COTA

• Location: Near Libertyville, Illinois
• Type: Contract
• Job #2962

Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA)
Mundelein & Gurnee, IL Area  |  Two School-Based Sites
Pay: $35–$45 per hour, based on experience
Schedule: 5 days per week, combined across two sites

• Mundelein site: 3 days/week, 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM (30-minute unpaid lunch) — specialized K-12 therapeutic school
• Gurnee site: 2 days/week, 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM (30-minute unpaid break) — elementary autism support classroom, PreK-2

Start Date: August 17, 2026  |  Full 2026/27 School Year
Setting: In-person, two school-based sites  |  Hired through: Spotter

This role is for a COTA who wants variety, consistency, and a full-time school-year schedule without gaps. You'll split your week across two purpose-built programs: three anchor days in a sensory-friendly, purpose-built K-12 therapeutic school, and two anchor days in a structured PreK-2 autism support classroom inside a general education elementary school. Both sites give you strong wraparound support — 1:1 or team-based staffing, dedicated behavior support, and an OT team you can lean on. You'll work under the direction of experienced supervising Occupational Therapists at each site, implementing individualized treatment plans rather than building them alone. If you want full-time hours, real variety across age ranges, and summers and school holidays off, keep reading.

Mundelein Site — K-12 Specialized Therapeutic School (3 days/week)
Serves students in grades K-12 with significant language, communication, and sensory needs, commonly associated with autism spectrum learning needs. The building is purpose-designed for regulation and independence.

• 1:1 staffing: every student receives individualized support — you're never managing a session alone.
• Dedicated behavior support team available throughout the day; students have individualized BIPs.
• Sensory-friendly building with visual supports and communication boards throughout.
• Push-in service model to support skill generalization in the classroom.
• Many students use individualized AAC devices; supporting student voice is central.
• Strong life-skills and transition focus: community-based instruction, work-break-work schedules, vocational readiness.
• Full related services team on site: OTs, COTAs, SLPs, PT, social workers, psychologist, adaptive PE, vocational facilitator, nursing. The cooperative employs 15+ OTs/COTAs.

Gurnee Site — Elementary Autism Support Classroom, PreK-2 (2 days/week)
A specialized autism support classroom inside a general education elementary school, serving PreK-2nd graders in a structured, visually supported environment.

• Push-in service model delivered directly in the classroom.
• Team-based classroom alongside special education teachers, paraprofessionals, SLPs, and social workers.
• Part of a cooperative employing 15+ OTs/COTAs for peer support.
• Many students use AAC devices; communication-driven frustration behaviors are common, and classroom staff lead behavior management.
• Focus areas: sensory regulation, fine motor development, motor planning, self-help/life skills, and mainstream participation (lunch, art, PE, music).

Across both sites, all services are IEP-driven and delivered under the direction and supervision of the site's Occupational Therapist(s), consistent with Illinois COTA supervision requirements.

At Mundelein, expect higher-support students: significant sensory dysregulation, limited verbal communication, self-stimulatory behaviors, and communication-frustration behaviors. Your work centers on carrying out sensory regulation programming, fine and functional motor activities, self-care/ADL skills (dressing, feeding, hygiene), and vocational-readiness activities for older students, all under OT direction. At Gurnee, expect younger learners with sensory seeking/avoidance, transition difficulty, and task refusal — your work centers on fine motor and pre-writing skill-building, motor planning, self-help skills, and supporting participation in mainstream activities.

• Sensory & regulation implementation: Implementing individualized sensory programming and regulation strategies designed by the supervising OT, across both a K-12 and a PreK-2 caseload.
• Functional life skills & ADL support: Delivering fine motor, motor planning, and self-care/ADL interventions per OT-directed plans, including vocational-readiness support for older students.
• Documentation & data collection: Collecting data, tracking progress toward IEP goals, and documenting service delivery accurately in coordination with the supervising OT and each student's BIP.

• Composure under intensity: Staying calm, consistent, and safe through escalations and dysregulation across two different student populations.
• Collaboration: Working in lockstep with supervising OTs, teachers, paras, and behavior specialists at two different sites and teams.
• Adaptability: Shifting comfortably between a K-12 push-in model and a PreK-2 classroom model within the same week.

• Current Illinois COTA (Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant) license in good standing.
• Experience with autism and/or students with significant disabilities strongly preferred.
• Comfortable working under the direction and supervision of a licensed Occupational Therapist per Illinois supervision guidelines.
• Crisis prevention training (CPI, NCI, or similar) a plus — training support available.
• Ability to pass background check and meet each school's onboarding requirements.

You'll be hired and supported by Spotter, with a dedicated point of contact, transparent communication about your placement, and a team that knows school-based staffing. We set you up to succeed before day one and stay in your corner all year.

Ready to learn more? Apply today — interviews are underway now for an August 17 start.