SOUTH LAKE SCHOOLS
Job Description
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Teacher and
MIPP Transition Coordinator
At South Lake Schools, we believe great schools are built through strong relationships. Together with our community, we create an engaging and nurturing environment where students thrive and staff feel valued, connected, and supported. Our small-school setting fosters meaningful collaboration and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on learners. Located along beautiful Lake St. Clair in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, our district offers a welcoming community with convenient access to the cultural attractions, dining, entertainment, and professional sports of Detroit, as well as the region’s scenic orchards, cider mills, and outdoor recreation, making South Lake Schools an exceptional place to live, work, and grow.
Minimum Qualifications and Skills:
- Bachelor’s degree (or higher) from an accredited college or university.
- Michigan Teaching Certificate with any of the following endorsements: Early Childhood Education (ZA), Early Childhood PK (ZS), or Early Childhood Special Education (ZN)
- Strong knowledge of IDEA, MARSE, and the IEP Process
- Creative, committed, energetic, and well-organized.
- Strong moral values, discipline, communication skills, and a collaborative mindset.
- Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Superintendent or designee may find appropriate and acceptable.
Reports To: Principal, Director of Special Services
Performance Duties and Responsibilities:
- Demonstrate professional leadership, self-efficacy, ethical conduct, accountability for child outcomes, and advocacy for young children with disabilities and their families.
- Provide developmentally appropriate direct and indirect special education services to eligible children approximately 2 years, 6 months through 5 years of age, as specified in each child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).
- Design and implement individualized, evidence-based, play-based learning experiences aligned with IEP goals, Michigan early childhood learning standards, approved curriculum, and each child’s developmental level, strengths, interests, and needs.
- Develop and deliver instruction addressing cognition, communication, early literacy, early mathematics, social-emotional development, adaptive and self-help skills, physical development, fine- and gross-motor development, and approaches to learning.
- Plan and facilitate purposeful individual, small-group, large-group, learning-center, outdoor, and routine-based activities that encourage exploration, communication, curiosity, creativity, social interaction, and independence.
- Use developmentally appropriate instructional methods, visual supports, communication systems, assistive technology, sensory supports, adaptive materials, and multisensory strategies to promote each child’s access, participation, engagement, and progress.
- Embed IEP goals and specialized instruction within play, classroom routines, transitions, meals, self-care activities, peer interactions, and other naturally occurring learning opportunities.
- Promote child independence, communication, choice-making, self-regulation, self-help skills, positive peer relationships, and developmentally appropriate self-advocacy.
- Create and maintain a safe, organized, nurturing, inclusive, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate learning environment that supports active exploration, positive relationships, appropriate risk-taking, and the developmental needs of young children.
- Recognize and address the interrelationship among development, learning, communication, behavior, physical and mental health, attendance, family circumstances, and social-emotional well-being.
- Implement positive behavior supports, restorative and relationship-based practices, proactive classroom management, visual routines, and individualized behavioral strategies appropriate to young children and their developmental needs.
- Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of behavior intervention plans, health and emergency plans, feeding or toileting supports, communication plans, accommodations, modifications, and other individualized supports in collaboration with qualified personnel.
- Monitor children’s health, safety, positioning, mobility, sensory, feeding, toileting, and personal-care needs and follow all applicable plans, procedures, staff training requirements, and medical directions within the employee’s role and qualifications.
- Provide active supervision and participate physically in classroom, playground, community, self-care, and motor activities, consistent with children’s needs and the essential physical functions of the position.
- Serve as case manager for assigned children and ensure the timely development, implementation, monitoring, and review of IEPs in accordance with IDEA, MARSE, FERPA, district procedures, and other applicable requirements.
- Convene, lead, and participate in IEP Team meetings and collaborate with parents or guardians, general education teachers, administrators, related service providers, and other team members to develop appropriate programs, services, goals, supports, and placement recommendations.
