Founded in 2003, GiGi's Playhouse Inc.’s mission is to change the way the world views Down syndrome and send a global message of acceptance for all.  We profoundly change lives through national campaigns, educational programs, and by empowering individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and the community.  All programs are free and are therapeutic or educational in nature. Each one of our programs is designed to work on specific skill development, including speech and language, literacy, socialization, and fine and gross motor skills. GiGi’s Playhouse currently has over 59 locations across North America and is growing by several locations annually.  

Job Description: 

GiGi’s Playhouse programs are innovative, purposeful and progressive for children and adults with Down syndrome, designed to develop confidence and the development of a broad variety of skills – educational, therapeutic and career development.    

The Speech-Language Pathologist is responsible for organizing and implementing the Amina Grace Speech & Language program to meet the needs of participants enrolled in the program through GiGi's Playhouse McHenry. Additionally, the Speech-Language Pathologist works to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication and cognitive-communication disorders in children and adult participants. 

Reports To: Local Program Coordinator, Executive Director, or a Board Member 

Essential Job Functions 

This position requires a commitment to provide weekly 60-minute therapy lessons for at least 10 participants per session for three 10 to 15-week sessions annually. This typically equates to 15-20 hours per week. The key responsibilities include:  

  • Identify & Deliver: Identify the speech and communication difficulty or disorder through a variety of standardized formal and informal assessment protocols. Devise and deliver a suitable treatment program, including monitoring and evaluating participant’s progress. 

  • Metrics: Write confidential participant progress notes and reports, and information for participants, families/caregivers, and other professionals. Clearly define and report metrics for participants. 

  • Resource: Provide support, resources and training to participants and caregivers for a variety of topics, including implementing a treatment plan at home, behavior management, problem-solving and providing programming in accordance with the GiGi’s Playhouse program model. 

  • Collaboration with National Office: Work with the National Speech & Language Excellence Committee to review the program as appropriate to improve the effectiveness of service delivery, share successes, challenges, and program feedback. 

  • Local Collaboration: Work with the local Program Coordinator and other speech and language group program leaders and volunteers. 

Competencies:

  • Teamwork: Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts success of team above own interests; able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; supports everyone's efforts to succeed. 

  • Problem Solving: Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in group problem solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics. 

  • Written and oral communication: Ability to express ideas and thoughts verbally; expresses ideas and thoughts in written form; exhibits good listening and comprehension; keeps others adequately informed; selects and uses appropriate communication methods. 

  • Adaptability: Adapts to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events. 

  • Innovation: Displays original thinking and creativity; meets challenges with resourcefulness; generates suggestions for improving work; develops innovative approaches and ideas; presents ideas and information in a manner that gets others' attention. 

  • Planning/Organizing: Prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently; plans for additional resources; sets goals and objectives; organizes or schedules other people and their tasks; develops realistic action plans. 

  • Quality: Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; applies feedback to improve performance; monitors own work to ensure quality. 

  • Customer Service: Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; responds promptly to customer needs; solicits customer feedback to improve service; responds to requests for service and assistance; meets commitments. 

Qualifications:  

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

  • Education and/or Experience: Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology 

  • Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Valid state license in field for the position, Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) 

  • Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams)  

  • Language Skills: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.  Ability to write reports and business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public. 

  • Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear.  The employee is frequently required to walk; sit and reach with hands and arms.  The employee is occasionally required to stand; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include ability to adjust focus. 

  • Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. 

GiGi’s Playhouse Core Values:  GiGi’s challenges all staff and volunteers to embody the following core values: 

  • Enthusiasm:  Bringing positive, high energy to our work 

  • Best of All: Always looking to improve in all that we do.  Challenge yourself every day. 

  • Get It Done: Making things happen and blasting through barriers when needed; figure it out. 

  • Believe:  Believe in ourselves, believe in our mission, believe we can achieve all that we set out to achieve 

  • Locally Concerned, Enterprise Minded: To best serve our local communities, we share our location’s best practices and have the humility to leverage the collective learnings from across the GiGi’s network.