Job Description
Job Description
Bright Beginnings, Inc. is a non-profit organization that operates early childhood and family learning centers for families experiencing homelessness. Our mission is to meet the needs of children and families living in homeless environments by providing children with a safe, nurturing educational environment; preparing children to enter kindergarten ready to learn; and supporting homeless parents to stabilize their home lives and become self-sufficient.
Summary: This position is the instructional specialist of the early childhood education program. The Infant & Toddler Instructional Coach guides staff and supports all classrooms in order to promote and build developmentally appropriate practices for all children in the center. The Infant & Toddler Instructional Coach will work to support the educational approach of the program and ensure that the selected evidenced-based curriculum is implemented effectively. The position works with the Education Director to support the School Readiness Implementation Plan and provides the proper analysis to ensure the program’s effectiveness in achieving its School Readiness Goals. The position ensures the childcare and early childhood learning services are supported by practice-based coaching and training. The position must be well versed in the Head Start Performance Standards & Other Regulations, National Association for the Education of Young Children Accreditation Standards, High/Scope Curriculum, and Chapter 3 of Title 29 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (DCMR) including monitoring and evaluation.
Essential Duties:
· implement the education services plan.
· Prepare staff schedules and assign duties of absent staff in order to maintain classroom staff-to-child ratios.
· Implement practice-based coaching to ensure all staff are effective in meeting the BBI School Readiness Goals.
· Implement practice-based coaching strategies for teachers who require intensive coaching and identify and support other forms of professional learning for education staff who do not require intensive coaching.
· Regularly conduct classroom observations utilizing reliable instruments, such as CLASS, ITERS-r, and ECERS-r.
· Facilitate teaching staff collaborative planning sessions to ensure that the curriculum is implemented with fidelity.
· Assist the teachers in promoting a variety of experiences in a culturally sensitive learning environment.
· Guide and support teachers in assessing children and providing parents with progress reports on the developmental profiles of their children through parent-teacher conferences and home visits.
· Monitor teacher documentation of all parent communication (such as parent meetings and educational activities done with parents).
· Monitor classrooms to ensure they are well-kept, safe, and organized for children.
· Monitor and review teachers’ periodic observations and recordings of individual children’s progress, changes in physical appearances, and emotional and behavioral patterns regularly utilizing the Child Observation Record (COR).
· Coach and model for new staff all aspects of classroom behavior and management.
· Contribute to the evaluation of teaching staff.
· Provide proper guidance to all teaching staff, especially during emergencies.
· Ensure all children’s educational records are kept in an orderly manner.
· Coordinate with the MDT Coordinator to ensure all developmental, sensory, and behavior screenings of children are conducted within required timeframes.
· Complete the monthly Health and Safety screener.
· Support the Education Director in completing and submitting all end-of-month paperwork for the education services area.
· Support the Education Director in ensuring all licensing standards are met and maintained in the day-to-day education services area operations.
· Support the Education Director in conducting an annual education services area self-assessment for Head Start and program area continuous improvement.
· Support the Education Director in ensuring all the Head Start Performance Standards & Other Regulations are implemented.
· Participate in all professional learning opportunities.
· Maintain confidentiality at all times.
· Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
1. Mission and culture alignment;
2. Master’s degree in early childhood education, or related field;
3. A center administrator’s credential issued by a professional organization or an educational institution and one year of experience in a center, OR, three years of experience as a supervisor of staff in a licensed child care facility;
4. At least five years of teaching experience in early childhood is required;
5. Knowledge of High/Scope curriculum; certification as a High/Scope trainer of teachers preferred;
6. Spanish – speaking and writing desired, but not required;
7. Must maintain training and professional development credits annually.
8. Excellent organizational, time management, and written & verbal communication skills.
9. Track record of establishing effective working relationships with colleagues at all levels across teams;
10. Must have the ability to maintain a cooperative, diplomatic working relationship with co-workers, supervisors, families, and the community;
11. Must demonstrate flexibility in work settings, maturity of judgment, and ability to work collegially;
12. Strong computer skills with expertise in Windows-based programs, such as the Microsoft Office Suite;
13. Must have DC local and Federal criminal record clearance, Child Protective Register check status and substance abuse testing; and
14. Documentation of Tuberculin-free condition and health screening on an annual basis.
Physical Demands:
· Be able to lift 25-50 lbs.
· Be able to walk, squat/kneel, sit on the floor, see, hear, and speak.
· Be able to raise objects from a lower to a higher location or move objects horizontally from one location to another.
· Be able to sit for extended periods of time in front of a computer.
· Some exposure to communicable diseases.
Employee Acknowledgment:
The job description is intended to provide an overview of the requirements of the position. As such, it is not necessarily all-inclusive, and the job may require other essential and/or non-essential functions, duties, or responsibilities not listed herein. Management, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to change, alter, and/or otherwise modify this job description at any time. Nothing in this job description is intended to create a contract of employment of any type or kind. Employment at Bright Beginnings is strictly on an at-will basis.