Preschool Social Worker

Overview

Catholic Charities of Buffalo is seeking a full-time Preschool Social Worker for our Early Childhood School Social Worker Program (ECSSWP) with Catholic Charities of Buffalo. The ideal candidate will deliver comprehensive services for preschool students, families, and school personnel. Services provided include social emotional support through classroom support, individual counseling, group counseling, and parent and teacher consultation.

This is a full-time position that may require occasional flexibility to attend school and community events. Travel between schools within the service area may also be required. The position is based on-site at a school in either Erie County or Niagara County, depending on the selected candidate's location preference and departmental needs.

Catholic Charities is a non‑profit human services agency that strives to empower individuals, children, and families across the eight counties of Western New York. For more than 100 years, Catholic Charities of Buffalo has provided HOPE to individuals and families of all faiths, backgrounds, and circumstances.

As the most comprehensive provider of human services in Western New York, Catholic Charities delivers wide‑ranging programs to address systemic poverty, sudden financial crisis, hunger, behavioral health, workforce readiness, family stability, legal immigration and resettlement, and help for older adults. As a trauma‑informed agency, we strive to support the total wellbeing of clients and employees.

Catholic Charities prioritizes wellness and diversity through various committees such as CARE (Compassion, Acceptance, Respect for Everyone) Committee, Trauma‑Informed Care Committee, Wellbeing Committee, and the Safety Committee.

• Provide individual counseling to preschool students with IEPs, focusing on emotional regulation, coping skills, and behavior management.
• Deliver push‑in support within the classroom to assist students in applying social‑emotional skills in real‑time situations.
• Facilitate small group counseling sessions to promote peer interactions, conflict resolution, and social skill development.
• Conduct behavioral observations and assessments in the classroom to inform individualized intervention strategies.
• Collaborate with classroom teachers to develop and implement classroom‑based interventions that support student behavior and social‑emotional learning.
• Partner with parents and caregivers to provide support, resources, and strategies that reinforce counseling goals at home.
• Participate in the Committee on Preschool Special Education process, including contributing to IEP development and progress reporting.
• Monitor and document student progress toward IEP counseling goals using data collection and teacher feedback.
• Maintain ongoing communication with school staff, CPSE teams, and families to support consistent, team‑based care.
• Participate in program meetings, supervision, and professional development related to early childhood mental health, SEL, and trauma‑informed practices.
• Ensure compliance with agency documentation requirements (session notes, billing, service verification).
• Exemplify Catholic Charities' mission, vision, values and policies and procedures.
• Adhere to high ethical standards, consistent with the Catholic Charities' Corporate Compliance Program, Code of Ethics, legal mandates & labor laws, NYS Justice Center, and other accreditation standards (e.g., COA, BBB).
• Actively participate in CCB program and department meetings and committees and in both agency-sponsored and Diocese-sponsored events; requiring non‑traditional hours.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Master's degree in social work, Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, or other related fields.
• Required licensure: LMSW, LCSW, LMHC‑p, LMHC, Licensed School Counselor (LSC), LMFT, or Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT).
• 3+ years of experience counseling children (ages 3‑10) with IEPs, focusing on emotional regulation, coping skills, behavior management, and social‑emotional learning.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel,…