can be very daunting to try to find consistent, reliable, long term help um to be able to empower their families. And that seems to be the biggest need that they have is like, it’s hard to find somebody who’s not only um capable but really has the heart and wants to stick with our family for a year or more and on a daily basis. And so it’s a win win, you know, and so we’re able to create this opportunity for young people abroad to go to the US, live with a family. They do use an Au pair visa to do that. And so they’re living in and working under the, the regulations of that program. However, our candidate pool is a different candidate pool than your traditional au pair program in terms of the education skills and experience that they’re, you know, able to work with a child in their activities of daily living and understand, you know, what sensory needs they may have as they help them brush their teeth, as they help them prepare a meal and they know how to work through that in daily life. So, um that’s kind of the special, the specialness of it,
Frances Shefter (00:06:21): which, I mean, as a parent, you know, myself, like, I know it’s hard to find good childcare, you know, um even on a daily basis just for going out to dinner or something. Uh But then again, inviting somebody into your home is even harder, I’m sure. Um, you know, I know a lot of people that have done it, some have had great experiences, some have not had great experiences. But then us with our special needs kids, I know think twice when hiring somebody, like, is this person going to be able to handle it, is this person going to be able to, and the day to day is even harder than just a couple of hours because our kids can keep it together for a couple of hours usually, or somebody could deal with it for a couple of hours. But now we’re looking at, you know, the day services, which I’m assuming it’s the same like hour restriction and so forth.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:07:9): Yeah, maximum of 45 hours a week. So our care professionals. Yeah, our families will have them work anywhere from 30 to 45 a week depending on their needs. Um It is a um a lot of times it’s AAA very intense job that they’re taking on. And so really having that understanding from the family side of helping them to, to stay fresh and, and ready for work each day and sometimes they have to work a little less than the 45 a part of our program that is very important is that we have a very strong support system for our caregivers. And I think that really empowers the families to help them retain their care longer and help their care to be more successful because we have um an educational and therapeutic resources team that’s there to kind of be their sounding board, kind of care for the caregiver, so to speak. So. Oh,
Frances Shefter (00:08:01): that’s awesome. Like having a value because I can imagine, you know, especially coming like I’m thinking about my sister has had over au pairs and I’m just thinking about it like, you know, they’re young, they’re, you know, they don’t know the United States, they don’t know our customs and stuff. And I can imagine how hard it is like just adding that extra level of a child with high needs. Um because you only do for, for families with uh neuro diverse Children, correct?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:08:28): Not only, but about 90% of our families have a child that’s got um either neurodiversity or some other disability that they’re, they’re working with.
Frances Shefter (00:08:40): So that, yeah, I mean, it’s just for me like knowing that there’s somebody out there like that you vet them all for this specific for this, you know, this type of child of the high needs just makes it so much easier to like, OK, I can breathe. Um So I know you said so you go, you cut 400 to different schools? That’s amazing. Um So do all of the um do all of the AU pairs have degrees or are they getting them? What does that look
Sarah Kodinsky (00:9:12): like? So most of our, we refer to them as care professionals just to help them have a differentiation. Um Kind of that they are past this place in life where they would have traditionally been an Au pair in Germany. That’s a very popular option. Um Just after high school around the age of 18 or so, our candidates tend to be more in the 21 to 26 range, they finished a degree program. And so they, most of them do have a degree and we say a child related field and that ranges everywhere from OTPT speech to social work or uh bachelor’s in education or a teaching degree. Um And Germany has a very unique approach to many of these education programs and it’s a very internship based education. And so they go back and forth every few months from the classroom to working in a school or a clinic and get a lot of hands on experience, which is a really great benefit for our families too that they’re getting somebody who doesn’t just have the book learning but has actually worked um hands on which I’m sure
