Grow Your Own School-Based SLP or SLPA Programs

What Is a Grow Your Own Program?

A grow your own (GYO) program is a partnership between a university and its local or state education authorities. The goal is to support the development of clinical skills of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and/or speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs) working in schools across the United States. GYO programs create a recruitment pipeline.

ASHA held a virtual focus group with seven professionals who have established successful GYO programs for SLPs and SLPAs in Arizona, Maryland, and Texas. The purpose of this focus group was to obtain information regarding

the process for initiating a GYO program;
the barriers encountered during program development; and
different strategies and tools that facilitated success.

The GYO programs that were represented have existed for 10–30 years. Most of the professionals we spoke with began their program in response to a need for more SLPs and SLPAs in schools. They did so by creating partnerships between school districts, their state’s Department of Education, and/or nearby universities.

Benefits

Two common benefits for GYO program participants include (1) getting paid as a school district employee while enrolled in a communication sciences and disorders program and (2) receiving tuition support.

Participating in a GYO typically leads to securing employment opportunities immediately after completing the program. Some GYO programs have a post-graduation requirement to work in the county or school district for a certain period (e.g., 1–3 years).

Also, some GYO programs prioritize bilingual applicants and provide bilingual SLP supervisors for their graduate extern experiences.

Challenges

Funding

Participants identified funding (e.g., grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the state department of education; local education authority budgets; donations from foundations) as the biggest challenge when starting their GYO.

Sustaining and Maintaining Relationships

Sustaining their GYO programs requires building and maintaining relationships with leaders in schools, departments of education, and universities.

Maintaining these relationships requires communication regarding

the program’s needs,
graduate clinicians’ performance, and
the identifying and training of supervising SLPs (among other things).

This requirement can be challenging as staff members leave an organization and as relationships with new staff are formed.

Looking to Start a GYO Program in Your Area?

The National Coalition on Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services (NCPSSERS) offers recorded presentations highlighting GYO programs. See these two resources:

Take Action! — On this webpage, NCPSSERS offers strategies, policy recommendations, recorded presentations, and success stories.
NCPSSERS website — NCPSSERS is a national coalition composed of more than 30 participating member organizations. Since 2006, the organization has addressed the issue of shortages in special education and related services personnel in schools.

The following states have been successful in establishing GYO programs for SLPs and SLPAs:

Arizona: Informal partnership with the Arizona Department of Education, Northern Arizona University, and the Yuma School District

- SLPAs: Jeff Meeks, Assistant Clinical Professor and SLPA Certificate Coordinator, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northern Arizona University (NAU)
- SLPs: Sandra Stewart, Coordinator of NAU’s Summer Track for SLPs

Maryland: Partnership between the University of Maryland and Montgomery County Public Schools

- SLPs: Kristin Slawson, Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education in Speech-Language Pathology, University of Maryland, and Shelley A. McAuliffe, Supervisor of Speech and Language Services for Montgomery County Public Schools

Ohio: Partnership between the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center and the University of Toledo

- SLPs: Jennifer Crum, Director of Student Services, Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center

South Carolina: Collaborative partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education, local education agencies, and 15 colleges

- SLPs: Joe Sutton, Director of the Centers for the Re-Education and Advancement of Teachers in Special Education and Related Services Personnel (CREATE)

Texas: Partnership between Texas Woman’s University and various school districts who wanted to sponsor a student

- SLPs: Cynthia B. Gill, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Communication Sciences and Oral Health, Texas Woman’s University

Texas: Partnership between Dallas Independent School District, The University of Texas at Dallas, and the Callier Center for Communication Disorders