Early Childhood Development Coach

Summary

The Early Childhood & Development Coach works in tandem with the Manager of Education & Inclusion to provide early childhood technical assistance, management, oversight and support to Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs to ensure effective coordination, implementation and monitoring of education services. This includes the effective implementation of a research-based curriculum, while incorporating recognized “best practices” in the fields of Early Childhood and Special Education, as well as providing educational resources for staff and parents.

You will provide training and technical assistance to the classroom staff to ensure high-quality programming. This position also monitors child and teacher progress and performance to ensure they are achieving program objectives. You'll consult with the Program Director and other Managers, as needed, to resolve complex issues and to ensure compliance with Head Start Program Performance Standards.

As a front line representative of Save the Children, Early Childhood & Development Coaches are required to ensure the safety and security of children and families that you come into contact with, adhering to the agency’s values of Accountability, Ambition, Collaborations, Creativity and Integrity.

As a Save the Children employee who will come into contact with children on a routine basis, you are expected to prevent child abuse in every situation by striving, through mental awareness, good practice and training to minimize risk to children. You must take positive steps to protect children who may be a subject of concern and report and respond to any instance of child abuse and promote training and awareness around all child safeguarding obligations.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• Work closely with the Manager of Education & Inclusion and Program Director to assess all education staff and identify strengths and areas of needed support, as well as which staff would benefit most from intensive coaching.
• Ensure effective teacher practices and program performance goals align with program’s school readiness objectives, curricula and other approaches to professional development.
• Execute intensive coaching, including opportunities for education staff to be observed and then receive feedback and modeling of effective teacher practices directly related to program performance goals.
• Provide opportunities for education staff who are not identified as needing intensive coaching to receive other forms of research-based professional development aligned with program performance goals.
• Establish policies that ensure assessment results are not used to solely determine punitive actions for staff identified as needing support, without providing time and resources for staff to improve
• Ensure ongoing communication with and between the Program Director, Manager of Education & Inclusion and any other relevant staff.
• Ensure adequate supplies and equipment are available in classrooms and centers and that schedules and activities are age- and developmentally-appropriate.
• Attend home visits, parent conferences and Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) meetings when requested or as needed.
• Visit all classrooms on a regular basis (4-6 hours per month per site) to conduct observations (including CLASS); provide training and technical assistance, coaching and mentoring.
• Provide training and technical assistance to build capacity by working directly with Head Start/Early Head Start staff, parents and community partners to ensure high-quality programs.
• Develop and incorporate the Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers (PITC) into the curriculum and parent/child activities; ensure that staff consistently incorporate PITC information into their classrooms and home visits; provide strategies to support young English language learners and their families.
• Oversee site tracking of child screenings and assessments, child data collection and participate in local evaluation activities. 
• Provide ongoing training in policies, procedures and program requirements, as well as communication and problem solving skills to staff.
• This position must have the ability to work in a constant state of alertness and safe manner and furthermore protect the safety of children by implementing active supervision techniques to ensure no child is left alone or unsupervised at any time.
• Complete other tasks as assigned or needed.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent, and equivalent coursework in early childhood education with early education teaching experience, plus at least two years of relevant experience.
• Proven experience working with infants and toddlers and/or preschool aged children.
• Demonstrated experience in supervision and training
• Proven successful experience developing consistent, stable and supportive relationships with very young children.
• Proven training and experience in adult learning and in using assessment data to drive coaching strategies aligned with program performance goals.
• Demonstrated experience with developmentally appropriate practices, child safeguarding and methods for communicating effectively with infants and toddlers and/or preschoolers, as well as parents and other staff.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Proven experience with program planning and supervisory techniques and practices. 
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
• Demonstrated ability to successfully communicate and collaborate with individuals and teams at all levels—whether internal or external—in the provision of high quality services to children and families
• Demonstrated successful interpersonal, communication and organizational skills; great problem solving and time management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to follow established and communicated directions and take initiative
• Proven ability to keep all required information strictly confidential.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging
• Physical Requirements related to essential functions: Ability to perform medium to heavy physical work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 5-10 pounds constantly, performing such activities as sitting, crawling, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting and grasping. This also includes some duties that require repetitive action and motion skills, keyboarding and computer use.
  
  

Clear pre-employment background check requirements, including local, state, and national criminal records check, sex offender registries, employment, and education verifications (including child abuse registry check if required by state regulations) and pass all state and local health requirements required post job offer and prior to employment. 

This position may require the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle to fulfill certain essential functions of the job.  The incumbent should maintain a valid driver’s license and remain in compliance with any Save the Children policies pertaining to the safe operation of motor vehicles.

Current and former Head Start/Early Head Start parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.

Preferred Qualifications

Bilingual preferred (English/Spanish or English and other languages used by children and families).

If in North Carolina, holding a Birth-Kindergarten (B-K) Licensure preferred.

Why you should join the Save the Children Team…

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.