The Problem

Our school systems are failing our Educational Assistants (EAs). EAs are becoming more important in our schools yet they are often times frustrated with their workload and are quitting due to burn out. They are under supported, mismanaged, and don’t have clear standards to follow. Schools today are trying to incorporate more personalized learning and more inclusiveness within their classrooms but this comes at a time when there is an increased influx of students with learning challenges and/or special needs. Education Assistants are extremely important yet they are struggling with working conditions and lack the support required to feel confident in their job.

EAs are tasked with working with some of the most challenging students yet they are usually the ones with having the least amount of training. When specialists come into schools to provide support to students, the assistants seem to lack the knowledge and skills required to implement the intervention plans specialists are providing. Yes, many may have some basic skills but basic is not good enough when dealing with complex developmental challenges.

Burn out is a real problem especially if working conditions are difficult. Many EAs' patience is wearing thin. We need to help our EAs!

Although there is a lot of weight on EAs shoulders, one way to unload some of that weight is by giving them the knowledge and confidence to do their job to the best of their ability. Traditional training can be expensive and time consuming. This is where microtraining comes in. Microtraining can help EAs build their confidence and help the feel more prepared for their day.

Educational Assistants are busy. EA Assist is an easy to use app that provides EAs with access to important information on the go when they need it the most. The app consists of Microlessons that are developed by a team of educators and educational assistants in conjunction with top professionals such as Psychologists, Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Behavior Therapists, etc. This team uses the latest science based research and best practices to build the greatest library of Microlessons for EAs. Each microlesson ranges from 5-15 mins giving EAs short bursts of information to assist them with their current needs. Due to the narrow focus and short length of these microlessons, information overload is decreased and users retention levels are increased meaning that they will be more prepared for each work situation.