Head Start Early Childhood Specialist (Bilingual English/Spanish) Region III

ICF seeks an experienced Bilingual Early Childhood (EC) Specialist to support Head Start and Early Head Start programs to ensure high quality Head Start and Early Head Start services in accordance with federal regulations. The EC will provide training and technical assistance (TTA) to programs to support progress toward established school readiness goals, focusing on the use of child and program data to make decisions about approaches to working with teachers, home visitors, and parents in quality practices. The EC will provide professional-level expertise by engaging programs in dialogue and learning of best practices for children from birth to five and encourage a culture of learning that promotes school readiness.

This position is home-based in one of the following states (Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia), and extensive travel within those states, and other parts of the country as needed, will be required to fulfill the duties of the position. This position also requires a candidate who is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Basic Qualifications

The EC shall have:

• A minimum of a BA or BS degree in Early Childhood Education/Development or a related field from an accredited college or university.
• If the highest degree was awarded more than ten years ago, the resume should specifically detail courses, conferences, seminars attended or relevant work experience that ensure the proposed candidate remains current in the field of early childhood development.
• Must be fluently bilingual. Must be able to read, write, and speak in Spanish and English
• 5+ years' experience in programs for young children ranging from birth to five years in age. The experience should include the provision of technical assistance to teachers, home visitors, family childcare providers, coaches, and/or management team members.

• 1+ year experience working with infants and toddlers
• 1+ year experience of Family engagement experience
• 1+ year experience facilitating group discussions and presenting to range of audiences.
• 1+ year experience analyzing data and assisting programs to make data driven decisions.
• 1+ year experience providing training and/or technical assistance to programs in developing and/or implementing school readiness goals or plans.
• 1+ year experience communicating, both orally and in writing, to various audiences.

Preferred Experience/Skills

• Knowledge of Head Start
• Experience working within a Head Start Program

Key Responsibilities

The Regional EC shall provide the following in-person or virtually as determined by the regional office.

• Provide TTA to programs 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 programs 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.
• Assist programs to develop the procedures and skills to aggregate, analyze, and use data obtained through multiple sources.
• Assist programs to implement a research-based coaching model.
• Assist programs to 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.
• Assist programs to strengthen birth-to-five transition practices, including building relationships with local preschools, elementary schools, and other partners.
• Assist programs to 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.

Working at ICF

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The pay range for this position based on full-time employment is: