MARIA PAULA GRACIA

(416) 706-2815
E-mail: mariapgracia11@gmail.com

Highlights of Qualifications

Strong verbal and written communication skills, including bilingual fluency in both English and Spanish
Proven ability to plan and implement programing for children and youth of different ages as well as
different multicultural backgrounds
Experience providing support to students who have identified behavioural difficulties
Student member of the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care, intending to pursue professional
designation

Education

Child and Youth Care Accelerated Diploma 2016-2017

Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Toronto, Ontario
Honours Standing

Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Studies 2012-2016

Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario

Certifications

Therapeutic Crisis Intervention training (TCI) 2017

Understanding and Managing Aggressive Behaviour (UMAB) 2017
Peel Region: Holistic Crisis Planning 2017
High Five: Principles of Healthy Child Development 2016
High Five: Health Minds for Healthy Children 2016
Standard First Aid and CPR C 2016
Worker Health and Safety Awareness - Ministry of Labour 2016

Relevant Experience

Child and Youth Worker (3rd Internship) September 2017 December 2017
Key Assets Foster Care
Provide support to the Child and Youth Workers and other staff
Worked with a variety of children with many different needs; from language barriers to FASD
Provided individualized daily living and educational supports for the different children under the
assigned case load
Created individualized program plans for the various children in my case load to help with therapeutic
counselling and behaviour management support
Attended and wrote various Plan of Care reports in different daily formats
Responsible for documenting and recording details about activities and visits daily
Responsible for running a 7-week life skills group for individuals over the age of 13 which focused
around communication skills and interview/job search preparation
Assisted running a 7-week life skills group for individuals under the age of 13 which focused around
social skills and emotional regulation
Child and Youth Counselor (2nd Internship) May 2017 - Present
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit - Brampton Civic Hospital
Provide support to the Child and Youth Counsellor(s) and to other staff in the different units
Assisted in running daily activities, therapeutic groups, and assess change in behavior on a daily basis
Assisted in running therapeutic groups, and developed my own 5 session Life Skills program based
around Self-Esteem
Assisted in performing behavioural assessments and mental status check ins
Completed admissions and discharges, upon discharge met with the patient and created an
individualized holistic crisis plan

Behavioural Teaching Assistant (1st Internship) January 2017 April 2017

Hillside Public School, Grade 4 Peel District School Board
Provided support to the Behavioural Teaching Assistant and other staff
Assisted students with identified behavioural issues during their daily school day by working with them
one-on-one, and well as in group settings
Familiar with the Zones of Regulation curriculum, and its use and implementation
Planned, executed, and implemented programming for students with behavioural issues to develop and
improve social, emotional, and cognitive skills
Assisted teacher in running lessons and activities for the class with a focus on improving social and
emotional skills

Other Experience

Administrative Assistant 2009 Present

City of Toronto: Parks, Forestry and Recreation
Addressing the needs for recreation programs for youth, leading to positive youth development and
interaction within communities
Interacting with more than 600 part time staff on a daily/weekly basis, providing support/guidance with
issues such as workplace violence, staff and patron abuse, child abuse, work refusals, staff and patron
injuries, inclusion and resolved employee conflict when necessary
Assisted with the hiring and staffing of more than 150 part time summer staff ensuring all hiring
paperwork was completed and staff were signed up for trainings, as well as helping newly hired staff
with any questions or concerns

Cultural Assistant 2015-2016

Brock University, ESL Program
In charge of running various activities for the ESL students, with co-workers and individually
Organized and executed programs to help youth from different cultures and countries integrate in a
positive manner into their new community
Gave informative presentations to the students/youth to better facilitate their understanding of the
different resources available to them

Human Resources Team Member September 2014 May 2015

Target Canada
Supported the Store Leader by executing time and attendance processing, compliance, schedule editing,
payroll processing, and other HR related tasks
Responsible for creating, handling, and promoting fun team building activities for the entire store
Completed administrative tasks including: reviewing reports, scheduling edits, processing payroll,
submitting webforms, researching team member issues, and auditing and reviewing team member data