Early Childhood Specialist I

Job Type

Full-time

Description

Job Summary :

The Early Childhood Specialist I is part of a transdisciplinary early intervention team that provides developmental intervention to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families in natural and inclusive environments who are found to be eligible for Early Start services at EPU. With the family at the center, ECS serves as the Primary Provider for the family and manages communication, consultation, and skill-sharing across disciplines to support seamless transdisciplinary service delivery, reduce fragmentation, and confusion for families.

Essential Functions :

• Serve as primary provider to ensure all early intervention activities and services meet the outlined objectives and goals of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) for assigned infant and toddlers with disability and their families.
• Responsible to understands and demonstrates appropriate dispositions of the Six Foundational Principles as outlined in the Early Start Personnel manual.
• Identify child and family strengths, typical routines and activities, preferred teaching and learning strategies in partnership with the family.
• Provide direct services for all children / families on case load in natural and inclusive environments. Maintain a minimum of 45% productivity threshold during a regular 40-hour work week schedule. Direct service productivity standard will be modified based on individual staff's scheduled work hours.
• Implement evaluation and assessment activities in accordance with current state laws, regulations, and timelines. Conduct all necessary developmental assessment of assigned infants and families prior to scheduled IFSP meetings.
• In coordination with the family and other team members involved, design, develop and set goals and objectives that are developmentally appropriate, functional in nature, and related to on-going routines of the natural environments for the family.
• Facilitate and support a communication process with the family and team regarding evaluation and assessment procedures and outcomes.
• Complete Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP birth through 3) on a regular basis to track child's development and inform individualized early intervention service approach for each child / family in care.
• Prepare comprehensive written and / or oral reports that integrate own findings and results from parents / caregivers, other agencies / professionals, emphasizing child strengths and functional concerns in developmental domains.
• Collaborate with staff, family and other team members to link ongoing evaluation and assessment with all intervention planning utilizing the child and family's everyday routines, relationships, places and partnerships.
• Coach and support Early Intervention Assistants to assure designated services on the IFSP are provided in natural environments.
• Make appropriate internal and external referrals for families served.
• Participate in consultation and skill-sharing with specialty services (i.e. Speech, Occupational, Physical Therapist, and / or Parent Coach) when needed.
• Seek understanding in the individual nature of child / family learning styles and adapt developmentally appropriate intervention strategies to better meet child / family individual needs, priorities and context.
• Facilitate a smooth transition for child and family into next program placement.
• Maintain, manage, and process client records and information in a confidential manner that meets HIPAA and other applicable confidentiality regulations.
• Complete an accurate data entry for services rendered in the Apricot 360 system on a daily basis.
• Foster strong collaboration, clear and consistent communication with the Service Coordinators at the Regional Center that are assigned to the infants / toddlers on caseload.
• Seek guidance, coaching, supervision from the assigned Lead Early Childhood Specialist, schedule joint home visits and incorporate guidance and feedback to continuously learn, improve and grow in the work with infants, toddlers with disabilities and their families.
• Position requires answering phones, various computer activities and driving of a vehicle for local travel.
• Collaborate with community agencies who may also be serving the family assigned.
• EPU facility hours are Monday - Friday; 8 : 00 AM - 5 : 00 PM; however, ECS ensures non-traditional work hours are made available to serve and support families when warranted based on family needs. Therefore, position hours may vary, which may include evening or weekends, depending upon the needs of the program and families we serve.
• The position requires the ability to meet with children / families outside of the EPU Center. In order to meet this expectation staff are required to have reliable transportation for local travel.
• Required to hold valid California Driver's license and good driving record with no serious violations for the previous two-year period and be able to provide proof of current automobile liability insurance.
• Required to perform other duties as they are assigned by the Director, Manager of Early Intervention Services, Early Childhood Specialist Lead and / or Chief Executive Officer.

Requirements

Knowledge, Skill and Experience :

Education : Must have a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Special Education or related field. Current California Education Specialist Credential or added authorization in Early Childhood Special Education granted by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is preferred.

Experience :

Skills :

Physical Demands :

Typical Working Condition : Staff is required to visit families in their homes. EPU does not have control over the location and condition of all the environments staff may be exposed.

Equipment Used : Personal vehicle for local travel to attend meetings in the local area, computers, printers, telephones, and fax machines.

Essential Physical Tasks : Working with children and their families requires the ability to sit on floors, reach, twist, turn, kneel, stand, stoop, crawl, lift, carry, push, and pull.

This position description may not be an exhaustive list of all duties, knowledge, or abilities associated with this classification; however, it is intended to accurately reflect the principal job elements. Related duties, knowledge, or abilities to those expressly stated may also be required for the successful performance of the position.

Salary Description

24.00 - $27.00 per hour DOE

Salary : $24 - $27