Early Childhood Special Education Teacher

The person in this position is responsible for providing a safe, developmentally appropriate early childhood program and is highly qualified to provide instruction and coordinate services for children 3 to 5 years old with special needs in classroom settings; work in partnership with parents, students, teachers, therapists, paraprofessionals, and administrators in accordance with district, federal, and state regulations. Support Child Find Coordination, screening, and evaluation services in collaboration with the RFSD ECSE team.

This position will be responsible for managing Special Education student caseloads, providing consultation and coaching to early childhood classroom teachers, working in partnership with early childhood program directors, and related providers. The position will float between programs at Basalt, Crystal River, Riverview, Sopris, and Glenwood Springs Elementary Schools as needed. This position is for school year 26/27.

Receives direct supervision from the Early Childhood Instructional Facilitator

• Manage evaluations of 3-to-5-year-olds referred for Special Education services; may conduct evaluation process, including reviewing input from parents, therapists, teachers, ECE school nurse, and outside professionals (e.g., hearing/vision) to ensure all developmental areas are assessed.
• Collaborate with the early childhood program director to ensure the program meets the needs of all students.
• Assist in developing children's IEPs, including formulating appropriate goals, objectives, strategies, and a transition plan; consult with therapists, other specialists, the children's classroom teacher, and EC Program Director regarding IEP goals and objectives; maintain up to date and accurate record keeping; monitor IEP plan and provide ongoing communication to parents, teachers and therapists regarding progress.
• Co-plan and facilitate appropriate transitions into the early childhood environment and when a child is moving on to kindergarten.
• Train, coach, model, and co-teach specialized and differentiation techniques to classroom early childhood teachers in order to assure children's individual needs are addressed so that goals are met.
• As IEP case manager, collaborate with the EC Program Directors, in scheduling annual and triennial staffings and notify appropriate IEP team members.
• Become proficient in the district's early childhood curriculum, Creative Curriculum, Kick Start Curriculum, Second Step Curriculum, and assessment instrument, TS GOLD.
• Plan/consult with therapists, and classroom staff to implement curriculum; adapt curriculum to meet the needs of individual children.
• Provide direct services to children as written in their IEPs and progress monitor all IEP goals.
• Use ongoing formal and informal assessments to monitor the progress of students; utilize TS GOLD data to help teachers plan appropriate activities and to input data when appropriate.
• Assure that developmentally appropriate materials are available for children; assist in creating child-specific materials such as daily picture schedules.
• Participate in community, regional and state early childhood meetings and discussions regarding school-based services for young children.
• When present in classrooms, manage students to assure a conducive learning environment that is safe and secure for all students and comply with all state and local rules that are required for children age 5 and younger.
• Perform all required duties such as, but not limited to, direct services for children and support with classroom supervision (not as a substitute) teacher-parent conferences, home visits, school site-based…