Early Childhood Dev Coach

About the role

The Early Childhood and Development Coach works in tandem with the Manager, Education and Inclusion to provide early childhood technical assistance, management, oversight and support to Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Manager, Education and 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.
• Ongoing communication with and between the Program Director, Manager, Education & Inclusion and any other relevant staff.
• 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.
• 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.

Requirements

• Bachelor 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.

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.

Physical Requirements

• 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.