About Us
Trusted K-12 Clinical Staffing
Who We Are
ESS Clinical (formerly known as PSI/Academic Staffing) is a trusted provider of K-12 clinical staffing for school districts across the country. We aim to support the whole child by offering various services to school districts, such as health, social, emotional, behavioral, and special education support.
Where Trust Leads,
Impact Follows
ESS Clinical is a proud division of ESS Family, a leader in education staffing since 2000. With a dedicated focus on education, school districts have long trusted ESS to manage substitute and paraprofessional staffing with consistency and care. ESS Clinical extends that same commitment to excellence into the world of special education and school-based clinical services.
We understand that every person who works in a school district – whether in the classroom, the office, or behind the scenes – plays a vital role in keeping schools running smoothly and helping students thrive.
Committed to Care, Connected by Purpose
Specialized Support
In today’s fast-paced world, a “one-size-fits-all” approach simply won’t cut it. Whether you’re a jobseeker looking for a career that aligns with your talents and goals or a district administrator seeking a partner to relieve administrative burdens, we’re committed to implementing tailor-made solutions that adapt to your evolving needs.
Expert Leadership
The ESS Clinical management team features licensed professionals with direct experience in the roles they now support, including therapy, behavioral services, nursing, and special education. They provide strategic guidance, mentorship, and performance oversight to ensure employee and program success from day one.
Mission Alignment
Every member of ESS Clinical – from our expert support staff to our outstanding clinicians – is driven by a shared purpose: to meet student needs swiftly and compassionately while delivering meaningful outcomes. We don’t just serve schools; we help students achieve their full potential.
Comprehensive Approach
With decades of experience in the education space, ESS Clinical delivers turnkey programs that take the guesswork out of education talent management. We have every angle covered when it comes to delivering a successful partnership with school districts and a rewarding experience for our valued employees.
Our History
2000s
- 2000 – ESS was founded as a secondary source of substitute staffing with 150 substitute employees serving 17 partnering school districts in the state of New Jersey
- 2003 – Expanded into our 7th county in New Jersey with our 65th school district partnership
- 2006 – Began offering a full-service substitute program and started to provide long-term substitutes
2010s
- 2010 – ESS began providing services for permanent paraprofessionals
- 2011 – Developed our first copyrighted training manual
- 2013 – Expanded our services into Pennsylvania
- 2014 – Expanded our services into Connecticut, Virginia, and Georgia
- 2014 – Created our annual Impact Award to recognize top-performing employees
- 2015 – Private equity firm Nautic Partners, LLC added to our resources with a significant investment
- 2016 – Expanded our services into South Carolina, Tennessee, and Rhode Island
- 2017 – Launched a paid employee referral program and a monthly raffle program for employees
- 2017 – Expanded our services into Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, Oregon, and Mississippi after acquiring several companies
- 2018 – Expanded our services into California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah
- 2018 – Created willsub+, our own application, absence management, and time tracking software
- 2019 – Bought Proximity Learning, a company specializing in virtual learning, as well as Enriched Schools, a company providing guest educators to charter schools
- 2019 – Expanded our services into Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Washington
2020s
- 2020 – Expanded our services into Louisiana
- 2021 – Expanded our services into Colorado and Idaho
- 2022 – The Vistria Group became a majority investor, significantly investing in the education initiatives of ESS
- 2022 – Implemented a policy enabling corporate employees to take 16 hours of paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO) annually
- 2022 – Launched the ESS Marketplace, our employee discount shopping portal
- 2022 – Expanded our services into Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin
- 2023 – Implemented the Career Kickstart Incentive to help newly hired employees with the costs associated with obtaining credentials
- 2023 – Acquired Academic Staffing, a company that provides various therapy services to K-12 school districts
- 2023 – Expanded our services into Kansas
- 2023 – Partnered with Accelerate Learning to offer several professional certificate opportunities at a deeply discounted rate through the National Institute for STEM Education (NISE)
- 2023 – Expanded our services by purchasing PSI, a company that offers services in school health, social, emotional, and behavioral health, and special education support.
- 2025 – Rebranded Academic Staffing to become ESS Clinical
- 2025 – Expanded our services into Minnesota
Today
- Serving 1,200+ school systems nationwide
- Enhancing achievement for more than 8,500,000 students
- Employing 100,000 talented substitute and permanent school personnel, along with 900 dedicated corporate employees
- Placing 35,000 positions every day in 15,000 schools
- Providing traveling positions through ESS Clinical
Comprehensive Solutions
for Every Corner of Education
- Substitute Teachers
Daily
Long-Term - Substitute & Permanent Paraprofessionals
Teacher's Assistants
Instructional Assistants
Special Education Assistants
One-to-One Aides
Transportation Aides
Lunch & Recess Aides
Classroom Aides
ESL Aides
IEP Aides - Substitute & Permanent Support Staff
Secretaries/Clerical Staff
Food Service - Facilitator for Proximity Learning
- Speech Language Therapists & Fellows
- Occupational Therapists
- Physical Therapists
- Psychologists
- Counselors
- Nurses
- Behavior Specialists
- English Language Instructors
- Special Education Teachers
- American Sign Language Teachers
- Teacher of Record
- Core Subject Teachers
Reading, Math, Science, History - Foreign Language Instructors
Mandarin, Chinese, Spanish, Latin, French, Japanese, German - English Language Instructors
- Elective Teachers
- Advanced Placement (AP) Teachers
- Special Education Teachers
- American Sign Language Teachers
- Charter Schools
Substitute Teachers
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Join Our Team
Explore our available positions and submit your application to start making a difference!
Explore a Partnership
Discover how we can deliver successful, tailored services to meet your students' needs.