At Easterseals of Chicagoland and Greater Rockford, we are committed to two – often interconnecting - pillars of work……early learning and disability. Through these pillars, we transform the lives of early learners and individuals of all abilities through access to expert educational, family, and community support. As an affiliate of America’s largest nonprofit healthcare organization, we have proudly served the communities and families of Chicagoland and Greater Rockford since 1936.

For more information about our organization, please visit us online at www.eastersealschicago.org.

Under the direction of the Regional Director the Instructional Coordinator supports Early Learning Services sites throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs by providing coaching, expertise, oversight, training, and leadership in the area of education and child development services for all Easterseals HS/PFA programs and services in compliance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards, the Head Start Act, and the Illinois State Board of Education. The Instructional Coordinator ensures that all education staff are implementing evidence-based instructional practices and designs and delivers a plan for intensive and individualized professional development that results in exemplary teacher-child interactions, and instructional quality. Provides content area support and oversight in the areas of education, disabilities, and mental health services to the Easterseals Head Start/Early Head Start programs in an assigned geographic area.

This role is ideal for someone who has respect for children and families with diverse values and cultures and is passionate about supporting learning environments and opportunities that are designed to help children develop physically, socially, cognitively, and emotionally and ensuring that parents are supported in their role as the child's primary teachers.

This position is headquartered at Easterseals Chicago Location at 1939 W 13th Street, Chicago, IL 60608.

MAJOR FUNCTIONS/ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Work with the Instructional Coaches, other Easterseals staff, partner site directors and staff, and the community to ensure consistent, high-quality education and disabilities services at all assigned HS/EHS programs.
• Work with Easterseals staff, site directors and staff, and the community to ensure that programs recruit and enroll Head Start/Early Head Start children, including children with disabilities, to meet their funded enrollment numbers and to keep an active waiting list.
• Provide supervision to Instructional Coaches and Preschool for All Teachers, including annual appraisals and development of professional development plans.
• Participate in program planning based on analysis of child and program educational outcomes.
• Provide support to Instructional Coaches and Preschool for All Teachers at sites on a regular basis, including assisting with building collaborative relationships with the Family and Health Services team, and site directors and staff, in order to provide integrated services to families.
• Ensure that a family strengths-based approach is understood and followed by staff.
• Participate in active supervision to ensure the safety of all children and that no child is ever left alone or unsupervised.
• Participate in program planning and implementation of all service areas as part of an integrated leadership team.
• Participate in the self-assessment process, community needs assessments, and strategic planning.
• Participate in the monthly analysis of monitoring data with the leadership team, provide recommendations, and ensure that data is utilized to guide planning.
• Participate in site visits, presentations, and orientation for prospective new sites as part of an integrated leadership team.
• Implement a system to ensure that all education and disabilities information is entered into Child Plus and Teaching Strategies GOLD in a timely manner, including developmental screenings, referrals, disability status, home visits, parent-teacher conferences, observations, and assessments.
• Prepare monthly reports with updates about PIR information and information tracked for education and disabilities.
• Facilitate and/or participate in regularly scheduled content area, team, director, and other meetings.
• Implement a system to ensure that all developmental screening information is completed within 45 days of children’s enrollment.
• Implement a system to ensure that all children identified as benefitting from further evaluation are referred and evaluated according to timelines.
• Implement a system to ensure that all children and families who are identified as benefiting from mental health services receive support in a timely manner.
• Implement a system for supporting children with behavioral concerns, including a behavior review process and behavior plans.
• Participate in the semi-annual CLASS assessment of all classrooms.
• Implement a system of ongoing monitoring for education, disabilities, and mental health to be completed during daily/weekly visits by direct support staff and content area staff.
• Implement a system for tracking non-compliance and developing and monitoring action plans.
• Implement a system for ongoing review of Child Plus and the PIR to ensure information is accurate and complete, including monthly tracking and reporting of information.
• Participate in the ongoing self-assessment of the program.
• Travel to Easterseals and partner sites regularly.
• All other duties as assigned.

Education/Certification:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development, or in another field with at least 30 semester credit hours in ECE required.
• Gateways ECE Level 5

Experience Requirements:

• 3 years of early childhood classroom experience.
• 3 years of administrative, supervisory, or coaching experience.
• 3 years of experience in Head Start/Early Head Start.

Required Knowledge:

• Microsoft Office Suite or related software including Microsoft Teams.
• Obtain certification as a CLASS Pre-K reliable observer within 1 year.
• Creative Curriculum and Teaching Strategies GOLD.
• Head Start Performance Standards.
• ISBE/PFA

Vehicle/Transportation Requirements:

• Valid driver’s license
• Auto insurance
• Reliable vehicle

Skills/Abilities:

• Able to work well with all levels of the organization, partner sites, other agencies, and funding source personnel.
• Demonstrates the ability to conceptualize and articulate program outcomes.
• Able to manage multiple projects.
• Well organized, highly detail-oriented, and accuracy driven.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, and supervisory skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

ADA: Easterseals will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act of 1990. Unless exempted by the Americans with Disabilities Act, all persons hired for this position are required to possess the ability to perform the physical tasks necessary to treat clients, i.e., bending, floor-sitting, etc., as well as to have the ability to lift up to 50 pounds frequently.

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