Disabilities and Mental Health Coordinator

Disabilities and Mental Health Coordinator

We are hiring in Beach Park IL. Start Early is an energized, future-focused organization devoted to providing quality early learning and care across the country. Our desire to close the opportunity gap and build early learning experiences for our youngest learners guides everything we do. As a leader in early learning and care, we scale our deep expertise across program, policy and research through partnerships across the country.

We are recruiting individuals who want to join us in this mission and share a commitment to our core values of appreciation & respect, empowerment, diversity, excellence, learning and communication.

Become part of our rewarding, mission-driven culture! We want our employees to feel empowered, motivated, energized, and passionate about the work they do!

• Reviews developmental screenings by the teaching staff and Education Coordinators and referrals from the teachers and Education Coordinators for further assessment.
• Coordinates the child studies for mental health consultants: arranges observation and assessment dates, notifies teachers and parents, and ensures that all release forms are on file. Organizes the information for referrals for individual educational plans (IEPs) and IEP staffing with Lake County Public Schools, as well as IFSPs and IFSP Child & Family Team Meetings with the CFCs.
• Assists Education Coordinators in developing the Student Learning Plans and Positive Guidance plans, and assists in the implementation of plans in the classroom and refers children to local public school or CFS for services, and advocates as cases need assistance in negotiating the services at the public school or with the CFC.
• Attends the staffings with the parents, advocates for and interprets the results of the IEP into work plans for the classroom teachers and parents with the Education Coordinators, provides the in-class follow-up for all IEPs from the Lake County Public Schools and work plans from the Mental Health Consultant.
• Maintains a tracking system for all program options; assessments, IEPS and updates, types of disability or special needs, and other data as needed for the PIR and other reporting.
• Assures that all files, documents and records reflect the program standards of the various entities to which the program is responsible; ensures that the documentation is complete, accurate and up to date, and that all files are secure.
• Conducts internal referral staffings at all program sites and complies with and submits statistics and other reports as directed.
• Develops and schedules the classroom observations by the Mental Health Consultant for each site. Receives and reviews the classroom observations and recommendations, and disseminates them to the classrooms and, with the Lead Teachers, ensures that the recommendations are implemented. Monitors the use of time and documentation of the Mental Health Consultant.
• In conjunction with the Education Coordinators, ensures that the IEP/IFSP goals and consultant’s work plans are incorporated into the class lesson plans and observations, and the Family/Child Goal Plan.
• Ensure compliance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Other duties as assigned.

• B.A. or B.S. in Early Childhood Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Psychology or related social sciences required, plus two years of classroom work in an early childhood Setting.
• Minimum of three years of experience in an Early Childhood Education setting.
• Strong understanding of the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Knowledge of regulations IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).
• Familiarity with screening and assessment instruments. Ability to seek out methods designed to maximize successful classroom inclusion of children with disabilities.
• Ability to represent Start Early
  -Lake County Learning Centers at joint IEP meetings with local school districts.
• Plan, organize, coordinate and implement the operations, activities, educational services and support functions of the Head Start/ Early Start disabilities services.
• Flexibili…