- Ensure that each child’s IEP goals, supplementary aids and services, accommodations, behavior supports, related services, and other program requirements are communicated to and implemented by responsible staff.
- Participate in Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team processes, including referral review, evaluation planning, record review, family interviews, classroom and natural-environment observations, developmental assessment, data analysis, eligibility determination, report preparation, and educational planning.
- Conduct or support comprehensive, play-based, culturally and linguistically responsive evaluations of children suspected of having disabilities, consistent with certification, training, professional role, and district assignment.
- Assess child functioning across relevant developmental domains using multiple sources of information, including standardized and criterion-referenced measures, developmental tools, observations, work samples, interviews, curriculum-based measures, and family and service-provider input.
- Use assessment and progress-monitoring data to establish present levels of performance, develop measurable annual goals, design instruction, monitor child progress, evaluate program effectiveness, and adjust supports and services.
- Complete required child-outcomes measurement, entry and exit assessment, progress reporting, and other state or district reporting responsibilities accurately and within established timelines. Michigan uses preschool special education outcomes reporting for eligible children receiving ECSE services.
- Collaborate with families as equal partners by incorporating their priorities, concerns, observations, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and knowledge of their child into evaluation, IEP development, instruction, and progress monitoring.
- Communicate regularly with families regarding their child’s development, progress, classroom experiences, services, strengths, needs, and strategies that may be used across school, home, and community settings.
- Provide family education, coaching, demonstration, resources, and developmentally appropriate strategies that strengthen parent-child interactions and support the child’s learning and participation in everyday routines.
- Collaborate with general education preschool teachers, early childhood personnel, special education staff, administrators, speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, school psychologists, social workers, nurses, behavior specialists, and other providers to coordinate services and integrate educational goals.
- Promote preschool inclusion and support children’s access, participation, membership, and progress in general education classrooms, community-based preschool programs, and other natural early childhood environments to the maximum extent appropriate. Michigan guidance emphasizes providing ECSE services in typical community-based settings whenever possible and using more restrictive settings only when individual needs require them.
- Provide consultation, modeling, coaching, and technical assistance to families, teachers, paraprofessionals, childcare providers, and other staff regarding developmentally appropriate instruction, communication, accommodations, sensory supports, behavior supports, inclusion, and implementation of IEP goals.
- Lead and coordinate the classroom team by establishing clear routines, communicating student needs, assigning appropriate responsibilities, modeling effective practices, and providing direction and support to paraprofessionals, assistants, volunteers, and other assigned personnel.
- Provide paraprofessionals and other classroom staff with information and training necessary to understand and appropriately implement IEP goals, instructional strategies, communication systems, health and safety procedures, data-collection protocols, and positive behavior supports.
- Coordinate with Early On, Build Up Michigan, Head Start, Great Start Readiness Program, childcare providers, local school districts, community agencies, and outside providers, as appropriate, to support referrals, continuity of services, family access, and successful educational programming.
- Support transition planning for children entering ECSE from Early On or other early childhood services and for children transitioning from preschool special education into kindergarten or another appropriate educational setting.
- Participate in Child Find, screening, referral, prereferral consultation, problem-solving, and intervention processes intended to identify and support young children who may have developmental delays or disabilities.
- Prepare and maintain accurate, timely, secure, and confidential lesson plans, attendance and meal records, assessment results, progress-monitoring data, behavioral data, service logs, Medicaid or Service Capture documentation, IEP records, incident reports, and other required records.
- Prepare and disseminate required IEP progress reports and communicate children’s performance, developmental growth, services, interventions, and educational outcomes to families and appropriate staff.
- Develop, coordinate, implement, and regularly update classroom schedules, service schedules, staff assignments, intervention plans, related-service supports, and instructional activities in collaboration with administrators and other providers.
- Select, adapt, organize, and maintain developmentally appropriate instructional materials, adaptive equipment, learning centers, toys, books, technology, visual supports, and classroom resources.
- Conduct parent-teacher conferences, home or community visits when included in the program model, and other family-engagement activities designed to coordinate learning and support across environments.
