The Early Childhood Specialist will be part of the Office of Head Start Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) team working with our client, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Office of Head Start (OHS). For more details about this program, please see the information at the bottom of this job post.
The Early Childhood Specialist must work onsite in Puerto Rico and must be fluent in English and Spanish.
How You Contribute to the Team:
- Provide on-site, group, and virtual TTA to grant recipients related to school readiness, family engagement, and professional development.
- Provide TTA related to the selection and implementation of ongoing child assessment, curriculum, and teaching that is age, developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate across the birth-to-five spectrum.
- Assist grant recipients to:
- improve teacher/child interactions as described by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) for center-based preschool programs and other measures suitable for programs serving children from birth-to-five or children in home based and family childcare settings.
- develop the procedures and skills to aggregate, analyze, and use data obtained through multiple sources.
- implement a research-based coaching model.
- develop and implement family engagement practices that support family progress as described in the Parent Family and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework, including coaching of family engagement staff and selection and implementation of a parenting curriculum.
- strengthen birth-to-five transition practices, including building relationships with local preschools, elementary schools, and other partners.
- improve their collaboration with Local Education Agencies (LEAs), state agencies, and other partners.
- Coordinate TTA with Grantee, Family Engagement, Health, and System Specialists to ensure effective integration of TTA across service areas, as directed by the Regional Office.
- Maintain regular and timely communication with Regional Office staff on delivery of TTA and progress toward corrective actions or quality improvement.
- Support emerging OHS initiatives and priorities.
What You Bring to the Table:
- Bachelor’s or advanced degree from an accredited university or college that includes Early Childhood Education/Development or a related field; coursework specific to infants and toddlers desired.
- Courses, conferences, seminar attendance, relevant work experience and other events that demonstrate remaining current in early childhood development; required when the highest degree was awarded more than ten years ago.
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in programs for young children ranging from birth to five years in age. Experience should include the provision of technical assistance to teachers, home visitors, family childcare providers, coaches, and/or management team members.
- Experience across the birth-to-five spectrum a plus.
- Experience with infant toddlers a plus.
- Experience:
- facilitating group discussions and presenting to a range of audiences.
- analyzing data and assisting programs to make data driven decisions.
- providing training and/or technical assistance to programs in developing and/or implementing school readiness goals or plans.
- communicating, both when speaking and in writing, to various audiences.
Desired Qualifications:
- Experience with:
- unique populations of children, e.g., children with disabilities, children who are dual language learners, and/or children who are homeless.
- different learning environments, e.g., center-based, home-based, and family childcare options.
- early elementary school systems.
- CLASS TOT certification.
- Mental health and/or social emotional development.
Now that you’re familiar with the position, we encourage you to apply. Many of our top candidates don’t meet every qualification, and if that’s the case for you, we still want to hear from you!
There are multiple factors considered in determining final pay for a position, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location, education and certifications as well as contract provisions regarding labor categories that are specific to the position.
BCT offers a competitive total compensation package that, for this position, includes a base salary between $65,000 and $105,000 along with a generous benefits package. BCT’s benefits include heavily subsidized medical, dental and vision coverage, fully vested 401k plan with company match, company paid life and disability insurance plans, paid family leave, and a plentiful paid time off policy.
Though we do have staff in all four time zones, BCT Partners works primarily on Eastern Time. We support and encourage a strong staff community, leveraging virtual communication tools and collaborative work practices. The African philosophy of Ubuntu (“I am because we are”) is an overarching value that influences our leadership and interactions.