Education & Curriculum Specialist

Job Title: Education & Curriculum Specialist                                                                                                

FLSA Status: Exempt

Salary Grade:  Grade 9 

Supervisory Responsibilities: No 

Reporting To: VP of Program Operations & COO 

Creation Date: June 2023

Policy Council Approval:   1/29/2024

Board of Directors Approval: 2/13/2024 

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Education and Curriculum Specialist provides training, modeling, coaching and curriculum support to ensure that BCHS Head Start and Early HeadStart classrooms are meeting the highest level of quality. This position is responsible for coaching and assisting teaching staff in planning, implementing and individualizing instruction. The Education and Curriculum Specialist supports teachers in assessing children’s outcomes and attaining educational and developmental goals, by use of intentional teaching strategies that meet the needs of each child and prepares all children for school success. This position is responsible for the development and improvement of curriculum design and instructional materials. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Visit HS/EHS classrooms to serve as a coach to all teaching staff by providing support, guidance, mentoring, modeling, and training.
• Establish mentoring relationships with teachers that will result in further improvement of developmentally appropriate teaching skills.
• Model best practices and strategies in all domains of the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework and Head Start Performance Standards.
• Manage all curriculum and instruction practices for EHS and HS birth to five programs.
• Update and develop processes and procedures to ensure optimal curriculum implementation.
• Create and update lesson plan templates and content for each program.
• Create and update curriculum scope and sequence, curriculum timeline and other curriculum schedules as needed.
• Create and update Family Activities aligned with the curriculum in each program.
• Assess the quality of teacher-child interactions and classroom environment quality during routine classroom visits by monitoring and noting observations. 
• Implement coaching model with fidelity, including implementing a reflective questioning process to guide teachers to connect theory to daily practice and the use of data displays.
• Support teachers in implementing the adopted curriculum with fidelity.
• Support teachers in developing engaging curriculum activities and routines for whole groups, small groups, and individuals that produce positive school readiness outcomes for children.
• Support teachers in collecting and analyzing child assessment data to develop lesson plans and activities to support children’s growth and development.
• Support teachers in using teacher observation data to select focus areas and create goals for improved teaching practices that lead to improved child outcomes.
• Assist in the monitoring of child portfolios, weekly lesson plans, and individualized lessons to ensure compliance, timeliness, and quality.
• Assist teaching staff in developing and accessing learning outcomes and individualizing curriculum to meet children’s needs.
• Communicate with Campus Principals regarding teacher goals for improved performance.
• Work closely with program leadership and teachers to ensure full implementation of all aspects of the school readiness program, record keeping, reporting, and ongoing monitoring.
• Track and analyze child outcomes and use data to make recommendations to improve instruction and program development.
• Exhibit cultural awareness and sensitivity when interacting with children and parent(s)/guardian(s), staff, and the community; assist teaching staff in developing cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Support other content staff in planning, creating, and providing training. 
• Facilitate and support National Support Association for the Education of the Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation acquisition and maintenance.
• Attend parent meetings on a regular basis for each campus conduct presentations as applicable (i.e., curriculum used in classroom (beginning of year) and program transition of children (end of year)).
• Demonstrate knowledge of Brazoria County Head Start’s (BCHS) mission, goals, policies, and procedures.   
• Demonstrate knowledge of Head Start’s Performance Standards, Early Learning Outcomes, and other regulatory requirements.       
• Communicate and collaborate with staff to implement services that meet the needs of children and their families assigned to their respective campuses. 
• Demonstrate on-going personal and professional growth and development to meet program and regulatory requirements.
• Must maintain confidentiality at all times.        
• Attend and participate in staff meetings and training as scheduled.
• This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position.  Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor.
• This job description may be revised upon development of other duties and changes in responsibilities.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Essential traits for this position are as follows:

• Must be a self-starter.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with team members, management and families.
• Must be results oriented.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Extensive knowledge of Early Childhood Education and Development, specifically children birth to five.
• Experience and expertise in curriculum design and planning.
• Able to present to small and large groups of people.
• Must have superior organizational and time management skills with ability to organize and prioritize tasks daily.
• Must be able to work independently or on teams in a challenging work atmosphere.
• Must have an exceptional aptitude for attention to detail.
• Must be able to prioritize and balance multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment.
• Must be able to plan and complete tasks and assignments on-schedule with minimal supervision using appropriate judgment.
• Must be able to exercise appropriate judgment, discretion, maintain the confidentiality of all Brazoria County Head Start (BCHS) stakeholders.
• Must be able to contribute to building a positive team spirit; put success of team above own interests; support everyone's efforts to succeed.
• Must be able to show respect and sensitivity for cultural differences; promote a harassment-free environment.
• Must be able to treat people with respect and dignity; work with integrity and ethically uphold the Agency's mission and values.

QUALIFICATIONS:  

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Minimum Qualifications:

At least one of the following required:

• A bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with advanced degree preferred.
• A bachelor’s or advanced degree in education that includes ages K through 6, with 15 credits hours in early childhood education courses.
• A bachelor's or advanced degree and equivalent coursework in early childhood education with teaching experience
• Three (2) years teaching experience with preschool age children preferred.
• Head Start experience preferred.
• Creative Curriculum, Teaching Strategies Gold, and CLASS experience preferred.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

Safety is one of our core company values. When necessary, employees may be required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE). The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

• Physically capable to lift up to 40 pounds as needed throughout the day.
• Ability to drive a vehicle long and short distances.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

The work environment is that which is typical of an office and classroom setting. The noise level in the environment can, at times, be loud and noisy.

Other:

Must possess a valid Texas driver’s license and have access to a vehicle which is insured as required by the Texas Financial Responsibility Law.