Head Start Early Childhood Specialist

ICF seeks an experienced Early Childhood (EC) Specialist to support Head Start and Early Head Start programs to ensure high-quality services in accordance with federal regulations on the Office of Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Region 6 contract. The Early Childhood Specialist will provide training and technical assistance (TTA) to programs to support progress toward established school readiness goals, focusing on the use of child and program data to make decisions about approaches to working with teachers, home visitors, and parents in quality practices. The Specialist will provide professional-level expertise by engaging programs in dialogue and learning of best practices for children from birth to five and encourage a culture of learning that promotes school readiness. 

This position is home-based in one of the Region VI states (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas) and travel will be required to fulfill the duties of the position. Travel will be within the assigned OHS region as well as to the Washington, D.C. metro area, and other parts of the country as needed. Approximately 50% travel is required.

Basic Qualifications

The Early Childhood Specialist shall have:

• A minimum of a BA or BS degree in Early Childhood Education/Development or a related field from an accredited college or university.
• If the highest degree was awarded more than ten years ago, the resume should specifically detail courses, conferences, seminars attended or relevant work experience within the last 3-5 years, that ensure the proposed candidate remains current in the field of early childhood development.
• 5+ years' experience in programs for young children ranging from birth to five years in age. The experience should include the provision of technical assistance to teachers, home visitors, family childcare providers, coaches, and/or management team members.

• 1+ year experience working with infants and toddlers.
• 1+ year experience working with children ages birth to five.
• 1+ year experience facilitating group discussions and presenting to range of audiences using a variety of formats to include virtual.
• 1+ year experience analyzing data and assisting programs to make data driven decisions.
• 1+ year experience providing training and/or technical assistance to programs in developing and/or implementing school readiness goals or plans and management systems that support early childhood education.
• 1+ year experience communicating, both orally and in writing, with the ability to adapt to different size and types of audiences.
• Must have valid driver's license and successfully pass a Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) check.

Preferred Experience/Skills

• Knowledge of Head Start
• 1+ year experience working within a Head Start/Early Head Start Program
• 1+ year experience related to mental health/social emotional support
• CLASS TOT certified
• Fluently bilingual (Spanish)

Key Responsibilities

The Regional Early Childhood Specialist shall provide the following in-person or virtually as determined by the area office.

• Provide on-site, group, and virtual TTA to recipients related to school readiness, family engagement, professional development, and implementation of a research-based coaching model and the management systems that support them.
• Provide TTA related to the selection and implementation of ongoing child assessment, curriculum, teaching, and learning environments that are age, developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate across the birth-to-five spectrum.
• Support recipients to improve teacher/child interactions as described by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) for center-based Head Start preschool programs and other measures suitable for programs serving children from birth-to-five or children in home based and family child care settings.
• Support recipients to develop procedures and skills to understand and use data obtained through multiple sources, including ongoing child assessment data.
• Support recipients to develop and implement family engagement practices that support early learning and development and parent-child relationships as described in the Parent Family and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework.
• Support recipients to strengthen birth-to-five transition practices, including through relationships with parents, families, local preschools, elementary schools, and other partners.
• Support recipients to improve their collaboration with Local Education Agencies (LEAs), state agencies, and other partners.
• Coordinate TTA with Grantee, Family Engagement, and Health Specialists to support effective integration of TTA across service areas, as directed by the Area Office.
• Maintain regular and timely communication with Area Office staff on delivery of TTA and progress toward corrective actions or quality improvement.
• Participate in national, regional, and state work groups and meetings as directed by the OHS COR.
• Support emerging OHS initiatives and priorities.

Working at ICF

ICF is a global advisory and technology services provider, but we’re not your typical consultants. We combine unmatched expertise with cutting-edge technology to help clients solve their most complex challenges, navigate change, and shape the future.

Pay Range - There are multiple factors that are considered in determining final pay for a position, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location, education and certifications as well as contract provisions regarding labor categories that are specific to the position.

The pay range for this position based on full-time employment is:

$67,355.00 - $114,503.00Nationwide Remote Office (US99)