Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator (Grant Funded)

SUBJECT: Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator (grant funded) REPORTS TO: Director of Special Education and Intervention Services and the Director of Early Childhood ACCOUNTABILITY OBJECTIVE: This position includes working closely with all elementary school principals and special education administration to provide support that ensures adherence to Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Regulations governed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Schools (DESE). DESE mandates that school districts are required by law to ensure that developmentally appropriate ECSE programs and services are available. ECSE programs and services ensure that all children with disabilities have a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) that is designed to meet their unique needs and enable them to make progress in acquiring knowledge and skills, improving social relationships, and learning to take action to meet their needs within the general education program. Therefore, the primary responsibility of the Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator is to make certain that developmentally appropriate special education services are in place for students with disabilities in early childhood programs who need specially designed instruction or related services, and ensure FAPE is given access to the general education program. The Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator is responsible for the management and delivery of comprehensive services for families and children from birth through age five including early childhood family education classes, early childhood screening through the district ARENA process as well as providing support to school readiness services in preschool. The Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator will coordinate outreach to stakeholders i.e., Early Intervention Childhood Centers, Head Start, Agencies, Families, and Community Partners to ensure all Child Find timelines are met through DESE mandates as well as facilitate communication and collaboration through Transition Planning Conferences. This position is also responsible for working with principals to ensure that the district's early childhood curriculum is implemented with fidelity and that high-quality teaching is evident in early childhood classrooms. The position also works with the Office of Research Data and Accountability to analyze and monitor data about the district's early childhood education programs. This will also include consulting with Principals to address data analysis and progress monitoring outcomes for preschool students in grades [PreK - Grade 3] to ensure that the placements of students remain in the least restrictive environment. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES: (to be included along with other responsibilities) With the assistance of Principals and the Office of Special Education and the Office of School and Student Performance this position will develop a system to collect, monitor, and report data on outcomes for children three to five years old with disabilities given the following Federally required focus areas: 1. Coordinating the professional development opportunities for community-based early childcare providers 2. Act as the liaison between Worcester Public Schools, Early Intervention agencies, community-based early childhood providers 3. Organize and facilitate Transition planning conferences for preschool and Kindergarten students 4. Coordinate the expansion of access to locally aligned quality preschool and access to special education 5. Collaborate with the Special Education Data Analysis, Special Education Compliance Supervisor, and Special Education Administration to Lead the district's monitoring of compliance for students ages three to five with Federal and State Special Education Regulations including Child Find referrals and screenings including evaluations to determine eligibility for the least restrictive placements within the general education setting 6. Complete Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) reporting and monitoring as well as the completion of monitoring of state early childhood indicators, and assist with the coordination of early childhood programs, operations, and services 7. Provide oversight and supervision to the district ARENA Team in collaboration with the Special Education Supervisor of School Psychologists and Early Childhood to perform timely and appropriate Child Find processes including student screenings and evaluations for all children referred who may have a suspected disability as districts are mandated by DESE to complete evaluations and determine eligibility and placements by the child's third birthday. 8. Facilitates student's transition from Early Intervention (El) and/or community-based early childhood provider programs to the district, including but limited to transition planning conferences with families and EI coordinators to identify the needs of the child, and supporting parents through the special education process by coordinating assessments and placements. 9. Oversight and convening of special education itinerant team in collaboration with the Special Education Supervisor of School Psychologists and Early Childhood, district team, and community-based early childhood providers. 10. Improving systems to engage effectively with families through the referral process by improving systems to assist the transition from early intervention to prekindergarten and prekindergarten to kindergarten 11. Work collaboratively with IEP Teams, including the Evaluation Team Chairperson (ETC), early childhood evaluators, teachers, and related service providers to ensure that all special education responsibilities of Child Find are met which includes annual screenings given a seamless transition from preschool to kindergarten is made to promote students' successes. 12. Facilitate the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) implementation (including but not limited to: PBS procedures and modeling in the classrooms, professional development activities, family information and learning sessions, and behavior data collection. 13. Assist the Special Education Administration with grants and other initiatives related to Early Childhood. 14. Align Early Childhood programming with the district's PreK -3 curriculum initiatives and elementary schools' growth plans 15. Responsible for providing equal education opportunity to all individuals regardless of race, color, gender, age, marital status, religion, national origin, or disability. 16. Performance of other job-related duties as assigned by the Director of Special Education and Intervention Services. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Massachusetts DESE Certification as a Special Education Supervisor/ Director 2. Minimum of three to five years as an early childhood special educator (i.e. teacher, related service provider) 3. SEI Endorsement 4. Strong background in teaching, learning, and supervision 5. Effective interpersonal and leadership skills, experience facilitating communication between schools, community stakeholders, and families 6. Analytical knowledge and skills to develop data sets to monitor Federal and State regulations and compliance timelines 7. Knowledge of special education laws as applicable to early childhood education 8. Knowledge of early childhood grants PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Experience developing and facilitating IEP meetings, Early Intervention Transition Meetings, and parent training 2. Experience working at the District level in Special Education supporting programs, staff, students, and community partners and families 3. Ability to speak a second language i.e., (Spanish, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Albanian) 4. Demonstrated experience with second language acquisition 5. Demonstrated experience supporting students with special needs WORK YEAR: 180 pupil days plus 21 days to be coordinator with Supervisors Salary scale shown is based on the candidate holding a Bachelor's Degree. Potential to increase based on degree level TO APPLY: Any person interested in this position must submit a resume, cover letter, licensure, and answer all questions on-line at https://worcesterschools.org/about/employment-opportunities This deadline date does not preclude further advertisement or recruitment

Salary : $101,624 - $133,379