- Maintain current knowledge of early childhood development, early childhood special education, disability characteristics, evidence-based intervention, inclusive practice, trauma-responsive and relationship-based practice, and applicable state and federal requirements.
- Engage in continuous professional learning, reflective practice, coaching, collaborative planning, and the application of feedback to improve instruction, family partnerships, classroom-team effectiveness, and child outcomes.
- Participate actively in IEP meetings, MET meetings, staff meetings, professional development, program evaluation, school improvement, district committees, transition activities, and other required early childhood or special education meetings.
- Communicate professionally, effectively, respectfully, and in a family-centered manner with children, families, colleagues, administrators, community partners, and outside agencies.
- Maintain confidentiality, professional boundaries, and ethical standards in all interactions and comply with FERPA, IDEA, MARSE, Board policy, and applicable state and federal requirements.
- Fulfill mandated reporting responsibilities and follow established procedures concerning suspected abuse, neglect, harassment, discrimination, child safety, health concerns, and other matters requiring intervention.
- Follow district, program, licensing, health, sanitation, emergency, medication, food-service, transportation, arrival and dismissal, and child-supervision requirements applicable to the assignment. Huron ISD’s ECSE posting, for example, includes attendance, meal-count, classroom-cleanliness, medical-awareness, and student-safety responsibilities.
- Maintain required Michigan certification, endorsements, approvals, permits, first aid or CPR credentials, and other training applicable to the position and assigned children. Michigan’s rules include specific ECSE teacher requirements, while current postings commonly require an appropriate ECSE credential or approved combination of early childhood and special education qualifications.
Employment Conditions:
- Employees shall remain free of any alcohol or nonprescribed controlled substance abuse in the workplace throughout their employment with the District.
- Employees shall comply with all Board policies and applicable federal and state laws and regulations, including but not limited to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), applicable non-discrimination requirements, and related educational regulations.
- Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor that are consistent with certification, approval area, district expectations, and the Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE).
ADA Requirements:
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, physical demands, and work environment required to perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.
- Ability to communicate effectively with students, staff, parents, and community members in person, in writing, and through electronic means.
- Ability to read, analyze, and interpret a variety of documents, data, and information.
- Ability to use standard office equipment and technology, including computers, communication systems, and data platforms.
- Ability to sit, stand, walk, and move throughout the building and grounds for extended periods of time.
- Ability to observe, supervise, and evaluate students and staff in a variety of school settings, including classrooms, common areas, and large group environments.
- Ability to attend and supervise school events and meetings, including those occurring outside of the regular workday.
- Ability to respond appropriately and effectively in emergency or crisis situations, including implementation of safety and security procedures.
- Ability to lift and/or move light to moderate items, such as materials, supplies, or equipment, as needed.
- Ability to travel within and outside the district as required for meetings, professional development, and school-related activities.
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those encountered while performing the essential functions of this position. Work is performed primarily in a school setting with a moderate noise level and frequent interruptions. The position may require flexibility in scheduling, including occasional evenings and weekends.
The Board of Education is committed to maintaining a learning and working environment in which all individuals are treated with dignity and respect, free from discrimination and harassment. There will be no tolerance for discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, creed or ancestry, sex, marital status, genetic information, height, weight, sexual orientation, disability or age. The School District prohibits harassment and other forms of discrimination whether occurring at school, on School District property, in a School District vehicle, or at any School District related activity or event. Furthermore, the Board is committed to equal employment opportunities and the prevention of discrimination in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, training, promotion and retention of staff. The Superintendent will designate compliance officers and develop and implement regulations for the reporting, investigation and resolution of complaints of discrimination or harassment. For additional information, contact the Director of Human Resources at 23101 Stadium Blvd., St. Clair Shores, MI 48080, (586) 435-1600.
Pay: $44,055.00 - $92,334.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Education:
License/Certification:
- Teaching Certification (Required)
Work Location: In person