Frances Shefter (00:10:19): is a huge difference. I remember, you know, teaching, even with student teaching, I remember my first day I was like, Ok. I’m ready and then I’m like, oh, my God, what do I do? Like, you know, like, my class is coming in and it was just like, my first day teaching. I was kind of like, I don’t know where to go and, you know, jumped in because I student taught during the second semester. So it never dawned on me of like, oh, wait, you actually have to figure out each step. Um, So sure, having that experience and then how do you match people like? Um because obviously, as you said, there’s no diverse kids, you know, physical disabilities, whatever the disabilities are, how do you know and match um the care professional with
Sarah Kodinsky (00:10:58): the family? Good question. That’s a really important part of success is getting it right up front. And so, um you know, we do a lot of, of intake that helps us understand the care professionals, everything from their skill set and experience, also their personality and what motivates them because that’s a big part too of, of having the right fit with your employer. Um And then we actually we use a, a personality assessment called the color code, Dr Hartman’s color code, which um all of our care professionals take this test and all of our families, we ask them to also take it so that they can understand their own personality type and who they would match best with. Um So that’s kind of a unique component. Um In addition, to our, you know, skills assessment references, of course, background checks and all of the vetting that is traditionally done. Um And then we have a, a team of matching specialists who are very hands on. So we’re more of a boutique service and they meet every single candidate that we offer and personally interview them and understand what they’re looking for, what, you know, you want to make sure that the person you’re hiring is like also a good fit for them, right? Whether they with their career goals, what are they looking for in learning in this year? And then they are able to really personally advise the families as they go through the process of interviewing. Um And so our candidates work with us for, on average about a year before they make a match. And that’s because we meet them while they’re still in school, we usually meet them their sophomore or junior year, like if equivalent in Germany, their second or third year um in school. And so they still have a year or two to go. And so we stay in touch with them. We have a whole cohort program and educational program that kind of engages with them and helps them to um stay in touch with us and kind of get ready to go abroad. Um And then they start interviewing anywhere from 6 to 12 months before their ideal start date. And, you know, that’s something that families in the US oftentimes don’t know is that it’s really good to give yourself a head start when you’re looking for a caregiver. And, um, we often joke that families come to us and they always need somebody either today or you. Yeah, if possible to plan ahead, it makes it a lot easier to find the right match. So,
Frances Shefter (00:13:27): you know, like my business coach always says, you know, hire slow fire, fast, like, you know, take the process because it matters. Um I think that it’s 6 to 6 months to a year of planning it out. And then another thing that really struck is that color code, the assessment because there’s so many times and I have this with teachers and IEPs often that it’s just not a good fit. You know, I’ll have that teachers won’t say that the child’s not progressing. I’m like, it’s not you doing anything wrong. It’s just this child needs something different and our kids, all of our Children have different needs, period and all of our care professionals have different skill sets and let’s match the right one because then it’s just, it’s more enjoyable for all of us. Right. Absolutely.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:14:15): Yes. We always say, you know, there’s typically a lid for every pot and it just may not be the right pot that this lid is on. Also, we really, um we talk a lot with our care professionals about pairing and the importance of that just in the first two weeks or month with their family, with their host parents, but also with the child, um, and learning how to pair and how to build that relationship from the start and sometimes it doesn’t take off. And so, you know, the good news is we have an experienced team that has dealt with that many times. It can help both parties to figure out. Uh We always say it’s not necessarily a fail when it’s not the right fit, it’s just a learning opportunity and we’re gonna, you know, we’re all gonna learn from it. We’re gonna fail forward. That’s a big um core value of our, our whole team is just really being growth minded and open to learning in every situation.
