Tag: BDSHelps

New Year’s Resolutions?

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits.  ~Author Unknown

 

Each year people make New Year’s Resolutions. Well, I learned a long time ago that I wouldn’t keep them. However, I did learn that setting goals each year works for me. I don’t know why the change in language works, but it does. Sometimes the goals are abstract, sometimes they are concrete, but they are mine and I own them.

During this time of year, I also like to help students and their families work on their goals. That’s why this month is Program Review and Assessment Month. It is during this time of year that we take a look at what each of our student has accomplishing and set new short-term goals as well as adjust the long-term ones.

I also like to take time at this point in the year to celebrate the BDS Behavioral Technicians. They are so important to helping each of our students succeed. They spend so much time working to help support out students. So to help kick their year off right, we also call this Rising Star Month.

During Rising Star Month, we ask that you all write in and tell us why you love your Technicians. You don’t have to limit it to praise, we welcome all feedback that you can provide. The best way to help our star Technicians increase their skills is to tell us what they are doing right and wrong so that we can provide more guidance or resources where necessary. Send your feedback to [email protected].

Thank you so much for continuing to read our blog, following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and checking out our website. If you are in need of assistance, services, or just have a question for us, feel free to use our Contact Us form, email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 240-355-0834.

Have a safe, happy, and prosperous year,

Barbara Erby

President

Breakthrough Developmental Services, LLC

www.BDSHelps.com

BDS Winter Holiday Camp

We are happy to announce that our 2012 Winter Holiday Camp Registration is now open! Camp will take place on December 24, 26, 27, 28, and 31 in Bowie, MD. The camp hours are 9 am to 6 pm each day, but parents can arrange for an early drop off/late pick up if needed.

The BDS Winter Holiday Camp will give your child a chance to generalize all of the skills that you have worked so hard to teach them as well as learn and practice the social skills that are needed in life. BDS offers a safe environment for your child to spend their time away from school with our caring and professional staff of Behavioral Technicians and Consultants.

Register your child for the BDS Winter Holiday Camp today!

Click here to download your registration form.

What to do with all these applicants?

As mentioned in a previous blog post, we received over 80 resumes in for a handful of positions in DC, MD, and VA (at the time the blog was posted it was 70).We thought long and hard about what to do with the additional resumes. Many of the people who applied were more than qualified and were very eager to start. They had a variety of background experiences and we really didn’t want this pool of potential staff members to just disappear as many parents have often told me that they can’t find potential staff members for their program. So what were we to do?

Firstly, we created a new blog site to post new job announcements for the people who had sent in their resumes. This provided us with a central location to have potential staff members look for positions without us needing to constantly email all of them and potentially having our emails marked as spam. Current staff members will continue to be notified via our staff newsletter about open positions.

Secondly, we created a Potential Behavioral Technicians page on the Breakthrough Developmental Services, LLC homepage. The address to the new page is https://bdshelps.com/Pages/BehTechs.aspx. On Thursday, August 16, 2012 the Human Resources Department sent an email requesting an information update from all persons who previously applied for a position. As these updates are received from the applicants, they will update the information that is posted on the page. Parents, if you are interested in having a potential applicant join your team you may feel free to contact the Human Resources Department at [email protected] or 240-355-0834.

As a reminder, all staff members must complete our 4 basic training classes before beginning with a client. Additionally, with each new client there is training specific to their individualized program. All Behavioral Technicians also received ongoing training and supervision.

If you have any questions about this correspondence, please feel free to contact our offices at [email protected] or give us a call at 240-355-0834.

Sincerely,

Barbara Erby

President

Breakthrough Developmental Services, LLC

www.BDSHelps.com

Announcement: Increased Security Measures

In an effort to protect the health, welfare, and safety of our clients as well as to increase the security of all files that are maintained and transmitted by electronic means, all information that is sent from BDS that contains any client’s name or other identifying information (e.g., reports, data sheets, graphs, etc.) will be password protected.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us. We can be reached by telephone at 240-355-0834 or by email at [email protected].

Thank you for your assistance in maintaining the privacy of your children,

Barbara Erby

Education & Behavioral Consultant

Breakthrough Developmental Services, LLC

Ear Infections

After reading several of the articles that were posted on our Pinterest page about ear infections, I thought that I should reach out to our readers about them. Especially, since I have recently gotten over a bilateral ear infection myself. If you haven’t had an ear infection (or don’t remember your last one), then count yourself blessed. I think that we can often forget how bad the pain can be until we are in the midst of it. I wouldn’t wish that pain upon my worst enemy. I had a lot of them when I was younger, but as I have gotten older and my eustachian tube has gotten a little bit longer I have them less frequently.

I wanted to encourage all of our families out there (and those of you who are not) to check out the article that we pinned to our boards located at http://www.Pinterest.com/BDSHelps. Children cannot always tell us when they are sick and it is important to recognize the signs of sickness and know when we need to contact a specialist. This is a subject that is very dear to me because I almost lost my hearing as a child. So, please take a few moments to look over these articles.

Barbara Erby

About Barbara
Barbara Erby is an Education & Behavioral Consultant with Breakthrough Developmental Services, LLC. Barbara received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Bowie State University in 1999 and a Master of Science in Psychology with a specialization in Educational Psychology and an emphasis in Developmental Psychology from Capella University in 2004. Ms. Erby has worked with a variety of students in the school, home, and community environments as a Direct Care Worker, Family Trainer, and an Education & Behavioral Consultant.

http://www.BDSHelps.com