Disabilities and Wellness Promotion Coordinator

Position Summary

Casa Central’s Early Learning Academy (ELA) provides high quality, comprehensive early childhood education services for young children, ages birth to five, and their families. A key member of the program’s leadership team, the Disabilities & Wellness Promotion Coordinator supports the Early Learning Academy in providing services, advocacy, and meaningful inclusion for children with diagnosed disabilities, suspected disabilities, challenging behaviors, and other needs, and their families.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Convene internal referral staffings at all program sites when determining enrollment for new children with diagnosed or suspected disabilities, or when new concerns emerge during the course of service provision.
• In conjunction with the Education Managers and Family Development Specialists, ensure that the IEP/IFSP goals are incorporated into lesson plans and observations, Transition Plan, and the Family/Child Goal Plan.
• Review developmental screenings completed by the teaching staff and Education Managers; provide direct support with conducting screenings when needed.
• Review referrals from teaching teams and Education Managers for further assessment.
• Coordinate the child studies for the wellness promotion (mental health) consultants: arrange observation and assessment dates, notify teachers and parents, and ensure that all release forms are on file.
• Absorb referrals for individual educational plans (IEPs) and IEP staffings with the Chicago Public Schools, as well as IFSPs (Individualized Family Service Plans) and IFSP Child & Family Team Meetings with the Child and Family Connections (CFC) offices.
• Aid Education Managers in developing interim plans (while IEP/IFSP is pending) and implementation plans (after students have received IEP/IFSP), and assist in the implementation of plans in the program.
• Refer children to local public school or CFCs for services, and advocate as cases need assistance in negotiating the services at the public school or with the CFC.
• Attend staffing meetings with families; advocate for children and families across settings.
• Support families with accessing community resources and supports for children with disabilities and diverse learning needs.

Performance & Quality Management

• Approve time sheet and ensure compliance with agency and funder guidelines, ensuring that daily activities are within the allowable activities approved by the agency.
• Implement the agency mission, philosophy, and core values to direct daily work and decision-making.
• Adhere to agency policy.
• Cultivate a professional and respectful work environment.
• Be actively involved with, and knowledgeable about, the agency’s Performance Quality Improvement (PQI) structure and process.

Stakeholder Relationships & Partnerships

• Nurture positive and collaborative working relationships with other agency staff and outside stakeholders and partners.
• Build partnerships with agencies and service providers in the community who offer services relevant to Disabilities/Wellness Promotion (Mental Health).
• Actively and enthusiastically support recruitment efforts to ensure that the program is fully enrolled year-round.
• Collaboratively develop and lead recruitment efforts specifically targeted toward children with disabilities and diverse learning needs.

Program-Specific Activities

• Ensure compliance with all Early/Head Start Program Performance Standards, including as interpreted by Start Early (Grantee), as well as with relevant federal, state, city, and accrediting/licensing body regulations and requirements.
• Engage in Active Supervision strategies to support the safety, wellbeing, and appropriate supervision/oversight of children at all times.
• Act in accordance with the program’s Standards of Conduct, building respectful relationships with families, honoring parents/caregivers as their children’s first and most important teachers, and maintaining strict child, family and staff confidentiality at all times.
• Support the work of the Inclusion Aide, working in partnership with the Center-Based Education Manager and Site Director to determine a schedule, oversee activities, and monitor completion of reports and other paperwork.
• Develop and implement in-service training for staff working with children with diverse learning needs, and assure that all files, documents and records reflect the program standards; ensure that the documentation is complete, accurate and up-to-date, and that all files are secure.
• Develop and schedule the classroom/socialization observations by the Wellness Promotion (Mental Health) Consultant for each site, as well as staff and parent trainings; receive and review the observations and recommendations, disseminate them to and, with teaching teams, ensure that the recommendations are implemented.
• Maintain a tracking system for all program options, ensuring accurate data for PIR (Program Information Report), accurate ChildPlus and child file information, and other reporting as indicated.
• Monitor the use of time and documentation of the services of the Wellness Promotion Consultant.

Education/Experience

• Minimum of a B.A. or B.S. in Early Childhood Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Social Work, or related social sciences, plus two years of classroom or home visiting work in an early childhood setting.
• Must have experience interfacing with early childhood special education systems.

Language Skills

• Bilingual in Spanish preferred.

Computer Literacy & Knowledge Skills

• Word processing;
• spreadsheets;
• internet skills;
• data entry skills and in managing Microsoft applications to facilitate communication.

Preferred Knowledge Skills

• Knowledge of ChildPlus or other online database systems.

Mathematical Skills

• Basic mathematical skills are required.

Operating Environment and Working Relationships

• Ability to work within an interdisciplinary team as a cooperative and supportive team member.
• Ability to establish relationships with families from diverse backgrounds.
• Must understand the scope of community resources and how they can meet the needs of children and families served.
• Knowledge of community resources and capacity to develop community cooperation to ensure families receive comprehensive services.
• Knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards.

Decision Making Authority

• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, or scheduled form and convey needed information with stakeholders in a manner which improves early learning experience for children/families.

People Management

• Ability to utilize reflective practices and leadership in order to guide and support staff and provide support to volunteers, interns, and team members.

Physical Demands

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.