Frances Shefter (00:15:10): So then if, if the parents, you know, a family has a match, um a care professional and like after a couple of days, a couple of weeks, it’s like, you know what, this isn’t working, what’s the process?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:15:23): So we have um AC DS which stands for Apex Care and Development leaders. There are our placement managers in every one of our markets. And so they have a really good relationship um with the family and with the caregiver from the start. So they would help navigate through. So you always have kind of that extra layer of support, which I think is really important because I don’t know if you’ve ever lived with an employee or lived with an employer, but that adds an extra special twist to the relationship
Frances Shefter (00:15:53): unless you count my father and mother, you know, a
Sarah Kodinsky (00:15:59): lot of nuances. And so our placement manager really skilled at guiding each party through. It’s so important the communication during that time, figuring out how to, to say what needs to be said and, and part ways in a gracious manner or sometimes a mediation is actually all that’s needed where we can get back on the same page, get back on the same track. And really communication has just not been, has not been working well. Communication is so key. And um sometimes you think you’re communicating when you’re living with your care professional because you see them multiple times a day, but the real communication wasn’t happening. And so our, our um AC DS are just amazing at really skinning that communication tracks and helping them get back on the, on the same track. But if a placement change is necessary, that’s also what we’re here for really helping both parties find the right fit. So,
Frances Shefter (00:16:56): and what’s the commitment for the families and for the care professionals, the length of time?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:17:02): Yeah, so we asked them to commit for a one year placement upfront and that has something to do with the visa they are on. Also, they get a one year visa granted upfront with an option to extend that visa for a second year. And so there are um you know, about 40 ish percent of the time they’ll stay for a second year, which is amazing that continuity of care. However, we have some families who say I really enjoy starting fresh with a new caregiver every year we’ve changed, our needs have changed and it kind of keeps things fresh in the house. And so there’s um a 1 to 2 year commitment.
Frances Shefter (00:17:39): And then if, if one of the care professionals, like they figure out this is the family like this is the match, can they extend more than the two years on their visa or is that a whole different,
Sarah Kodinsky (00:17:50): not on their visa? So they would need to go home and then they could come back two years later. And we have had that happen repeatedly with our caregivers who say, all right, I’ve been back home for two years. I really want to come back to the same family. It was an amazing time with them. I mean, they’re like family for life usually, you know, which is wonderful. And, you know, we are um mostly our primary placement cycle is to have caregivers from Europe coming over. But actually a few years ago, we started also opening up the opportunity to Americans who are early in their career in the same, you know, behavior therapy or um teaching. And that’s actually been really amazing to watch as well. It’s a really um similar cultural exchange when you take a young person from Minnesota and let them live in San Francesco for a year. And create that bond. Um And so that’s been really interesting and, and the Americans could stay longer than two years. However, we’ve kind of seen with this role that it has a bit of a, a lifespan, you know, that the caregiver has a career goal, long term. And it’s, this is a stop in their career goal. And so it tends to be about a twoyear lifespan,
Frances Shefter (00:19:05): which makes sense. It was great. So the Americans also, do they, do you have like do your care professionals say, oh, I only want to work in the north of the States or the south of the States or
Sarah Kodinsky (00:19:16): that they do. Um As you can imagine when you’re coming from Europe, a lot of what you know is what you’ve seen, maybe, you know, more publicized. And so you’re thinking, I want to be in California or New York City, um the things they know about. So we actually do a lot of educating of them like about the different parts of the US and how there’s so much to learn and explore all across our great nation. Um However, we do primarily serve markets along each coast and we have some markets, Denver, Chicago, some in the middle of the country that we also place in. And um so, but they can sometimes have requests and we always encourage them, focus on the family because you can travel in your free time. But where you live and work is so important and that’s really what you want to be looking for, first and foremost.
