This position is responsible for the leadership and administration of disabilities services throughout the program. Work is performed under the direction of the Disabilities/Child Development Coordinator, with the Disabilities Specialist functioning as a member of the Agency’s program management team.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
Bachelor’s degree required in early childhood special education, Master’s degree preferred. Minimum of two year’s applicable experience preferred. Must be able to provide their own transportation to and from work and throughout the work day.
Essential Job Functions:
This position is responsible for the implementation, coaching and monitoring of disabilities services within both Early Head Start and Head Start programs. As well as monitoring, coordination of referrals and services provision for children with suspected and identified disabilities.
1. Disability Services (45%)
· Responsible for ensuring the program meets the Office of Head Start performance standard that 10% of enrolled children have an IEP or IFSP.
· Ensures attendance of a Head Start/Early Head Start staff member(s) at IEP/IFSP meetings.
· Ensures Head Start/Early Head Start Services to children with disabilities are in compliance with federal regulations and laws governing disabilities efforts as defined in IDEA and ADA.
· Establishes a referral process for any suspected disability/developmental delay or at risk for development delay, including a tracking system for follow-up.
· Develops and implements a strategy which supports a successful transition for children with disabilities or other special needs into the Early Head Start/Head Start Program or from Early Head Start into Head Start or Head Start into kindergarten or another community program.
· Develop Individualized Support Plans collaboratively with classroom staff and site supervisor.
· Assists in implementing intervention strategies within the classroom or home-based setting with the intent for teachers and other staff to be able to carry out strategies independently.
· Support Staff in referring families for needed services in the community.
· Provide all training, mentoring, and coaching as needed for individual staff members to achieve
competency in implementation of special education services.
· Responsible for training teachers to use the IEP as a working document in the classroom.
· Provide guidance and model developmentally appropriate activities for children and effective ways to work with and support young children.
· Support staff in using child assessment data to develop goals and implement activities to support each child’s learning.
· Adhere to the Office of Head Start performance standards, Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) childcare standards and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) standards.
· Coordinate and facilitate with Disabilities/Child Development Coordinator and Instructional Support Specialists parent trainings of children transitioning to kindergarten
2. Staff training (25%)
· Support the initial onboarding of all staff members at RHSFS and provide annual trainings thereafter.
· Provide training for staff and/or parents on disabilities services to meet the special needs of children, by utilizing professional consultant, workshops, in-service training and special education training.
3. Programmatic Responsibilities (25%)
· Prepare and maintain work related reports and files; assist with facilitating the process of gathering monthly and annual program information and reports; assure accuracy of the content of such reporting.
· Participate in weekly team meetings with Disabilities/Child Development Coordinator
· Participate in biweekly collaboration meetings with Social Emotional Specialists and Instructional Support Specialists
· Participate in monthly team meetings
· Participate in the development and implementation of program policy & procedures.
· Participate in the development of Community Assessment.
· Participant in the development of RHSFS Strategic Goals.
· Participate in recruitment of families with children with IEP’s and IFSP’s.
· Participate in at minimum of one community collaboration
4. Other (5%)
· Duties as assigned
SKILL BASED COMPETENCIES AND PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES:
Approachability: Is easy to approach and talk to spending the extra effort to put others at ease by being warm, pleasant, gracious, sensitive and patient with others interpersonal anxieties. Builds rapport by being a good listener, an early knower and getting informal and incomplete information in time to do something about it.
Compassion: Practices attentive and active listening; has the patience to hear people out; is tolerant with people and processes; tries to understand the people and the data before making judgements and acting, genuinely cares about people; is concerned about their work and non-work problems; is available and ready to help.
Organizing/Skills Procures and organizes resources to get things done, orchestrates multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal, arranges information in a useful manner. Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills to do the job at a high level of accomplishment.
Action Oriented: Enjoys working hard; is action oriented and full of energy for the things he/she sees as challenging; not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning; seizes opportunities; is personally committed to and actively works to continuously improve him/herself; understands that different situations and levels may call for different skills and approaches.
Dealing With Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture and isn’t upset when things are up in the air; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
Understands and Motivates Others: Understands why groups do what they do; picks up the sense of the group in terms of positions, intentions, and needs; what they value and how to motivate them; creates a climate in which people want to do their best.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $51,649.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Do you have a Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Early Childhood Special Education (Required)?
- Do you have experience working in a school setting with preschool children?
Education:
Experience:
- Staff training: 3 years (Preferred)
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: 3 years (Preferred)
- Developing Intervention Accommodation Plans: 3 years (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
