Early Childhood Specialist

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Early Childhood Specialist (ECS) serves as an educational leader and catalyst for continuous quality improvement within assigned Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) classrooms. The ECS provides instructional leadership, coaching, program quality monitoring, and support to teaching teams and program administrators to promote high-quality PreK experiences and fidelity to GSRP requirements. The ECS collaborates with the Early Childhood Contact, districts, program administrators, teaching teams, families, and community partners to support program quality, continuous improvement, and positive outcomes for children and families. INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP & COACHING: - Provides instructional leadership, coaching, and support to assigned GSRP teaching teams and site administrators to promote high-quality PreK instruction and fidelity to the GSRP model. - Builds collaborative, strength-based relationships with teaching teams and uses observation, feedback, modeling, reflective conversation, and other coaching strategies to strengthen instructional practice. - Conducts scheduled and unscheduled classroom observations to assess instructional quality, curriculum implementation, adult-child interactions, classroom environment, daily routines, and implementation of GSRP requirements. - Reviews observation and program evaluation findings with teaching teams, provides written and verbal feedback, and develops and monitors professional growth goals, including strategies, timelines, responsibilities, and measures of progress. - Visits each assigned classroom with children present a minimum of three times each school year, in addition to the formal program evaluation observation, with additional visits and support provided based on individual program needs. - Administers the required annual program evaluation using the designated Classroom Coach or CLASS tool in accordance with current MiLEAP requirements and maintains required Reliable Assessor/Certified Observer status. - Monitors and maintains required documentation of teaching team credentials, transcripts, and applicable compliance plans to support compliance with GSRP, grant, licensing, and district requirements. - Supports the onboarding and induction of new teaching staff and program directors through orientation, professional learning, coaching, additional classroom visits, and ongoing feedback. - Maintains required documentation of classroom observations, coaching, feedback, professional growth goals, and follow-up activities. FOR A FULL JOB DESCRIPTION PLEASE VISIT