Meet Jacklyn (Jackie) Armstrong
Jackie has been working at The Arc of Delaware County going on seven years. Her current position is a Life Coach 5. During her time at Delarc, she has seen a lot of change and growth that has helped Delarc become the thriving agency that it is today.
School
Jackie is originally from Staten Island, New York and moved up to Delaware County when she was in 8th grade. She attended the College of Staten Island with a major in Elementary Education, with a focus on Special Education. During her time at college, Jackie had the intention of finding a career where she would have a lot of 1:1 time with students. During her time as a student teacher in Staten Island, that was not an option with a classroom of 40 students. She also discovered that she preferred living outside of the hustle and bustle of Staten Island.
After college, Jackie moved back to Delaware County and started exploring different career opportunities that aligned with her values and goals. During that time, she interned with Heather Greene at a local nursing home. Heather Greene had previously worked at Delarc as a Medicaid Service Coordinator. Understanding Jackie’s ambition to work with individuals 1:1, Heather mentioned to Jackie that she should apply to Delarc.
Working at Delarc
Jackie took Heather’s advice to apply to Delarc. She initially applied for the Life Coach 1 position and was hired as a Life Coach 3 since she had a degree in Special Education. After about two years, Jackie was then promoted to Life Coach 5. In her current role as Life Coach 5, Jackie has been able to use her education to help her create lesson plans.
“You’re working closely with people, exploring what it is they want to do, and together you’re figuring that out.” Jackie noted as she explained her reasons for loving her current position.
Working at CLS Arkville
Jackie has been working at CLS (Community Living Skills) in Arkville and has witnessed growth in the individuals as well as the facilities. CLS Arkville is currently revitalizing its program to provide state-of-the-art facilities and programming, offering a wide variety of opportunities for individuals to explore, learn, grow and achieve their own personal goals. Jackie and others at CLS Arkville are excited by the transformation that is occurring as the team works hard to revive an environment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live personally fulfilling lives. Watch for a future article to include photos and more details about this revitalization.
Future Goals
Jackie has spent nearly 7 years working with individuals 1:1. When an opportunity to advance arises, Jackie is more than eager to be promoted and get involved in the planning process as well as goal setting. She is grateful for her supervisor who works closely with Jackie to help plan individual goals.
Delarc Perks
Delarc offers a lot of perks such as personal time, sick time, vacation time. Jackie emphasized her gratitude for Delarc’s paid maternity leave, which she was able to utilize during the births of her two children. Jackie also mentioned another perk of DSP (Direct Support Professional) week which is an annual week-long celebration highlighting Delarc’s gratitude for the hardworking DSPs as well as all staff who help to make Delarc successful. Another perk mentioned is the ability to be yourself, to show up with the gifts you have to offer. Jackie also added working for an agency which allows and encourages you to be yourself and take care of your mental health has a positive impact.
“You can build connections with people” Jackie explained. She continued, “Molly (Delarc’s CEO) knows everyone’s name, which is a benefit because you don’t feel like just a number coming to work, it feels like a team.”
Career at Delac
When asked if she had any advice to those who are thinking about applying to Delarc, Jackie replied
“If you have any interest [in applying] the interview process is going to show you what the job is, and you are going to be able to feel if it will be a good fit.”
If you or someone you know is interested in a rewarding career in the Human Service field, please click the link below and apply today!
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