Helpful websites and Possible jobs

Zero to Three, www.zerotothree.org

“Our mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life.

At ZERO TO THREE we envision a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential”.

Zero to Three offers the most up to date information regarding anything having to do with infants and toddlers. They conduct research in classrooms and programs across the nation.  They have staff that work in all 50 states offering technical assistance and the policy and administration level as well.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), http://www.naeyc.org/content/about-naeyc

NAEYC is membership-based organization that supports, educates, and advocates for anyone concerned with the well-being of young children.  They offer position statements on critical issues and publish two magazines that offer research-based and evidence-based articles that keep ECE practitioners up to date on the most recent trends and initiatives in the ECE field.

Head Start: An Office of Administration for Children and Families

Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center

https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching

This website offers all the information I would need to learn about Head Start, it’s standards, their implementation and outcomes for children and families.  It offers many resources teachers can use in planning and individualizing for individual students or a classroom of students.

Summary of skills I need to develop:

Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers (P.I.T.C.)-This is a training provided to coaches, trainers, and teachers who work with infants and toddlers.  It is a research-based training that requires a potential candidate to apply to attend the training that entails approximately 80 hours of instructions and a variety of papers and proposals submitted to receive their P.I.T.C. certification.  I have already taken a 40 hour version of this material at my local community college for college credit and am enrolled in the train the trainer course described above held in California.  I will be attending this in June 2017.

Knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards-This an area of the child care field that I have never worked with and have found that positions are requiring at least a overview knowledge of these standards.  This is one reason why I chose Head Start: An Office of Administration for Children and Families Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center website as one of the websites I want to get to know and use in my future work.

Reflective Practice-I need to continue to develop and understand reflective practices to move myself forward and make full use of my educational knowledge. I need to know how develop my own reflective practices as well as how to teach others about this concept.

Data collection and analysis- I need to continue to use the data collection skills I learned in my coursework to analyze and synthesize it in order to write reports and recommended practices.

Collaborative skills- In my current position and in almost of the ones listed below I see the words collaboration and team over and over. I need to continue to develop this skill as I am sure I will in my new position.  This involves using all that we have learned in this Master’s program about adult learners to facilitate this collaborative process.  I need to continue to read and learn about how to promote collaboration.

Inclusive practices- I need to read and learn more about special education laws, practices and policies.  I have not had a lot of experience with system level practices in this area.  While I have used adaptive practices to assist children in the classroom, I need to learn more about the systems.

Employment Opportunities:

Albemarle Alliance for Children and Families, Inc.  is seeking a qualified individual to work as our Region 1 Infant/Toddler Specialist.

JOB SUMMARY: The Infant/Toddler Regional Specialist provides training, coaching/modeling, technical assistance and support to the region’s child care professionals, works in collaboration with licensing consultants and other community agency staff who serve child care providers caring for infants and toddlers. The I/T Specialist works to improve the quality and availability of infant-toddler child care in Region 1. Region 1 includes Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Hertford, Gates, Northampton, Perquimans and Pasquotank counties.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or related field and three years’ experience in direct service and management working with infants and toddlers, their families or programs that serve them OR Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education or related field and two years’ experience in direct service and management working with infants and toddlers, their families or programs that serve them
• At least two years’ experience providing technical assistance to child care programs to increase their quality of care
• Program for Infant Toddler Care (PITC) certified or willingness/ability to successfully complete modules I-IV upon hire
• Knowledge of Infant/Toddler environmental rating scales (ITERS) and the Pyramid model preferred.

If interested, please forward resume along with references to:

Dr. Denauvo M. Robinson, President and CEO

Albemarle Alliance for Children and Families, Inc.

1403 Parkview Drive

Elizabeth City, NC  27909 or drobinson@albemarleacf.org

WestEd Position Announcement

only show benefit highlights for Regular positions and on Benefits page

Position Title:	Professional Development & Technical Assistance Specialist
Reports to:	Project Director
Program:	Center for Prevention & Early Intervention

Agency and Department Profile START Default Agency Profile START WestEd — a nonpartisan, nonprofit research, development, and service agency — works with education and other communities throughout the United States and abroad to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth, and adults. WestEd has more than a dozen offices nationwide, from Massachusetts, Vermont, and Georgia, to Illinois, Arizona, and California, with headquarters in San Francisco.

WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention houses multiple training, technical assistance, and resource development projects that promote positive outcomes for the birth-22-year-old population with disabilities, other special needs and their families. In addition to collaborating with state and local health, education, and human service agencies on systems change efforts, CPEI offers a competency-based early intervention professional develop series; facilitates interagency team trainings that promote inclusive early care and education, and supports the State Education Agencies and local school districts to address students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Position Description

The Professional Development and Technical Assistance Specialist will have multiple responsibilities including: development and provision of training and technical assistance supporting school-age students with special needs; development of training modules in multiple formats; and developing new training resources and projects. The position requires extensive travel throughout Arizona and California and possibly throughout the United States. The successful applicant will work with a variety of activities and programs related to the support of state education agencies as well as district and school level activities, with a focus on equity, access, and inclusion of all children. Responsibilities will include designing and providing professional learning opportunities for educators and providing technical assistance and professional development for state and local education agencies. In addition, the Senior Program Associate may conduct district program reviews, engage in data collection and analysis, prepare reports, and develop proposals. Strong writing skills, the ability to analyze and interpret information, and the ability to work collaboratively in developing program improvement strategies based on data are critical.

The successful candidate will have knowledge of state and local initiatives designed to improve teaching and learning for all children, including children with disabilities and other at-risk groups. The ability to assist with writing grant proposals and reports under tight deadlines is essential. Capacity to develop research and position papers is a plus. A minimum of five years of experience in an administrative, leadership or professional development capacity at the school or district level is required. The position requires a strong background and expertise in curriculum and instruction, school-wide approaches to improvement, implementation of multi-tier system of supports, inclusion strategies, as well as knowledge of the Common Core State Standards and strategies for supporting English Learners who are also students with disabilities. Experience at various levels of instruction (elementary, middle, and high school) with a background in delivering special education services in inclusive/integrated settings is preferred.

Familiarity with the Common Core State Standards and their implications for students with disabilities and other special populations including ELs, children from culturally diverse backgrounds, and other special needs.

• Familiarity and ability to provide professional development in these areas:

o evidence-based practices/interventions to accelerate achievement for diverse student populations in reading, mathematics, and behavior;

o inclusive instructional practices, including co-teaching and collaborative special education supports within the core content, and RTI/MTSS, PBIS;

o compliant, standards-aligned IEPs.

• At least five-years experience as a special educator director/leader in a medium to large school district is preferred.

• Experience working with state education agencies and/or with state-wide initiatives.

• Familiarity with Federal funding programs, requirements, initiatives for district/school improvement efforts.

• Ability to perform data analysis and interpretation

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Dynamic presentation and facilitation skills

• Ability to facilitate and bring to consensus diverse groups of stakeholders

• Commitment to inclusion of diverse populations in school reform and improvement

• Commitment to high quality products and customer service

• Ability to handle multiple priorities under time-restricted conditions

• Product and service development experience

• Marketing and/or customer relations’ experience

• Ability to work collaboratively and independently to realize program goals

• Necessary application skills: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, email

Design and provide effective professional development with district and school leaders, faculty, and support staff to support improvement of teaching and learning for all students.

• Design effective online professional development modules for use with district and school leaders, faculty, and support staff to support improvement of teaching and learning for all students.

• Design and provide institutes or academies for school or district teams to address school/district improvement with a focus on improving outcomes for students with disabilities within the overall school improvement context.

• Provide technical assistance and coordination for state and school districts’ improvement efforts.

• Collaborate with a team of professional development providers to analyze district and school needs and plan services.

• Facilitate collaborative efforts among partner organizations.

• Maintain ongoing communication among and between program staff, clients, and partner organizations.

• Manage project resources (time and budget) to support completion of defined scopes of work.

• Prepare written reports, brochures, and professional development materials as needed.

• Write proposals and contribute to resource development and WestEd growth to support clients in closing equity gaps.

Position:

Regional Field Specialist, Region VII

Project Coordination and Management, Early Childhood Education

Company: ZERO TO THREE

Job Location(s):Kansas City, MO

Required Education: Graduate Degree

Required Experience: 7 to 20+ years

Required Security Clearance: None

Related Categories:

Education - Professional/Vocational, Education - Preschool, Project Management

About the Organization

Founded in 1977, ZERO TO THREE works to ensure that babies and toddlers benefit from the early connections that are critical to their well-being and development. Our mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. At ZERO TO THREE we envision a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential. Our Core Values Statement: We believe that how we do our work is as important as what we do.  To learn more about ZERO TO THREE, please visit our website at www.zerotothree.org.

