Subject Matter Expert First Five

Job Overview

Subject Matter Expert - First Five role at Directions for Living

Largo, FL

US $85,000

• Medical (100% employer paid for employees only)
• Dental
• Vision
• Life
• Short Term and Long-Term Disability
• 5 days of PTO
• 16 Wellness Days and Holidays - Including the week of Christmas off!

This is a professional position providing team guidance and support to the First Five program under the Families First Division. The First Five program provides a research‑supported approach to engaging and working with identified early learning center teachers in order to create a trauma‑informed culture in their classrooms. To prevent expulsion or removal from the early learning center classroom, the First Five team supports teachers of children under 5 years old and their families by providing them with tools that better prepare them to support the complex issues that many of their children under 5 years of age are experiencing.

Services are provided in the home, early learning center, and community by a behavior specialist team who work intensively with the teachers, the young children, and their parents to address the behaviors that resulted in the referral to the First Five program.

The Subject Matter Expert (SME) is a position providing coaching and guidance related to best practices for early childhood learning, developmental milestones, behavioral interventions for children, and strength‑based family assessments. The SME functions as a member of an Integrated Decision Team (IDT) consisting of the Counselor, a Behavior Specialist, Classroom Consultant, and an IDT facilitator. Each IDT member, including the client, contributes valuable knowledge, expertise and perspective that informs services and the program response.

The SME will work in collaboration with the IDT Facilitator and will assess a child's needs, their family history and current situation/records to determine service planning, identify options, and arrive at a shared decision on the best approach to ensure the success of the child in the classroom, mitigate future poor behavior, and provide assistance to the family. The SME is charged with ensuring that decisions are made with the most current evidence‑based interventions and strategies related to risk assessments and safety planning.

This is a field‑based position. The SME is responsible for ensuring an annual client‑facing client care number of 1,410 hours. Achieving the minimum required weekly, monthly and annual client‑facing client care hours is an essential function of this position.

Directions for Living is an essential services provider. All Directions for Living team members must be willing and able to provide vital support and essential services to the people that we serve in the event of an emergency, pandemic or other disaster situation.

• Master's degree and current Board‑Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) required.
• Expert knowledge and experience working within early childhood educational settings.
• Minimum two (2) years of experience working with children under five years of age in early learning centers. This includes collaborating with center directors, teachers, and caregivers to implement trauma‑informed practices in both classroom and home environments. Experience assessing behavioral function, developing intervention plans, training and coaching educators and caregivers on individualized intervention plans, and guidance related to best practices, developmental milestones, and strength‑based family assessments.
• Experience providing guidance, direction, coaching of team members on the treatment team to include BCBA Clinician, family, center director or early learning center staff and others as needed.

EOE/ADA/DFW Smoke Free Campus