Lead Instructional Coach; StarrZapata

Job Overview

The Lead Instructional Coach collaborates with the Director of Teaching, Learning and Center Leadership and is responsible for assisting in achieving the organization’s strategic vision and innovation around ECE, as well as operational planning and follow-through. This role is key to ensuring successful and high-quality ECE classrooms throughout the program, as well as planning and collaborating with AVANCE staff to ensure full implementation of all aspects of AVANCE’s early learning system, policies/procedures, and tools, with the goal of ensuring high-quality Early Childhood education services are provided to program participants including Center Based, Family Childcare providers and Home
- Based Families (as applicable).

The Lead Instructional Coach provides practice-based coaching that strengthens teaching practices, supports school readiness goals, ensures curriculum fidelity, and promotes integrated learning environments.

This position travels across all centers and partnering ISDs.

• Support the Director of Teaching, Learning and Center Leadership in implementing AVANCE’s strategic vision for high-quality early childhood education.
• Ensure alignment of coaching, classroom instruction, and home visiting practices with program goals, state/federal standards, and curriculum fidelity.
• Provide direct supervision and guidance to Instructional Coaches, ECE teachers, and Home Educators.
• Provide direct practice-based coaching to assigned teachers.
• Assist with training, coaching, and professional development initiatives to build the capacity of education staff and ensure instructional quality and compliance.
• Monitor and evaluate the quality of classroom environments and teaching practices, using tools such as CLASS, TS GOLD, FCCERS, ITERS, and fidelity checklists in collaboration with Early Learning Leads/Instructional Coaches/ECE’s/Family Childcare providers/Home Educators.
• Provide guidance and feedback to ensure all early learning components—including school readiness goals, dual language support, and developmental screenings—are effectively implemented.
• Supports Early Learning Leads/Instructional Coaches/ECE’s in facilitation of child assessment data review at center/FCC partners and classroom level with teaching staff.
• Tracks, monitors, and ensures the Instructional Coaches and their coaching caseload goals are achieved.
• Analyze child outcome data to identify trends and inform instructional improvement strategies.

• Implement and oversee a structured, research-based Practice-Based Coaching (PBC) model across the program.
• Conduct full PBC cycles (goal setting, focused observation, reflection, action planning, feedback) with assigned teachers.
• Coach the coaches by modeling reflective supervision, observation techniques, and data-driven feedback practices.
• Provide written and verbal feedback aligned with CLASS dimensions, curriculum fidelity, and individualized professional growth goals.
• Ensure measurable improvement in teacher-child interactions across classrooms.
• Support onboarding of new teachers through structured coaching cycles.
• Promote reflective supervision practices and professional growth planning across the education team.
• Reinforce alignment between lesson planning, assessment data, and school readiness goals.

• Collaborates and coordinates with other service area leadership and initiatives to ensure:
• Timely and appropriate support for children with different abilities.
• Parent education and outreach activities are aligned with program goals.
• Required number of socialization events are scheduled, implemented and well attended.
• Represents the team and/or department at meetings, events, and training as required.
• Participate in team and 1-1 meetings, regularly scheduled and as needed, to ensure coordination of services across the Early HS/Head Start program, CCP, and Home Base programs.
• Actively participate in the Head Start community, including staff meetings, mandated training, committee meetings, and other program-wide functions as needed, including some evening…