Inclusion/Wellness Specialist

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Educare DC serves over 350 children from birth to five years – and their families – through our state-of-the-art center and through community partnerships. Building on the program foundations of Early Head Start and Head Start and accredited by NAEYC, Educare DC promotes school readiness by providing high-quality, comprehensive early learning programming for children who are historically underserved due to systemic racism, eliminating the opportunity gap often experienced by low-income communities. Educare DC is part of the 25-school Educare Learning Network that serves as a platform for broader change, inspiring high-quality programs in communities, improving public policies nationally and within each state, and demonstrating a comprehensive, research-based approach to the first five years of life and learning. Educare DC draws on a blend of private and public dollars, including federal childcare funding, Early Head Start, Pre-K, and other state and federal funding streams.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Inclusion/Wellness Specialist will work with all partner sites, including families, to develop and implement individualized behavior plans for children ages birth to three, as well as individualized classroom interventions. Reporting to the Director of Early Head Start Partnerships, you will support students with challenging behavior and/or social emotional delays to access our high-quality language enriched curriculum with early learning experiences by adapting general education experiences and teaching skills, such as self-regulation and communication techniques, while establishing a developmentally appropriate classroom environment favorable to the development and personal growth of all children.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide a high-quality early learning program that incorporates evidence-based curriculum and instructional activities that support exceptional children that are between the ages of 0-3 years old
• Participate in Family Child Reviews and Individualized Family Service Plan meetings as scheduled.
• Maintain professional competence through in-service education activities provided by Educare of Washington, DC, the Educare Learning Network, and others.
• Collaborate with teachers on a regular basis; review classroom and child data, develop an action plan, support goal achievement through active collaboration for children with special needs.
• Collaborate with the Family Engagement Specialists, and other Educare personnel and support staff to promote individual children's goals relating to social emotional development and the referral process.
• Participate in the local evaluation and national Educare Implementation Study, engaging in a system of reciprocal, regular data feedback and utilization for individualized planning for children and families and continuous program improvement.
• In support of ongoing, intensive professional development, engage in coaching cycles with classroom teams and develop individual plans for individual professional development.

Curriculum:

• Support children’s ideas, initiatives, and creativity.
• Assist and coach teachers in developing, selecting, and modifying instructional materials and plans to meet the social emotional needs of all children with a wide range of mental and emotional maturities.
• Provide direct in-class modeling of best instructional practices for students with special needs and delays.
• Consult with classroom teachers on embedding social emotional practices in individual and small-group instruction, ensuring that teachers are maintaining appropriate classroom climate to establish and reinforce acceptable child behavior, attitudes, and social skills.
• Develop and implement individualized interventions such as a behavior plan, and support IFSP implementation in collaboration with classroom teachers.

Assessment:

• Provide individual ongoing observations.
• Observe classrooms to determine staffs’ implementation of a healthy nurturing environment specifically documenting atypical behaviors.
• Assess social skills of children in various settings, i.e. playground, lunch, gross motor, garden, etc.
• Collect anecdotal notes and portfolio items to assess development using individual files.
• Participate in Family Child Service Reviews for children on caseload.
• Complete documentation of incidents in the child’s file.
• Assure that files are complete, accurate, and confidentially maintained.
• Utilize observation data to complete Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP).

Home-School Connection:

• Assist in parent-teacher conferences and home visits at least twice a year when needed.
• Develop activities for parents that promote parent participation and involvement in their child’s mental health and social emotional development.
• Collaborate with the Family Engagement staff to promote goals and support with referral process when necessary.
• Attend determination meetings for students who have been referred and IFSP meetings for students who have diagnoses.
• Communicate regularly with parents by means of parent meetings, newsletters, home visits, trainings, and individual parent consultation.
• In cooperation with other staff, carry out routine duties such as toileting, hand washing, cleanup, and supervision of children at all times, including outdoor play.
• Provide examples of accommodations, interventions, and modifications for children with social emotional developmental delays.
• Lead or assist in identifying and in complying with teaching and learning for student accommodation requirements according to the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) accommodation requirements.

EXPERIENCE AND ABILITIES

• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education (ECE) with specialized training in special education or psychology or a related field or a related certification. Master’s degree preferred.
• Knowledge of culture, urban settings, and racial and economic disparities and its impact on education and child development.
• Knowledge and experience in the philosophy and practices of early childhood education, developmentally appropriate practice, emergent literacy, and social/emotional development
• Knowledge of early childhood and social emotional development for the specific age group (0-3).
• Knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards.
• Knowledge of City and State licensing requirements.
• Knowledge of referral process for children with atypical behaviors (0-3).
• Knowledge of mental health consultation model.
• Knowledge of Individual Education Plan and Individual Family Service Plans.
• Knowledge of the tiers of the Response to Intervention (RTI) Process.
• Successful experience working in a team setting.
• Ability to create a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA).
• Ability to create and implement a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).
• Ability to work respectfully and cooperatively with all staff.
• Ability to present a positive image of the organization to members of the community.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education (ECE) with specialized training in special education or psychology or a related field or a related certification. Master’s degree preferred.

ADDITIONAL JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Clearance of background checks as required by local, state, and federal regulations.
• Physical examination and diagnostic tests as required by local, state, and federal regulations.
• A bi-annual physical exam, drug screen and TB test are required as a condition of continual employment.
• Full Covid-19 vaccination is required as a condition of employment.
• Must spend 75% of time in classrooms.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Advanced command of the English language and grammar, both verbal and written.
• Visual and auditory acuity within professionally determined normal ranges, with correction if needed.
• Manual dexterity sufficient to operate a computer and office equipment, including, but not limited to, the telephone, fax machine, copier, and tape recorder.
• Must be able to lift 40 pounds.
• Must be able to travel.
• Must be able to enter and exit a vehicle without assistance and withstand exposure to adverse weather conditions.
• Experience working successfully with a culturally diverse staff and clients.
• Regular attendance is a necessary and essential function.