Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator

Are you passionate about young minds and creating impactful learning experiences?

Our Children's Program is seeking an Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator!

The Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator will be responsible for scheduling and facilitating Individual Education Plan (IEP) Team meetings, implementing the IEPs for children in inclusive early childhood classrooms, maintaining data for progress monitoring, and maintaining professional organization of the Special Education Files. This person will support the development, training and mentoring of Lead Teacher’s and support staff for educational services for children in a child care/preschool setting.

Schedule: Early Learning Coordinators are hired for one of 3 schedules 7:15am- 3:15pm; 8:00am - 5:00pm; or 9:30am to 5:30pm. Schedules may vary depending on the needs of the program and program operating hours. Must be able to work between the hours of 7:30am- 5:30pm, on occasion when needed.  

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Early Education or related field. Special Education degree strongly preferred. Early Learning Coordinators for our preschool department must maintain a current teaching license and be certified in Special Education to provide IEP services.
• Must have knowledge of DHS licensing standards and DOE School Approval standards.
• Must have experience in staff leadership and development.
• Must have experience communicating with families and caregivers.
• Must be familiar with developing web-based IEPs and effective transitions to Pre-K and/or Kindergarten.
• Must have effective verbal and written communication skills and be able to interact professionally with teachers, visiting therapist/CCR&R staff, families/caregivers, and auxiliary program staff.
• Must demonstrate strong time management skills and the ability to prioritize workload.

Job Responsibilities:

• Early Learning Coordinators are responsible for a specific grouping of classrooms as assigned by the Director of Children's Services. Two Coordinators oversee the preschool portion of our services (3-5 years focusing on 3 classrooms each) a third Coordinator oversee the Infant/Toddler portion of our program (6 weeks- 2 years), focusing on 6 classrooms.
• Oversight of special education services including Early Intervention, IEP development, implementation, coordination, and documentation for children in assigned classrooms. Participates in IEP meetings.
• Oversight of assigned classrooms and assistance with planning and coordinating daily activities that are consistent with best practices for early childhood education/ special education and are developmentally appropriate for the children served.
• With Director, participate in interviews and coordinates observations for hiring of new staff.
• Provision of preservice training (in conjunction with Director or HR) for incoming staff and conduct ongoing training (in-service, hands-on, scheduling training outside of the agency for teachers, etc.), observation and mentoring of staff in assigned classrooms for continuous quality improvement.
• Management of classroom coverage for assigned classrooms- ensures assigned classrooms are adequately staffed.
• Working with teachers to provide parent engagement opportunities.
• Evaluate staff in assigned classrooms and assist Director with creating professional development plans specific to each teacher.
• Assist Director with oversight of Before and /or After Care.
• Perform other duties as required by the Director of the Chattanooga Children's Program. 

The following are considered essential functions of the job:

• Observe, see, hear and respond to children’s needs, emergencies and conflicts that may occur in the center or on the playground.
• To regularly be able to lift 25 lbs. from the floor to a waist high level.
• To react quickly to any situation that may require the staff person to reach a child 20-30 feet away within 30 seconds.
•  Ability to crouch to a child’s height, maintain eye contact at the child’s level, bend at the waist and frequently get down onto the floor, sit on the floor and move around the floor with children during activities (up to 75% of the time).
• Be able to reach overhead to utilize equipment and to access items that must be placed out of children’s reach.
• Be able to handle the responsibilities of the job and the routine stress often associated mentally and emotionally with providing care to infants/toddlers, preschoolers, and children with special needs.

Benefits:

We believe in supporting our employees and their families as they journey throughout life. We are committed to offering a rich benefits package to all full-time employees to include:

• Competitive benefits package that includes - Health, Vision and Dental, HSA, Dependent Care FSA, Group Life Insurance, Teladoc (Telemedicine), Short & Long-Term Disability and more.
• Up to 4% matching 401(k) employer contribution, plus a 3% base.
• Mental Health Support.
• Generous paid time off

Signal Centers is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to affirm the dignity and worth of every person in all that we do. It is, therefore, the policy of the organization to practice and ensure the fair and equitable treatment of all employees and to promote the full realization of this policy through all employment practices.