Frances Shefter (00:20:07): Yes, definitely. Definitely. Yeah, that’s, you know, exactly. Some things are easier to change than others. Um So then for families that might be interested because I’m sure there’s a lot of listeners going, wait, what? There’s, you know, like, what, like, where do you serve, like everywhere in the States or are you limited?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:20:28): So, um we do have markets that we serve and then markets that we don’t serve. And primarily we’re in major metropolitan areas at the moment. Um With a few exceptions, we have a few smaller markets that have been um typically, if a family comes to us in a market, we don’t serve yet. We’ll say, OK, if you can gather at least one or two other families together, we can open your market. And so we try to stay in our key markets. It’s a um it’s a better experience for the caregivers to have a group of like-minded peers. And that’s a big part of what draws caregivers to work with us is we have a, a community that supports them. And so that can be a little tricky when we are going out into more of a remote area. But we serve, you know, we have a great community in Boston, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia DC, and Northern Virginia, Maryland area, Atlanta, um South Florida, Tampa, even in Florida and then across you know, like I said, Denver and Chicago and Seattle, Portland and um California, pretty much, you know, San Francesco, San Diego and Los Angeles and California. And so as you can see, it’s like mostly key markets with a few scattered in between um smaller areas
Frances Shefter (00:21:50): which that’s, you know, just like I can hear everything you’re saying is how you care about supporting the care professionals, which is so important because
Sarah Kodinsky (00:22:01): that is really, we’ve learned over the 16 years is the key to helping the families be successful because that’s why they come to us. They need that consistency, that care in their home. And it’s um you know, so we’ve really built this organizational structure that attracts caregivers that want to dedicate a year of their life to care for, you know, one on one or one on three Children in a home. And um and, and then when the going gets tough, we want to be there to support them and hold them up so that they can continue on. And, you know, burnout is an issue across the board um and caregiving in general and in this community, I know that that’s a challenge. And so that has become something we’ve really focused on is is providing them with the resources, the support um so that they don’t feel alone in their job.
Frances Shefter (00:22:59): And I’m so I’m guessing that since you require 2 to 3 in each market that the care professionals also like are connected. They are, they
Sarah Kodinsky (00:23:10): have a monthly fun meet up where they do, you know, something in the community, they might volunteer, they might go for a hike or a baseball game. Um, and then we have once a year an appreciation event that we invite them all to Southern California for. It’s coming up in May and, um, it’s our annual surf outing. And so we’ve been doing this for 15 years now where we have them all out. We, um, just put on a great weekend for them to show them appreciation and they get to have a, a surf lesson, some professional surfers. They also, we invite out Rocky mckinnon who’s a pro surfer and he demonstrates his adaptive surfboard. And we have, uh, always invited out a couple of our families to let their Children try that out. Um, and then, yeah, they go on a bus tour of Hollywood, you know, all the fun American things. So that’s the time that they all look forward to because then they get to come from all over the country and catch up with each other. So
Frances Shefter (00:24:07): that’s awesome. It’s so funny that you say about the, the surfing and the adaptive board. I just had somebody on the show. Um, I want to say her name was Deborah, but she’s a occupational therapist out in California that does surf therapy. Oh, I love it. It is amazing. Like, go back and check the show because it’s because when you think about it, like when she was going in and explaining how the water provides that pressure and then you can walk on different parts of the body, like, like, whoa, and the kids are having fun because they’re in the ocean surfing. You
Sarah Kodinsky (00:24:38): know, I love that. That reminds me one of our partners is in Kasa in the Caribbean and they have a dolphin therapy program. And uh so that’s, I think probably a similar experience for the child in the water. And we actually send our alumni, we have a, every year they get to apply. We have a certain number of scholarships. We send them there to the Dauphin Center and they love getting to work there.
Frances Shefter (00:25:03): Imagine. OK, I was just corrected. It was Naomi Matanic. So if anyone wants to come back and see it, so, yeah, yeah, it was so cool. Um hearing about that and we’ll, we’ll, we’ll provide a link to her show also in the show notes. So anybody else listening can see it. Um But it’s like that like I love my show because I learn and meet so many people and learn what’s out there. Um And you know, the whole purpose of the show is, is for parents to learn and families to learn and see what is out there. And those of us in the disability community, no matter what role we have, we don’t even know what’s out there,
Sarah Kodinsky (00:25:42): right?
