Young Sprouts Therapy is looking for an experienced, warm, and collaborative Pediatric Occupational Therapist to join our growing child, teen and family-focused practice in Thornhill.
We are seeking an OT who genuinely enjoys working with children and families and takes a play-based, strengths-focused and family-centred approach to care.
This is a part-time, in-person role with approximately 5–12 clinical hours per week. Applicants must be available for a minimum of 5 hours per week in person at our Thornhill clinic. Sunday availability is strongly preferred.
The Ideal Candidate
Our ideal Occupational Therapist has meaningful pediatric experience and is comfortable assessing and treating a broad range of functional, developmental, sensory and participation-related concerns.
We are particularly interested in an OT who works collaboratively with parents and caregivers and can provide practical strategies that carry over into the child's home, school and community environments.
Experience should include many of the following areas:
- Fine motor development
- Handwriting, printing and pencil grasp
- Visual-motor integration
- Gross motor skills
- Balance and coordination
- Bilateral coordination
- Motor planning and praxis
- Core strength and postural control
- Sensory processing and sensory regulation
- Attention, organization and executive functioning
- Self-regulation
- Activities of daily living and self-care
- Dressing and clothing fasteners
- Toileting-related independence
- Hygiene routines
- Feeding and mealtime participation
- Utensil use and independent eating
- Visual perception and visual-spatial skills
- School and classroom participation
- Play and recreational participation
- Development of greater independence in everyday routines
Pediatric Experience
The successful candidate should be comfortable working with children and teens with a range of needs and developmental profiles, which may include:
- ADHD
- Autism
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
- Sensory processing differences
- Developmental delays
- Fine and gross motor difficulties
- Motor planning challenges
- Feeding and mealtime difficulties
- Attention and executive functioning challenges
- Cerebral palsy
- Down syndrome
- Other developmental, neurological or functional concerns
We value clinicians who focus on the individual child's functional needs and strengths rather than treating a diagnosis alone.
Parent & Caregiver Collaboration
Family involvement is an important part of our approach.
The Occupational Therapist should be comfortable:
- Providing parent and caregiver coaching
- Helping families understand their child's strengths and challenges
- Developing practical strategies for use at home
- Supporting parents with sensory, feeding, self-care and routine-related concerns
- Providing realistic home programming when appropriate
- Collaborating with caregivers to develop meaningful functional goals
- Helping families adapt environments and routines to improve participation and independence
School-Based Support
Experience supporting school participation is also valued, including:
- Handwriting and classroom fine motor skills
- Attention and organization
- Sensory needs in the classroom
- Classroom seating and participation
- Visual-motor and visual-perceptual skills
- School routines and independence
- Providing practical recommendations for educators and school teams when appropriate
Additional Assets
Additional training or experience in any of the following would be considered an asset:
- Sensory integration approaches
- Pediatric feeding therapy
- Advanced feeding training
- Executive functioning interventions
- Neurodiversity-affirming pediatric practice
- Trauma-informed care
- Emotional regulation and interoception
- Developmental and relationship-based approaches
- Assistive devices or adaptive equipment
- Environmental modification
- Social participation and play skills
- Experience collaborating with psychotherapists, social workers, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, physiotherapists, physicians, educators or other members of a child's care team
We welcome clinicians who bring additional pediatric OT specialties that could expand the services available to Young Sprouts families.
Responsibilities
The Pediatric Occupational Therapist will:
- Complete pediatric occupational therapy assessments
- Develop individualized, functional treatment plans and goals
- Provide engaging, play- and activity-based intervention
- Provide ongoing pediatric OT treatment
- Monitor progress and modify treatment plans as needed
- Provide parents and caregivers with practical recommendations and strategies
- Maintain timely and professional clinical documentation
- Communicate clearly with families regarding goals and progress
- Provide recommendations for home and school when appropriate
- Collaborate with other professionals involved in a child's care with appropriate consent
- Maintain professional, ethical and regulatory standards of practice
Qualifications
Applicants must:
- Hold a Master's degree or equivalent qualification in Occupational Therapy
- Be registered and in good standing with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO)
- Have professional liability insurance as required for practice
- Have experience working with children and/or adolescents
- Be comfortable working closely with parents and caregivers
- Be able to provide services in person at our Thornhill clinic
- Be available for a minimum of 5 clinical hours per week
Previous pediatric OT experience is strongly preferred.
Sunday availability is strongly preferred.
Schedule
- 5–12 clinical hours per week
- Part-time
- Flexible scheduling
- In-person at our Thornhill clinic
- Minimum commitment of approximately 5 hours per week
- Sunday availability strongly preferred
- Opportunity to increase caseload as demand grows
Compensation
$90–$110 per hour, depending on experience, training and qualifications.
About Young Sprouts Therapy
Young Sprouts Therapy is a growing child, teen and family-focused practice located in Thornhill, serving families throughout Vaughan, Richmond Hill and surrounding York Region communities.
Our team includes clinicians from multiple disciplines who share a commitment to compassionate, evidence-informed and individualized care.
We believe children make the greatest progress when treatment considers the whole child and the environments and relationships that shape their everyday lives. Our clinicians work collaboratively with children, parents and families to develop practical strategies that support meaningful change at home, at school and in the community.
We are looking for an Occupational Therapist who shares this philosophy and would like to become part of a warm, collaborative and growing practice.
If you are an experienced pediatric OT who enjoys helping children build confidence, independence and participation in everyday life, we would love to hear from you.
Pay: $90.00-$110.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Flexible schedule
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
