Why Working As A Direct Care Professional Is the Best Job For Moms Returning To Work
You’re a stay-at-home mom considering returning to work. Congratulations! However, we know that decision comes with mixed feelings. It’s a big deal to go from stay-at-home mom to working mother. You’ve poured so much time, love, and care into being home with your children. The change might leave you feeling nervous, but we’re excited as you consider what this next phase of life could look like. Like other moms who’ve re-entered the workforce, you probably have a lot of questions:
Common Questions From Moms Returning To Work:
- Will I find a flexible job that fits the needs of my family?
- Will the skills I gained as a stay-at-home mom transfer when I re-enter the workforce?
- Will there be jobs that are close to my home?
- Will this job benefit my family?
- Will this job be worth it?
Don’t let nervousness and uncertainty hold you back. You are capable of more than you think and there are jobs that fulfill all of those needs. At ACR Homes, the perfect job for moms returning to work is our Direct Care Professional position.
What is a Direct Care Professional?
ACR Homes is a group home company located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area of Minnesota. ACR Homes is a provider of personalized and high-quality direct patient care for adults with disabilities. Direct Care Professionals receive thorough and paid healthcare training to care for the physical, medical, and emotional needs of the residents we support and so no previous experience is required. You will be responsible for administering medications, working with medical equipment, assisting with therapies, helping residents through their daily routines, preparing and enjoying meals together, engaging in fun activities, and advocating for the residents on doctor appointments, community outings, and with their family and friends. This rewarding and flexible job provides an easy transition for moms returning to work because you can use the skills gained during stay-at-home mom life to care for our residents.
THE TOP 5 REASONS WHY WORKING AS A DIRECT CARE PROFESSIONAL IS THE PERFECT JOB FOR MOMS RETURNING TO WORK
1. FLEXIBLE HOURS THAT MEET YOUR FAMILY NEEDS
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or working mother, family is your number one priority. Re-entering the workforce as a Direct Care Professional will allow you the flexibility you need to keep it that way. You can work with your supervisor to find a full-time or part-time schedule offering you work-life balance and flexibility to meet your family’s needs. There’s no set requirement for working a specific type of shift each week, and all that we ask is for part-time employees to maintain at least 12 – 16 hours/week and for full-time employees to work at least 38 hours/week.
Flexible shift examples for moms returning to work:
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- Weekday mornings, afternoons, evenings, and overnights (both awake & asleep)
- Weekend mornings, afternoons, evenings, and overnights (both awake & asleep)
2. REPURPOSE YOUR LIFE SKILLS
Whether you have a degree or not, have held a job before or haven’t, at ACR Homes your character is more important than your work experience. Everyone has varied life experience, but there’s one thing that moms have in common; their ability to care. If you’re someone who intrinsically values, respects, cares, and empathizes with others, you’re on the right path and we encourage you to repurpose your life skills as you re-enter the workforce. Your experience as a Mom will help you thrive as a Direct Care Professional.
3. WORK CLOSE TO HOME
One of the huge benefits of being a stay-at-home mom is that you don’t have a morning commute! No doubt it doesn’t sound that appealing as you’re contemplating going back to work. Thankfully, ACR Homes has 40+ group home locations spread throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area of Minnesota. That means there’s likely one in your community or close to where you live. When someone is hired, we find a group home location based on the following 3 things:
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- Your location
- The hours you initially want to work
- Your personality
It’s our desire to find a great fit for each employee so that you enjoy your job. The residents at ACR Homes receive the best quality patient care when our employees like where they work, and we’re always striving to provide them with the best quality of life possible. You can feel confident in the fact that once you’re hired, our HR professionals will work to find you a great location.
Where are the group homes of ACR Homes located?
There are 40+ group home locations throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area of Minnesota.
Andover
Arden Hills
Brooklyn Center
Brooklyn Park
Coon Rapids
Eagan
Eden Prairie
Golden Valley
Lakeville
Little Canada
Maple Grove
Maplewood
Mounds View
New Brighton
North St. Paul
Plymouth
Robbinsdale
Roseville
Shoreview
St. Anthony
Stillwater
Woodbury
4. BUILD FRIENDSHIPS OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOME
One of the biggest reasons Moms return to work is because they’re ready to do something outside of their home. With that change comes opportunities to socialize with co-workers and build friendships. At ACR Homes, not only will you get the chance to find once-in-a-lifetime friendships with the residents, but you’ll be part of an amazing team of employees. Once hired, you will work at 1 group home location with a team of 10 – 20 co-workers. Additionally, there are various opportunities throughout the years to gather with our 1000+ employees through fun companywide events like:
- Employee Appreciation Day - Each summer, all of the ACR Homes employees are celebrated for their hard work and dedication at this outdoor event. We bring in food trucks, bounce houses, a petting zoo, a band, and have activities set up for employees and their families to enjoy.
- The Halloween Dance – Residents, employees, and their families can enjoy this fun Halloween party held at the Roseville, MN high school gym. Everyone comes decked out in their best Halloween gear and dances the night away.
- Homecoming Week – Each year we simulate the homecoming experience for our residents through a week of fun activities like bingo and craft days, karaoke, face painting, and more. All of this leads up to a formal dance where athletes from universities like Concordia University and the University of Minnesota join us for a fun night celebrating the residents at ACR Homes.
- Holiday Brunch – During the winter holiday season, our veteran staff and their families are invited to join us for a winter brunch filled with tasty breakfast, presents, and a holiday presentation.
5. ENHANCE YOUR FAMILY LIFE EXPERIENCES
We hear time and time again that employees start at ACR Homes because of the unique work experience offered, but they stay because of the relationships built with the residents. Many employees have invited residents to their weddings, college graduations, and even family gatherings. ACR Homes is unique because the residents you are caring for have so much to offer back.
Expand the world-view of your children
We encourage you to allow your experience working with the residents at ACR Homes to enhance the life experience of your family. Although family members don’t join mom for shifts at the group home, they’re welcome to meet you out in the community to build friendships with the residents and join in on fun activities.
Brianna Palkki, working mother and Marketing Manager at ACR Homes said, “giving my children the experience of interacting with people who are different than them is invaluable. We’re all more similar than we are different, and my kids are learning that from a young age. It makes me immensely proud to see that my son’s not afraid of someone who is differently abled, but befriends them. That’s the way it should always be in my opinion. The life experience my son gains as a result of my job at ACR Homes is so special.”
Earn extra income
Not only will your family benefit from the personal relationships built with our residents, but we’re living with the highest levels of inflation we’ve ever seen. Earning extra income for your family is a huge benefit. Direct Care Professionals working at ACR Homes received wage increases during the fall of 2022. Wages are based on which shifts you work. Our highest wages are paid to people working shifts on weekends and during overnight hours.
- Part-time Direct Care Professionals earn $15 - $21/hour
- Full-time Direct Care Professionals earn $17 - $23/hour
- Residential Supervisors earn $45,000+ / year.
- The Residential Supervisor role is a full-time salaried and career level role starting at $45,000/year, has a hiring bonus available, and comes with an optional rent & utility free apartment for the supervisor and their family to live in (valued at an additional $24,000 annually)
For all of these reasons and more, we hope you’ll enjoy the transition out of stay-at-home mom life to becoming a Direct Care Professional and working mother. It doesn’t have to feel hard, scary, or unbearable. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll even enjoy your return to work. Because for the right job, it’s not a sacrifice, but a benefit to your life and the people in your family.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Click to apply or learn more about the Direct Care Professional position providing personalized and high quality patient care for people with disabilities living in the group homes at ACR Homes within the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area of Minnesota.