Frances Shefter (00:25:43): You know, like who knew surf therapy was a thing.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:25:47): It’s amazing. Yes, we have noticed that as well and because we’re nationwide, um, we get connected with a lot of, you know, things that our families tell us about nationwide. And so we’ve started building a resource list on our website, which is Apex ST social.com. And if you can go to the drop down and find our resource list, but I think that that’s a real need to be able to connect families back with, you know, and they love to hear, especially from one another because they know it worked. Oh, you liked that resource? Ok, great. Well,
Frances Shefter (00:26:23): we say all the time it’s go to your mom’s group, go ask your mom’s group on Facebook, you know, and a lot of, a lot of, you know, my friends and stuff will say like the husbands, they were having an argument, the husband will say, go check with your moms, go check with the moms, you know, the power of the mom’s group and there’s a few dad’s groups out there but not as much. There’s more. Um but it’s, yeah, like because we trust each other, like we get it, you know, get it, especially those of us with kids, you know, that are neuros. Both my kids are. Um you know, and so it’s, it’s a different, it’s a different, I don’t know, world like, I don’t know how you want to look at. It’s a different community you need to build and that’s what it’s about is building your community, you know, and I love this, that you’re there with the care professionals and you vet them so well. Is there, what’s the, do you do like a care plan or anything or is it just normal?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:27:25): That’s part of the support system that we’ve built out? Really? This is something we built out in the last five years. We have a care plan that every care professional gets to participate in building one for their family and for their Children. Um It’s called the apex individualized care plan. We also call it A IC P for short. Um And so once they’re matched to their family, you know, each family is unique, each child’s needs are unique. And so our etr educational and therapeutic resources team works with the care professional to we have kind of a template that helps them identify with the family. What are the, the goals you want me to work on this year? And they’re oftentimes very, you know, very small goals that we want to work on repeatedly day after day and eventually we will, you know, make some progress. Um But what we found with the, the care plan is that it helps the parents. It’s a communication tool for the parents and caregiver to agree on. Ok, this is what we want to focus on together because it’s a, this is a team effort, you know, I’m pulling in the other care team members, the, you know, a B A therapists or the, the speech therapists, whoever they’re seeing. And then it also really helps the caregivers stay engaged in their work, you know, and not feel like sometimes we’ll hear a few months and I feel like all I’m doing is making sandwiches and, you know, driving to soccer and things like that and, and you can lose sight that in those daily moments, you are making a difference in this child’s life because you’re teaching them the life skills that they need and you’re being very consistent. And so the care plan helps them to track that and feel really um rewarded like, oh, see the progress. So you don’t usually see it day after day, you see it at the end of the month when you look back and say, oh, we were trying to get to this place where we didn’t have a meltdown every day at three o’clock and, oh, my goodness, we’ve had three days this week, we didn’t have a meltdown at three o’clock, you know, um whereas if you don’t track it, sometimes you don’t even notice. So that’s been a really rewarding thing for the caregivers and for the parents to be able to see the, the progress, um,
Frances Shefter (00:29:40): which is definitely different because I think usually you think of, you know, live in Nanny Au Pair. Um, it’s just somebody more driving the carpool, making the lunches sometimes making dinner, doing the laundry, you know. But it’s nice to know that. So they’re doing more than, um, help reaching some goals and I guess because they have the background, they can like PT or OT or things like that. Right.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:30:04): You know, they have the background to bring that into their daily care. They’re not coming into the home as a therapist. I mean, they’re not licensed to do that. That’s not their role in the home. But because of that knowledge and background, they can apply it, you know, in making the bowl of cereal with the child or unloading the dishwasher, the things that they want to do. And we, we usually refer to them as kind of the nucleus of the child’s care team. Most of our kids have a multiple layered care team, you know, between parents, the different therapies every week, the school, the IEP and the care professional is the 40 hour a week nucleus that takes the child to the therapies that take, you know, hears from the therapist, what the homework is and works on it every night with the child, what you accomplish things. And then, you know, a lot of our care professionals are even invited into the IEP meeting. Just they want to observe, they want to understand how that works in the US. And then they’re able to really learn and also understand how what’s happening at home is impacting the child at school. And just kind of be that person who ties it together.
