EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIALIST

OFFICE OF HEAD START TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE REGION 4

 

The Early Childhood Specialist (ECS) provides professional expertise in early childhood education and development through assisting Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs with consultation, training, policy and procedure development, and statewide agency collaboration in areas such as ongoing child assessment, curriculum identification and implementation, dual language learners, school readiness outcomes, and family engagement. The Early Childhood Specialist (ECS)  provides intensive training and technical assistance to HS grantees based on ACF Regional Office (RO) assignments which requires travel and the ability to work on-site for periods of time ranging from one day to several weeks.  The Early Childhood Specialist (ECS) resides in IV. 

 

  Responsibilities/Duties: 

        Provides on-site, group, or virtual TTA to HS/EHS recipients related to school readiness, social/emotional support, family engagement, and professional development.         Provides training and technical assistance in the following areas to support HS/EHS recipients in: 

o   Improving 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.

o   Developing the procedures and skills for aggregating and analyzing data obtained through multiple sources including ongoing child assessment, CLASS, child health, PIR, and family engagement data.

o   Selecting and implementing child assessment, curriculum, and teaching that is age, developmentally, culturally and linguistically appropriate across the birth to five spectra

o   Developing and implementing an effective research-based coaching model designed to improve the quality of teacher/home visitor/family childcare provider performance, classroom quality, and outcomes for children

o   Developing and implementing family engagement practices that support family progress as described in the Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework (PFCE), including coaching of family engagement staff and selections and implementation of a parenting curriculum.

o   Strengthening birth to five transition practices, including building relationships with local preschools, elementary schools, and other partners.

o   Improve collaborations with Local Education Agencies (LEA), state agencies and other partners.

        Coordinates TTA with Grantee, Family Engagement, and Health Specialists to ensure effective integration of TTA across service areas, as directed by the RO.         Provides content expertise in implementing national and regional priorities and initiatives.         Works in partnership with federal Program Specialists to deliver high quality TTA services to programs.         Maintains regular and timely communication with RO staff on delivery of TTA and progress toward corrective actions or quality improvement.         Provides all data entry of action steps and progress in required OHS reporting systems such as SmartHub, and the Head Start Enterprise System.         Participates in meetings including National TTA meetings, Regional Office meetings, team conferences, and one-on-one meetings with the ECS Manager.         Provides various progress reports including weekly, monthly, and other periodic reports; meetings, events, and technical assistance; Monthly Travel; and quarterly plans for activities and expected outcomes.         Supports emerging OHS initiatives and priorities.