Paraprofessional colleges offer individuals the opportunity to study to become a professional teacher's assistant to help special education and other children. Special education children need the special attention that a paraprofessional can provide. Many schools have used aides for decades to help teaching children of various ages. When special education children began integrating into schools, the use of aides continued to grow. But, many did not have any specialized training. The paraprofessional has developed to fill in this gap. Those that hold a paraprofessional degree offer specialized training to children with special needs.

There is a legal definition of a paraprofessional. The No Child Left Behind Act defined a paraprofessional as someone with an associate's degree, or higher, from an institution of higher education, such as paraprofessional colleges, qualified to assist in instructing, reading, writing, and arithmetic. The paraprofessional is not a licensed teacher. That person is there to support the teacher's efforts with individual students. Many teachers have to deal with 15 or more children in a classroom. A paraprofessional, on the other hand, usually has one student they help through the lessons. They take what the teacher presents to the entire class and helps the individual student work through the lesson.

Some paraprofessionals do not specialize in special education children. They work with the teacher to supervise students, provide administrative support, and enrich learning experiences. Some of them work with groups of students who need remedial instruction or additional attention. They often supervise children in the cafeteria, on the playground, or on field trips. They can work on grading assignments, preparing instructional materials, doing clerical entry, and undertaking other tasks to free the teacher up for instruction. Many who attend paraprofessional colleges find themselves working in a variety of classrooms and circumstances.

Many, who start out as paraprofessionals, plan on going ahead with their education and becoming teachers. However, a growing number attend paraprofessional colleges with the thought of making that their careers. They love to work with children, but do not necessarily want to teach. They want to work one-on-one with special education children or with small groups of remedial students. The work is fulfilling in many ways. They can help a child learn and keep growing. Some paraprofessionals work with the same student throughout their school years. Others specialize in helping one teacher with each year's students.

What are some courses required in paraprofessional colleges? The actual courses vary by college. However, paraprofessional students receive education in childhood educational development, basic child psychology, curriculum development, and working with instructional media. They also receive instruction in teaching music, arts, health, math, reading, and other topics. Some colleges may require students to take classes in special education topics, especially for students who want to work with special needs children. Most programs require students to go through an internship at a participating school. This provides the paraprofessional student with the theoretical, as well as practical, exposure they need. After exiting one of these programs, paraprofessionals are ready to enter the classroom and begin assisting the teacher.