Frances Shefter (00:31:14): So being part of the team that makes sense. And so because yeah, with IAP meetings and stuff, we always like to um I, you know, my clients always ask like, can I should I bring the outside professionals? Um Usually, yes, because it’s just they can just help develop a plan. And then if we’re all being consistent home, speech therapist, physical therapist, everybody outside, we all have that same consistent plan. It just, it works better for the child because they know like this is the expectation in every place I go. It’s not ok. School, I have to do this and home, I have to do that and therapy. I have to do that
Sarah Kodinsky (00:31:54): consistency. And a lot of parents have said it’s such a relief to have somebody caring for my child who can do the, the therapy homework with them or can help them through their homework from school each day. When I come home from work, I get to be a parent again. You know, I know parents um, in this, in this group are on 24 7. And so it’s so nice to have an extra adult who can take some of that off.
Frances Shefter (00:32:21): Yeah, I keep telling my husband we need a full time assistant. He’s like, yeah. No. So, I mean, goals in life. Right. You know, look, I waited long enough to be a parent as much as I love being a parent, it is hard, the days in the days out of doing the homework and doing the lunches and making sure they have their field trip forums and making sure they have their laundry clean and put away and all that fun stuff. It’s nice to know that there’s somebody that gets it also on that level of where the needs are different. Right. You know, and to kind of give us that consistency at home, right?
Sarah Kodinsky (00:33:03): Yeah, every year we have um really, I mean, my favorite time of the year we have a contest for the care professional of the year and host families, you know, submit their essays describing why their caregiver is, is the care professional of the year. And our winner this year, the essay just opened with the most amazing paragraph about confidence. Um and how confidence she says is one thing that parents with special needs, Children almost never fully have um confidence in hitting the next big milestone, how the future looks. Um But she said it turns out the ability to have confidence is a superpower and one that our awesome speech therapist Hannah possesses. Um and she just really talked about how amazing it is to have an extra person who is so committed to her child’s success. And when she gets tired as a parent, even that there’s this person who continues to help her have confidence and it’s a two way street, you know, but I love that partnership of um in the home that is created. So, yeah.
Frances Shefter (00:34:11): No, that’s awesome. It’s so because it’s because it’s more than just the babysitter or the nanny or somebody there, they really truly become, especially with that individual care plan. They become part of the family in the sense of driving it and helping. Um, and then the consistency for the child. Sure. And then bringing the culture in from another country has got to be really cool as well.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:34:35): Yeah.
Frances Shefter (00:34:36): You know, because, you know, reality is those of us with special needs kids. Not quite sure how often we’re going to make it to Europe. Possible, but this makes it a lot easier by bringing it into our house is a lot easier. I’m just thinking about like, how cool it would be to do, like a, um, the thing for the family is like the different, the different care professionals in that area of, like, doing like a, um, international day or something. And each teaching about, you know, like that type of thing on a weekend or something that would be about everybody else’s. Ah, this is so awesome. I’m so excited. I wish I knew you when, which I thought I hear a lot. Um, yeah, it’s, you know, it’s, that’s why we’re here to let other people not have to say. I wish I knew you with that, that, that, to let people know that you are there, there is help out there. Um And love the idea that there is help out there for those of us with our nora diverse Children that specialize in lives for that because it’s such a difference, such a different time of knowledge. Thank you so much, Sarah. This has been so wonderful and so informative. Thank you for being on the show.
Sarah Kodinsky (00:35:50): Thank you for having me and congratulations again on 50 episodes and being such a great resource for the community. Thank you.
Voiceover (00:36:02): You’ve been listening to Stress-Free IEP® with your host, Frances Shefter. Remember you do not need to do it all alone. You can reach Frances through Shefter law.com where prior episodes are also posted. Thank you for your positive reviews, comments and sharing the show with others through youtube linkedin Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and more.
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