Paraeducators are key members of the special education team. Today's paraeducator may be found in a pre-kindergarten class for children with special needs, out in the community, serving as a job coach for a student with developmental disabilities, in a resource room for adolescents with learning disabilities, or in a 4th-grade classroom that contains some students with and without special needs. In short, paraeducators are present in most educational settings under the supervision of the teacher, and they have skills and contributions that make them highly valued.

Paraeducators share many similar qualities:

• enjoyment of children 
• willingness to assist and support the teacher 
• dedicated to helping students 
• flexible and resourceful 
• collaborate well with teachers and other paraeducators.