On a personal level, paraprofessionals enjoy the same, or similar, benefits as licensed educators working for a school, college or university. This can include medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance. In addition, paraprofessionals working for private institutions, both undergraduate and post-secondary, can receive reduced or no cost education for both themselves and their dependents. This is an important benefit for paraprofessionals who are working towards higher educational degrees or who have children requiring an education.
Paraprofessionals have the ability to multitask, which is especially beneficial to students. In classrooms where student to teacher ratios are high; the use of a paraprofessional provides a needed benefit to students by allowing the students to have access to another educator to help assist with learning. In addition, a paraprofessional has more time available to work individually with students to address specific needs and requests. A teacher must work towards educating an entire classroom, whereas a paraprofessional can make rounds and help children individually as needed.
Parents with children in a classroom utilizing a paraprofessional benefit by having another education representative available to answer questions and address concerns. While the primary teacher must deal with all licensed issues such as report cards and grades; the paraprofessional can help parents better understand the individual needs of children by talking to the parents on a one to one level. For classrooms where the paraprofessional and teacher work in conjunction with one another, the paraprofessional can assist the teacher by responding to routine questions posed by parents.
By having a paraprofessional as a routine part of a classroom environment, teachers can better focus on the educational needs of students as a whole. Many students have individual problems or concerns, which may become difficult for one teacher to continually address. The availability of a paraprofessional, and the understanding of student needs coupled with the education process itself, makes paraprofessional invaluable assets to a traditional classroom setting.