The Education Specialist works in tandem with the Education Manager to provide early childhood technical assistance, management, oversight, and support to the Head Start and Early Head Start programs to ensure effective coordination, implementation and monitoring of the 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.
The HS/EHS Education Specialist will provide training and technical assistance to the Head/Early Head Start staff to ensure high-quality programming. The Education Specialist also monitors child and teacher progress and performance to ensure they are achieving program objectives; consults 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 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.
- Program Planning and Implementation
- Training and Technical Assistance
- Operations and Management
- Supervision and training
Responsibilities and Impact:
- Works closely with the program director and other admin/management staff to ensure adequate supplies and equipment are available in classrooms and centers and that schedules and activities are age- and developmentally-appropriate
- Attends home visits, parent conferences, and IEP or IFSP meetings when requested or as needed.
- Visit each site and classrooms on a regular basis to conduct observations, provide training and technical assistance, coaching and mentoring
- Provide training and technical assistance to build capacity by working directly with HS/EHS staff, parents and community partners to ensure high quality programs.
- Develops and incorporates the Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers (PITC) into the curriculum and parent/child activities; ensures that staff consistently incorporates PITC information into their classrooms and home visits; provides strategies to support young English language learners and their families.
- Oversees site tracking of early childhood screenings and assessments, early childhood data collection, and participates in local evaluation activities.
- Provides ongoing training in policies, procedures and program requirements, as well as communication and problem solving skills to staff.
- Completes other tasks as assigned or needed.
- Minimum 5 years of experience working with infants and toddlers and pre-school age children.
- Experience in supervision and training and experience with developing consistent, stable and supportive relationships with very young children;
- Extensive knowledge of early childhood education and child safeguarding and methods for communicating effectively with infants and toddlers or preschoolers, as well as parents and other staff
- Must have extensive knowledge of Heat Start Program Performance Standards, developmentally appropriate early childhood education practices in infant/toddler and preschool programs.
- Experience with program planning and supervisory techniques and practices.
- Ability to exercise sound professional judgment and evaluations.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with agency staff, children and parents, and outside agencies.
- Effective communication skills, good strong problem solving and time management skills.