Pros
Creativity with interventions and approach to working with children allows for flexibility and for staff to share their passions when the time allows for it. Emotionally the job can be rewarding at times. The common purpose of serving the children unites staff on shift. Free food for staff at meal times with children. Entry level opens doors with other organizations into government and non profit.
Cons
Staff turnover has been consistent since I worked here and I believe it’s because the business model worked for the founders but isn’t working as well now, with employees I know scraping by at best in this economy - even management. Other organizations in this field do not require bachelors degrees and pay $17 starting wage whereas Jasper Mountain pays $15 starting only if you have a bachelors degree. The main facility is out in the country side, which is a drive. Also beautiful, if it’s not fire season. Since managerial regime change in 2020 turnover has been massive. Most treatment team have been working for less than 1 year with only a handful of treatment team with experience over 3. Treatment team often has been left to manage the extremely challenging behaviors in the home with little support. Treatment team are often abused by the children: insulted, assaulted (sexually too), threatened, manipulated, yelled at, and children tend to make accusations against staff. Accusations, if escalated, can ruin careers and make it so someone isn’t able to work with children professionally, and/or fined, and/or otherwise. The State of Oregon is changing its approach to divert more children from residential programs as they have been found to be re-traumatizing (see Child Welfare Vision for Transformation in the State of Oregon.) Many children that come into the program are the most challenging nationally, and when they are all housed in the same place at the same time, a lot of things happen. Combined with a staff shortage, struggling support systems, and experience deficits and it’s pretty challenging. I have laid awake at night and suffered significant changes in my social-emotional state since working at Jasper. Through OHP or Kaiser, mental health services are somewhat slim; and many resources available for children are not available to staff. Like many work places, there is a clique or cliques and the politics add another layer of toxic to the environment. Newer staff check in about their experience with feeling “othered”; sort of like in Mean Girls. Support on shift can be sparse while friends talk and/or individuals are on their phones. The free food is often preprocessed and most of what is served I would not feed to my own children.