Posted on March 19, 2025
A wonderful attitude and solid job skills keep her growing in her career.
Karen Mottern (right) and Janelle Shaffer, Director of Keystone Kids Early Learning Center and Karen’s direct supervisor on the job.
Karen Mottern joined Penn-Mar Human Services’ Day Program in 2008 and moved into one of the nonprofit’s homes in 2014. Though very active in the organization’s Day Program, she didn’t know how much she would enjoy working until she started part-time in 2017 as a Dining Room Attendant for Chick-fil-A in Cockeysville, MD.
To prepare for this assignment she worked with Penn-Mar’s team of job developers and employment staff who guided her through the program’s Exploration & Discovery (E&D) process to identify her passions, talents, and skills.
The Chick-fil-A position was ideal, given her gregarious nature and team spirit, but unfortunately, Karen was laid off from her job like so many others during the COVID pandemic.
Anxious to return to the workforce, she continued interacting with her employment team, including Employment Coordinator Marion Dyke, DSP-1, who found the perfect paid position for her at Keystone Kids Early Learning Center, just down the road from Penn-Mar’s headquarters in New Freedom, PA.
An independently owned and operated educational childcare facility, Keystone Kids Early Learning Center is designed and dedicated to the educational experience and overall development of each child it supports.
And while Karen’s role there involves custodial duties rather than interaction with the children, their presence brings immense joy to her shifts.
Marion serves as Karen’s job coach one morning a week where she can observe the quality of her performance and also identify new assignments that will help her improve her skills and take some of the non-core work off the busy staff at the learning center.
“Karen has very good cleaning skills,” said Marion. “These skills have grown over time, and she is more than willing to learn new tasks. Since joining the center last June, we have added several new assignments to her list as she became faster completing her original duties.”
In addition to cleaning the glass on windows and doors, Karen folds and stores rags, puts away cups, dry mops and dust busts the floors, and dusts surfaces.
Once she mastered these skills, she added trash can lid cleaning and disinfecting the 6-seat strollers to her list.
Health and wellness are big priorities at the center. With so many children congregating during flu season, Karen is now disinfecting both the large and small toys the children play with to keep the germs at bay.
“Karen helps keep our building in tip-top shape,” said Janelle Shaffer, Director of Keystone Kids Early Learning Center. “She is very independent and diligent about her responsibilities. She follows through with her list and is one of the happiest people. She is always in a good mood, always taking time to greet the teachers, staff and children, and tells us after every shift how much she enjoys being part of the Keystone family.”
Karen does indeed appreciate the opportunity to work at the Learning Center. “I love kids and was hoping for a job where I could be around them,” she says.
When she is not working, Karen is assembling 1000-piece puzzles with her wide circle of friends at the Day Program and spending time with her long-time boyfriend, Guy. In April she will be a runway model at a Fashion Show collaboration between Penn-Mar and fashion and design students at Jemicy School in Owings Mills, MD.
“We are very thankful for the employers and local businesses who hire the people with intellectual and developmental disabilities Penn-Mar supports,” said Marion. “Giving them opportunities to learn and complete task-related assignments helps build their confidence and ensures their success. It’s a win for the people we support and also for employers who can relieve their busy team members of tasks often unrelated to their main job responsibilities. We have so many wonderful people here at Penn-Mar who want to work and when given the chance, do wonderful work!”