Shelby Layne

“The best part of working here, for me, will always be seeing a student excel in any way.” –Shelby Layne

Shelby began working at Heartspring in January 2005 as a paraeducator in the group homes. Recently she was promoted to one of only two staff trainers, and along with her co-worker Keith Robinson, is responsible for training all incoming direct care staff on Heartspring policies, safety guidelines, many techniques to reduce student behaviors and also a variety of trainings and certifications to current staff. The responsibilities of a staff trainer are broad and far-reaching, but Shelby is excited about her new role.

Shelby started her career at Heartspring in Group Home Four and later transferred to Group Home Three where she applied to and was accepted into the peer mentor program. As a peer mentor, it was Shelby’s responsibility to train all incoming paraeducators in her group home on basic policies and procedures and how to implement student support plans. The peer mentor also serves as a single reference point that all other paraeducators in the group home can look to for advice and guidance. 

Her success as a peer mentor led Shelby to apply for an open supervisory position in the group homes. In October 2010 she was promoted to the home coordinator assistant position in Group Home Two. This position functions as an assistant supervisor, performing a multitude of supervisory tasks including employee discipline, meeting and conferring with parents, and coordinating with school administrative staff to schedule air travel for students traveling home during the holidays. Home coordinator assistants are also expected to work directly with students in the group homes, just like paraeducators.  Shelby served in this capacity for almost a year before she applied for and was promoted to the position of staff trainer.

Shelby’s motivation to grow at Heartspring has always revolved around student progress and being an integral component of that progress. “I have been able to be a part of so many success stories at Heartspring,” Shelby recalls. “I have been able to see a student who was so destructive to their own body and others around them begin to communicate needs and wants with staff and decrease those self-injurious behaviors over time.”                  

Over the course of her almost seven year career at Heartspring, Shelby Layne has run the gamut of experiences. She has worked every shift available, worked in half the group homes on campus, and even flown children home on several occasions. She has navigated her way through every kind of behavior imaginable and always with positive outcomes for the students she serves. As a peer mentor and home coordinator assistant, Shelby brought her vast knowledge and provided advice and guidance to all of the staff that worked with her.

As Shelby embarks on her newest phase at Heartspring, her co-worker, Keith Robinson, expresses his excitement. “I worked with Shelby years ago and I feel so lucky to get the chance to work with her again. Shelby is smart, organized, and hardworking; but most of all she has a passion for the children we serve and strives to do her best for them every day she is here.”