Infant Toddler Specialist – South East Region

Salary: $44,998.81 - $59,143.37 - Salary commensurate with education & experience.                    

Job Code: EDP031

Pay Grade: K

Location: South- East Georgia

*This position is remote based but will require statewide travel with a specific caseload located in South East Georgia and surrounding areas, (to include the following counties: Chatham, Bleckley, Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Dodge, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Jenkins, Jones, Liberty, Monroe, Montgomery, Screven, Tattnall, Toombs, Treutlen, Twiggs, Washington) The successful candidate will reside in or adjacent to assigned region.

Job Description: The Infant Toddler Specialist will support increased quality in infant and toddler classrooms by strengthening and expanding the quality of responsive caregiving practices through provision of high-quality community-based training, consultation, technical assistance, and coaching to professionals serving infants and toddlers in centers and family childcare learning homes.

Job Responsibilities:

·         Provide onsite technical assistance and coaching at assigned sites to support responsive caregiving, establish literacy awareness and literacy promotion practices;

·         Achieve and maintain proficiency in the administration of the Infant and Toddler Classroom Assessment Scoring Systems (CLASS) and incorporate regular classroom observations that are specifically focused on teacher-child interactions into technical assistance sessions;

·         Use a variety of instruments such as the Infant CLASS, Toddler CLASS and the LENA system as part of a comprehensive technical assistance plan to assist programs in identifying areas of strength and opportunities for improvement in areas affecting literacy such as responsive caregiving, creating language-rich environments and support for learning and emotional and behavioral support;

·         Design and deliver high quality professional learning opportunities on developmentally appropriate language and literacy practices, brain development, infant toddler social emotional development and other topics related to high quality infant and toddler care to early childhood teachers, directors, and others;

·         Provide telephone consultation to answer questions and offer support related to infant and toddlers, as well as assistance to providers in identifying and prioritizing professional development needs;

·         Serve as an agency resource on the unique needs of infants, toddlers and their caregivers

·         Support increased high quality opportunities for infants and toddlers through teaming and partnership with community-level professionals from institutions of higher education, private trainers, agency personnel, families and child care providers and others;

·         Collaborate and coordinate with other DECAL program consultants and TA providers offering support in centers, groups and family day care homes in order to increase effectiveness and decrease duplication;

·         Support other DECAL initiatives as appropriate. 

Physical Requirements:

·         Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication.

·         The ability to speak clearly is required. 

·         Requires the ability to review, classify, categorize, prioritize, and/or analyze data. Includes exercising discretion in determining data classification.

·         Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.

·         The selectee must have a valid Georgia driver’s license, insurance coverage and have the ability to drive for extensive periods as needed.

Technical Competencies required to perform the job:

·         Experience working with diverse communities and sensitivity to needs and concerns of various cultural groups.

·         Ability to develop professional relationships with early care and education stake holders through active listening, problem solving and interpersonal skills.

·         A comprehensive understanding of child development and early care and education.

·         Working knowledge of state licensing regulations, Quality Rated criteria, and early learning standards.

·         The ability to learn information about the early care and education system, child development, and adult learning principles in a fast-paced environment.

·         Ability to manage own time, set priorities, work without direct supervision, and contribute to team atmosphere.

·         Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, and organizational skills.

·         Proficiency in Microsoft WORD, EXCEL, and POWERPOINT.

Agency Required Qualification:

·         High school diploma/GED and four (4) years of program management experience; or two (2) years of experience required at the lower level Education Prgm Spec I (EDP030) or position equivalent.

Agency Preferred Qualifications:

Preference will be given to applicants who, in addition to meeting the minimum qualifications, possess (4) four or more of the following:

·         Master’s degree from an accredited institution in Early Childhood education, child development or a closely related field

·         (3) Three years of experience working in an early childhood setting with infants and toddlers;

·         Extensive experience designing and delivering training to adult audiences;

·         Extensive experience providing technical assistance and coaching to early childhood providers using data in implementation and evaluation of those supports;

·         Strong knowledge of language development and strategies to support literacy in infant toddler classrooms;

·         Experience conducting classroom quality assessments such as the Classroom Assessment Scoring System or the Environmental Rating Scales.

Bright from the Start:  Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is a family-friendly employer, offering flexible work schedules (at supervisory discretion) and a comprehensive compensation package, to include healthcare, retirement, 401-k match, and elective options for dental, vision, AD&D, short and long-term disability, and life insurance.  Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is an equal opportunity employer and drug-free workplace.  A background check will be completed upon hire, which may consist of any or all of the following: criminal and employment histories, credit history (as applicable to the position), education credentials, and motor vehicle driving records.“If you are an individual with a disability who may require assistance or other reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the selection process for this position, you may contact our HR department at 404-678-879-2993

 Due to the volume of submissions received by this office, information concerning application or interview status cannot be provided in writing, over the phone, or in person. All applicants who submit a complete application package will be considered but may not necessarily receive notification or an interview.  The job posting may be subject to being closed at any time without notice.  Only those qualified candidates who are selected for an interview shall receive notification upon the filling of this vacancy.