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Agency:

Posting date:

July 2, 2019

How to apply:

HOW TO APPLY

Interested individuals should send a resume and cover letter outlining how they meet the specific requirements of the position to Human Resources, Action for Children, 78 Jefferson Ave., Columbus, OH 43215 or jobs@actionforchildren.org.

No phone calls please.

Action for Children is an equal opportunity employer. While we sincerely appreciate all applications, only those candidates selected for interview will be contacted. Please note, the selected candidate will be required to submit to our background and reference checking process.

Job Description:

Do you want to make a difference in early childhood classrooms? Do you want to be part of a new, exciting, national research study, the ExCEL (Variations in Implementation of Quality Interventions) Project?

Action for Children is seeking several qualified individuals to be trained to serve as coaches and help support classroom teachers in their delivery of one of two research-based early childhood curricula, both of which are designed to improve the school readiness of three- and four-year-old children being served in mixed-age community-based child care and Head Start centers. Coaches will play a vital role in the project’s success, both supporting teachers in using the curricular approach in their classrooms as well as assisting with data collection for the study.

Local coaches will serve as supportive and collaborative partners, supporting teachers in strengthening classroom quality and in implementing an assigned curriculum. For at least one school year, they will observe classrooms every other week and meet with each teaching team for coaching sessions to discuss what they observed, work through challenges teachers are facing, provide constructive feedback, and support teachers in successful implementation of the curriculum.

The duties of this position will include the following:

1. Participating in training on the assigned curriculum (Creative Curriculum or Connect4Learning; see below for description of each) and on coaching teachers for approximately 9 months, beginning before the start of the school year

2. Becoming an expert on the assigned curriculum model as a result of being a part of these training sessions

3. Coaching teachers in their use of an assigned curriculum, using practice-based coaching techniques, including observations of the classroom, providing teachers with constructive feedback and the opportunity to discuss curriculum implementation and associated classroom issues

4. Coaches will also work with teachers to explain curricular content, concepts and instructional processes, and planning for, modeling and co-teaching lessons

5. Monitoring how well teachers adhere to the core principles of the curricular approach using an online data entry system weekly (“coach logs”) and completing fidelity observations at three time points

6. Participating in regular meetings (e.g., conference calls, on-site meetings) with trainers, other coaches, research staff, and center staff

7. Creating a schedule with teachers and center administrators to ensure coaching sessions and meetings happen on a biweekly schedule per classroom

8. Traveling to and spending time in diverse centers city-wide

9. Assisting with training planning and logistics for teacher and assistant teacher trainings on the assigned curricular model (e.g., plan agendas, identify location, order and set up equipment, collect feedback forms, set up training rooms, etc.)

There are two early childhood curricula approaches that will be implemented in this project (coaches will be hired to coach on one of these):

The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool (6th Edition): A global, whole-child curriculum that promotes multiple school readiness domains. It focuses on creating a positive classroom environment with diverse learning experiences that build on children’s interests as well as responsive and supportive teacher-child and peer-to-peer interactions.

Connect4Learning (C4L): An integrated and interdisciplinary curriculum that promotes multiple school readiness domains, particularly math, science, literacy, and social-emotional learning. It focuses on using intentional and varied instructional activities (e.g., small group, whole group, centers) and effective teaching practices to individualize instruction to children’s needs, provide rich content knowledge, facilitate discussion and dialogue, and promote children’s critical thinking skills.

The following characteristics will be considered in reviewing candidates for this position:

1. Ability to coach teachers to improve their practice in a constructive and supportive way

2. Strong communication and listening skills

3. Knowledge of child development and developmentally appropriate classroom and teacher practices

4. Strong organizational skills including time management, maintaining records of meetings with teachers, and submitting documents to project staff

5. Adaptability to new, research-based teaching methods

6. Ability to reflect on one’s own skills related to this position

7. Ability to work effectively across multiple teams in a complex project (classroom teachers, program or grantee agency, curriculum developers, research team)

8. Strong relationship-building skills and ability to manage diverse opinions/perspectives

9. A schedule that can accommodate (a) in-person visits to classrooms, as well as conference calls, at various times throughout the week and at the beginning and end of the school day, and (b) attendance at scheduled trainings multiple times through the course of the year, the first of which will occur prior to the beginning of the school year.

Individuals with the following experiences/qualifications will be given priority consideration:

1. Experience providing training and coaching to teachers

2. Experience as a teacher at any grade, with priority consideration for those who have taught 3- and 4- year-olds in early care and education settings

3. Experience with research-based curricular approaches

4. Experience with and commitment to working in early care and education centers with ethnically diverse children, families, and professionals in low-income, urban neighborhoods

5. Demonstrated experience or interest in early childhood education, particularly math and science

6. A bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child and Family Studies, Child Development or a related field

7. Spanish speaking (minimum conversational) 

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