Early Childhood Specialist - Region 5 - live in

EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIALIST-OFFICE OF HEAD START TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE-REGION 5

STGi is currently seeking an Early Childhood Specialist to support our Head Start Training and Technical Assistance team. The position is remote with up to 50% travel and the candidate must reside in the state of Ohio.

JOB SUMMARY: The Early Childhood Specialist (ECS) provides professional expertise in early childhood education and development through assisting grant recipients with consultation, training, policy and procedure development, and statewide agency collaboration in areas such as ongoing child assessment, curriculum identification and implementation, dual language learners, school readiness outcomes, and family engagement. The Early Childhood Specialist (ECS) provides intensive training and technical assistance to HS/EHS recipients based on Regional or Area Office assignments. These assignments require travel and the ability to work on-site for periods of time ranging from one day to several weeks.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Provides on-site, group, or virtual TTA to HS/EHS grant recipients related to school readiness, family engagement, professional development, and implementation of a research based coaching model and the management systems that support them.

Provides TTA related to the selection and implementation of ongoing child assessment, curriculum, teaching, and learning environments that are age, developmentally and linguistically appropriate across the birth to five spectra.

Support recipients to improve teacher/child interactions as described by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) for center-based Head Start programs and other assessment data measures suitable for programs serving children from birth-to-five or children in home based and family childcare settings.

Support recipients to develop procedures and skills to understand and use data obtained through multiple sources, including ongoing child assessment data.

Support recipients to develop and implement family engagement practices that support early learning and development and parent-child relationships as described in the Parent Family and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework

Support recipients to strengthen birth to five transition practices, including through relationships with parents, families and local preschools, elementary schools, and other partners.

Support recipients to improve their collaboration with Local Education Agencies (LEAs), state agencies, and other partners

Coordinates TTA with Grantee, Family Engagement, and Health Specialists to ensure effective integration of TTA across service areas, as directed by the Regional or Area Office.

Provides content expertise in implementing national and regional priorities and initiatives.

Maintains regular and timely communication with Regional or Area Office staff on delivery of TTA and progress toward corrective actions or quality improvement.

Provides all data entry of action steps and progress in OHS reporting systems such as SmartHub, and the Head Start Enterprise System.

Participates in meetings including National TTA meetings, Regional or Area Office meetings, team conferences, and one-on-one meetings as directed by OHS and the ECS Manager

Supports emerging OHS initiatives and priorities.

Required Skills

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

Ability to develop, train and provide presentations to individuals, small and large groups.

Familiarity with the Improving School Readiness for Head Start Act of 2007, Head Start and Early Head Start Programs, OHS Monitoring Protocols and processes, and knowledge of Head Start Program Performance Standards and Other Regulations as they apply to all facets of early childhood education, family engagement, collaboration, and professional development.

Knowledge of software systems that hold career training data and child outcome data at the grant recipient level.

Understanding of developmentally appropriate curriculum and assessment.

Ability to work both independently and in a team environment.

Sustained concentration and attention to detail and accuracy.

Ability to prioritize and manage workload and deadlines.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

Sufficient flexibility to work on-site with HS/EHS programs for periods of time.

Obtain and maintain CLASS TOT certification, as required by individual regions.

Valid Driver License and access to transportation.

A minimum of five years’ experience working directly with young children ranging from birth to five years in age. The experience should include the provision of technical assistance to teachers, home visitors, family childcare providers, coaches, and/or management team members.

Individuals proposed as birth to five specialists must have experience across the birth to five spectra.

Individuals proposed as infant/toddler specialists must have experience with children of that age.

Must be CLASS TOT certified

Demonstrated experience facilitating group discussions and presenting to a range of audiences using a variety of formats to include virtual

Experience analyzing data and assisting programs to make data driven decisions

Experience providing training and technical assistance to programs in developing and/or implementing school readiness goals or plans and management systems that support early childhood education

Experience working with different learning environments, e.g., center based, home based and family childcare options

Experience with trauma informed care

Experience supporting children with special needs and dual language learners

Experience communicating, both orally and in writing, with the ability to adapt to different sizes and types of audiences.

Intermediate to advanced level experience with recent versions of Microsoft Suite, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Internet Explorer; ability to use current webinar technology and audio conferencing. Familiarity with Smart Sheets is preferred.