March 6, 2020

For more than forty years, The New England Center for Children (NECC) has not only been leading the way in autism research and education, but also in establishing a culture of work-life balance that supports women and men throughout their careers.

NECC’s support system for young teachers includes extensive training, robust professional development offerings, onsite graduate degree programs, tuition reimbursement and a strong network of educational and clinical mentors.

For employees with families, NECC offers an onsite daycare and preschool classroom, generous insurance benefits, paid time off and flexibility with schedules when the workload allows. These efforts help create a diverse and inclusive work environment and contribute to the longevity of staff who have been with the Center their entire career.

On International Women’s Day (March 8), we celebrate the women who helped build and grow NECC from a program serving six students in 1975 to the tens of thousands helped today. Women represent more than 73% of NECC’s total staff and are evidence of our progressive vision. The result of this culture of equality and empowerment is an impressive track record of staff retention rates, especially at the director-level. Of the 42 female employees with director-level positions, 22 have been with NECC more than 20 years, and 16 others for more than a decade.

While some have progressed to leadership roles at NECC, many who began their careers here have joined the faculties of colleges and universities across the country. Others are leading classrooms in public and private K-12 schools using the award-winning curriculum developed at NECC. In fact, three women have established ABA programs far from the Center–in Iceland, Ghana and Brazil.

Investing in the staff who bring their passion for improving children’s lives to work every day has benefited their careers, transformed the lives of thousands of children with autism and their families, and has made NECC a truly inspiring place to work.

About The New England Center for Children

The New England Center for Children® (NECC®) is an award-winning autism education center and research institute. Our community of teachers, researchers, and clinicians have transformed the lives of thousands of children with autism worldwide through education, research, and technology. The Center provides comprehensive services to maximize independence: home-based, day, and residential programs, partner classrooms in public school systems, consulting services, the ACE® ABA Software System (www.acenecc.org), teacher professional development, and research on educational best practices.

NECC is committed to staff professional development, partnering with local colleges to provide on-site graduate training and degrees at little to no cost to the NECC teacher. The result is a growing pool of exceptional teachers trained in best-in-class methodologies, whether they continue their careers at NECC or move on to public schools or private agencies. The New England Center for Children is based in Southborough, MA, and operates a center in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Learn more at www.necc.org.

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