Summary

Regional Field Specialists (RFS) are responsible for providing Technical Assistance and Training (T/TA) to staff in their assigned Regional Office (RO). The primary focus of the position is to support ACF RO staff’s work with Head Start/Early Head Start programs and other early childhood programs, in particular efforts related to the design and delivery of comprehensive school readiness services for children birth-to-five. RFSs will introduce resources related to evidence-based development, teaching and learning practices and other topics that can be useful to RO staff as they provide oversight to HS/EHS grantees. RFSs will work in an ACF Regional Office and be available to provide T/TA on an individual basis or in groups, depending on the needs identified by the Regional Program Manager (RPM) and their staff. The RFS will report directly to the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning’s (NC ECDTL) Integrated Services/Regional Team Manager. The RFSs will coordinate, when appropriate, with the other OHS IST representatives, to plan T/TA activities in their RO. RFSs will communicate regularly with the NC ECDTL Senior Regional T/TA Specialists and State Specialists, in order to share important information, especially data, related to the impact of the T/TA system’s work with programs within the twelve ACF Regions and their corresponding States, coupled with data and insights from the RO staff.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

•    Provide focused support to Regional Office (RO) staff on school readiness and the implementation of the Office of Head Start’s (OHS) Birth to Five Early Learning Outcomes Framework in their work with grantees and the early childhood community at large.  Efforts will include, but not limited to, supporting RO staff’s understanding of strategies for data aggregation, analysis, monitoring progress and continuous program improvement of programs’ school readiness goals.

•    Offer T/TA to Regional Office staff on early childhood care and education topics in order to increase their knowledge and ultimately strengthen regional efforts to apply evidenced-based practices in Early Head Start/ Head Start programs and other early childhood programs.

•    Design and deliver data consultation to Regional Office, T/TA partners, and Integrated Service Team (IST) members on regional and state level trends in grantee data, in order to help inform regional professional development planning and ongoing continuous improvement related to early childhood development, teaching and learning. Share with RO staff the latest resources and materials from OHS and the Office of Child Care’s (OCC) National Centers.

•    Build RO staff’s awareness of the role and importance of professional development for grantee staff as a part of continuous improvement. Address Practice Based Coaching as one type of evidenced-based professional development strategy. Support training and rollout efforts of coaching activities within assigned Region. Provide training, as needed, on related professional development topics, birth to five, using process consultation techniques.

•    Support the Office of Head Start’s effort to collect and analyze regional data.

•    Collaborate with National Center colleagues to provide direct support to RO staff members on a range of topics identified by OHS, OCC and RO leadership.

•    Work collaboratively with Early Childhood Specialists, Head Start State Collaboration Officers, and in rare instances with grantees. In addition, the Regional Field Specialist, in conjunction with the Integrated Service Team, comprised of representatives from other Head Start National Centers, will deliver training and technical assistance.

•    Communicate regularly with the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning’s Senior Regional T/A Specialists and State Specialists to share information on the status of HS/EHS programs’ progress.

•    Performs other duties as assigned for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of the project.

Skills and Experience

•    Minimum of seven years of experience in the field of Early Care and Education with two years of experience with project coordination and/or management.

•    Strong knowledge of early childhood development birth to five;

•    Strong knowledge of CLASS Pre-K observation tool and other program, teacher and child-level assessment tools commonly used in early childhood preschool programs;

•    Strong knowledge of Head Start program development, the Head Start Program Performance Standards, Head Start Outcomes Framework, and HS technical assistance resources;

•    Strong knowledge of CCDF and Public Pre-K programming trends and regulations in states and territories;

•    Excellent conceptual, written and oral skills;

•    Experience with organizing, developing and providing technical assistance resources to a variety of audiences;

•    Ability to work with a team as well as independently;

•    Strong oral, written and computer skills;

•    Strong interpersonal skills;

•    Ability to read, analyze and interpret complex documents,

•    Ability to collect, organize, analyze and display various types of data, and

•    Able to travel.

Essential Qualities

•    Encourages and practices critical thinking

•    Is self-reflective and empathic

•    Recognizes the influence of workplace relationships on outcomes and results

•    Maintains a respectful and accepting approach to others

•    Awareness of the influence of the larger context on individual behavior

•    Collaboratively and creatively supports the work efforts of colleagues at all levels and in all areas of the organization