Paraprofessional Staffing in Delaware
FocusedEDU places instructional paraeducators, service paraeducators, 1:1 aides, and RBTs in Delaware districts and charter schools, with our deepest record at Odyssey Public Charter School in Wilmington. Every candidate is matched to the right Delaware Paraeducator Permit, cleared through the SBI, the FBI, and the Child Protection Registry, and paid weekly.
- 95%
- Day-to-day fill rate at Odyssey Public Charter School, on the weekly-pay model our paras work under
- +40%
- Improvement over the school's previous staffing provider
- 120+
- Roles filled at Odyssey, including paraprofessionals and 1:1 aides
- $0
- Fee to hire a FocusedEDU para as your permanent employee
Roles we help fill
- Instructional paraeducators
- Service paraeducators
- 1:1 aides
- Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs)
- Special education aides
- Behavior support aides
- Substitute paraeducators
What Delaware schools need from a paraprofessional partner
Delaware permits every paraeducator. The state's regulation requires a Paraeducator Permit of all instructional and service paraeducators regardless of when they were hired, so a school cannot fill an aide vacancy with anyone available — it needs someone who already qualifies for the right permit, or who can document a route to it quickly.
The talent market makes that harder. Delaware is three counties sitting between the much larger Philadelphia and Baltimore job markets, which recruit from the same pool, and Wilmington is one of the most charter-dense landscapes in the region. Charters that draw students from several districts at once carry heavy loads of one-on-one aides, special education aides, and behavior support staff, usually without a district HR office behind them. A partner has to deliver permit-ready paraeducators and keep them showing up.
How FocusedEDU staffs Delaware paraprofessionals
Delaware is where our record is deepest. At Odyssey Public Charter School in Wilmington we have filled 120+ roles since 2021, including one-on-one aides and paraprofessionals. Our paras are paid weekly, every Friday, by direct deposit or Cash App, and they pick up and swap shifts in a mobile app instead of waiting on a 5 a.m. phone call. That is why the pool stays active in February, not just September.
Our para screen probes what predicts whether an assignment holds: real de-escalation experience — what the candidate actually did the last time a student escalated; honest comfort with personal-care duties, asked directly; familiarity with IEP data collection; and a reliability history we verify with prior schools, because on a 1:1 assignment the para's absence is the crisis. We work with one client per region, so the paraeducators we recruit for your part of Delaware are never offered to the school competing with you for the same families. Our automated credentialing tracks every permit, SBI and FBI report, and registry check, and cuts typical time-to-hire roughly in half. Every placement is temp-to-perm at no cost — exactly the clause Odyssey's CEO put in writing. Christina School District and Brandywine School District are also on our client list.
For substitutes, see substitute teacher staffing in Delaware; for special education teachers and related services, see Delaware special education and K-12 staffing.
Delaware Paraeducator Permit requirements
Delaware requires a Paraeducator Permit of every instructional and service paraeducator, regardless of employment date, under 14 DE Admin. Code 1517. An instructional permit takes a high school diploma plus a ParaPro score of 459 or higher, 60 semester hours of college, an associate degree, or an RBT or ABAT certificate. A service permit takes a high school diploma.
The regulation draws the line between the two permits by duties. An instructional paraeducator is a public school employee who "provides one-on-one or small group instruction; assists with classroom management or individual student behavior," supports a computer lab or library, assists with "functional skill activities, such as personal care or assistive technology," or provides instructional services "under the direct supervision of a teacher" — and the definition expressly includes Registered Behavior Technicians and Applied Behavior Analysis Technicians. A service paraeducator "provides support services other than instructional assistance to students, but does not include bus aides" (source: 14 DE Admin. Code 1517, § 2.0).
Instructional Paraeducator Permit
An applicant qualifies through one of five routes: a high school diploma or equivalent plus a minimum score of 459 on the ParaPro Assessment; at least two years of postsecondary instruction, defined as a minimum of 60 semester hours (or 48 where the institution defines two full-time years that way), with grades of C or better and no developmental or remedial courses; an associate's degree or higher reflecting at least two years of full-time college-level study; a Registered Behavior Technician certificate from the BACB; or an Applied Behavior Analysis Technician certificate (source: 14 DE Admin. Code 1517, § 4.0).
Service Paraeducator Permit and renewal
A service permit requires a high school diploma or its equivalent. Either permit is issued for five years and may be renewed for another five-year term when the paraeducator completes 15 clock hours of professional development during the current term. Applicants must disclose their criminal conviction history when they apply (source: 14 DE Admin. Code 1517, §§ 5.0-10.0). The instructional routes line up with the federal Title I standard in 34 CFR 200.58, which requires two years of college, an associate degree, or a formal academic assessment for instructional paraprofessionals in Title I programs (source: 34 CFR 200.58).
Delaware clearances for paraeducators
Delaware requires a fingerprinted Delaware and national criminal background check through the State Bureau of Identification and the FBI, plus a Child Protection Registry check through the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, for every employee, contractor, and volunteer with direct access to students at a public or charter school.
The operative regulation, 14 DE Admin. Code § 745, applies to "Employee, Contractors or Volunteers of a Child Serving Entity" (source: 14 DE Admin. Code § 745), so agency paraeducators clear exactly what a direct hire clears. Our credentialing system completes the SBI, FBI, and registry checks, documents the permit route, and tracks every expiration before a paraeducator is shortlisted.
Proof: a 95% day-to-day fill rate on the model our paras work under
In Wilmington, at Odyssey Public Charter School, FocusedEDU's weekly-pay, shift-app model sustains a 95% day-to-day fill rate — a 40%+ improvement over the school's previous provider — in a partnership since 2021 that has filled 120+ roles, including one-on-one aides and paraprofessionals.
Odyssey Public Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware serves more than 1,000 K-8 students drawn from five districts and protects a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. When the agencies already under contract could not fill its open roles, Odyssey brought in FocusedEDU in 2021. We have since made 120+ placements across 13+ role types — one-on-one aides, paraprofessionals, substitute and certified teachers, SLPs, OTs, PTs, psychologists, reading specialists, bus drivers, and support staff — and day-to-day coverage runs at a 95% fill rate, a 40%+ improvement over the previous provider. Odyssey's CEO, Elias Pappas, credits the temp-to-perm clause in his letter of recommendation: the school evaluates every professional before making a permanent hire, at no cost. Read the full Odyssey Public Charter School case study.
For paraeducators looking for work in Delaware
Paraeducators who work with FocusedEDU in Delaware are paid weekly, every Friday, by direct deposit or Cash App, and choose shifts in a mobile app. One application puts you in front of the partner schools we staff, and a school can hire you permanently with no conversion fee.
For an instructional role you will need a high school diploma plus a ParaPro score of 459, 60 college credits, an associate degree, or an RBT or ABAT certificate; for a service role, a high school diploma. We tell you which permit route fits your background and walk you through the SBI, FBI, and registry checks. Browse current openings and apply on our candidates page.
Need paraeducators in Delaware?
Start with a free 30-minute discovery call or send your openings by email. We map your 1:1, classroom, and behavior support assignments and the permit each requires, then build a paraeducator pipeline for your school alone — one client per region, temp-to-perm at no cost.
Book a discovery call or send a staffing request — our team responds within 48 hours. See also paraprofessional staffing in Pennsylvania and paraprofessional staffing in Maryland, or go back to paraprofessional staffing for K-12 schools.
Documentation we coordinate for an approved start
The applicable checklist depends on the role, state, and your organization’s requirements.
- Delaware Instructional or Service Paraeducator Permit route documented under 14 DE Admin. Code 1517
- ParaPro score, college transcript, associate degree, or RBT / ABAT certificate on file for instructional roles
- Fingerprinted Delaware (SBI) and national (FBI) criminal background check
- Child Protection Registry check through DSCYF
- TB test and vaccination documentation
- Reference checks with prior schools, including attendance history
- De-escalation and personal-care screening matched to the assignment
“Their innovative temp-to-perm clause has allowed us to assess the suitability of referred professionals before making permanent hiring decisions, all at no cost to the school. This flexibility has been instrumental in ensuring our staffing needs are met with the highest level of quality.”
How an engagement works
Free 30-minute discovery call
We map your para and aide openings building by building — 1:1 IEP assignments, classroom paras, personal care, and behavior support — and the qualifications and clearances each one requires.
We source, screen, and credential
Every candidate is interviewed by us, cleared, reference-checked with prior schools, and screened for de-escalation and personal-care comfort before their name reaches your desk.
You choose from a vetted shortlist
Your principals and case managers interview fully cleared candidates and decide who sits beside your students.
We stay through the placement
Weekly pay and a shift app keep your aides showing up. Hire any para permanently at no conversion fee.
Common questions.
Do paraprofessionals need a permit in Delaware?
Yes. 14 DE Admin. Code 1517 requires a Paraeducator Permit of all instructional and service paraeducators, regardless of their employment date. Instructional paraeducators hold an Instructional Paraeducator Permit; paraeducators who provide non-instructional support hold a Service Paraeducator Permit. Bus aides are not service paraeducators.
What ParaPro score do you need in Delaware?
459 or higher, together with a high school diploma or equivalent, for the Instructional Paraeducator Permit. The ParaPro is one of five routes; 60 semester hours of college, an associate degree, an RBT certificate, or an ABAT certificate also qualify.
Can an RBT work as a paraeducator in Delaware?
Yes. Delaware's definition of instructional paraeducator expressly includes Registered Behavior Technicians and Applied Behavior Analysis Technicians, and an RBT certificate from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board is one of the routes to the Instructional Paraeducator Permit.
How long is a Delaware Paraeducator Permit valid?
Five years. The permit can be renewed for another five-year term when the paraeducator completes 15 clock hours of professional development during the current term. An expired permit can be reissued with 15 clock hours completed within the five years before applying.
What background checks do Delaware paraeducators need?
A fingerprinted Delaware and national criminal background check through the State Bureau of Identification and the FBI, plus a Child Protection Registry check through DSCYF, under 14 DE Admin. Code § 745. The rule covers employees, contractors, and volunteers, so agency paraeducators clear the same checks.
What has FocusedEDU done for Delaware schools?
At Odyssey Public Charter School in Wilmington we have filled 120+ roles since 2021, including one-on-one aides and paraprofessionals, with day-to-day coverage at a 95% fill rate — a 40%+ improvement over the previous provider. We work with one client per region, and every placement is temp-to-perm at no cost.
Need staffing support for hard-to-fill roles?
Contact Focused Staffing Group to discuss your current and upcoming needs — or plan ahead and build a stronger candidate pipeline before openings become emergencies.
Responsive · Compliance-minded · Focused on hard-to-fill roles