Education Specialist

Job Overview

Provides professional expertise in mentoring and coaching education staff, policy and procedure development, training, site monitoring, and program collaboration. Assists the Education Coordinator with administrative functions to coordinate the implementation of educational programming that promotes children’s school readiness and takes into account the individualized needs of children and families enrolled in the Head Start program. Works in collaboration with other program staff to ensure the educational, health, and social services’ needs of individual children and their families are met and comprehensive services are provided.

$53,518.00 - $60,813.00 Annually

Williamsburg, VA

Full‑time

21ES‑2102

Community Services - Admin

• Provides direction, leadership, coaching, and mentoring to education staff to improve skills and professional competencies in accordance with the Head Start Performance Standards, Department of Education Child Care Licensing Regulations, Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five System (VQB5), Virginia's Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS), Birth‑Five Learning Guidelines, and the educational curriculum.
• Assists staff in setting professional/educational goals; plans and conducts orientation and training for new education staff; completes monthly reports, mentor/coaching documentation, and various classroom/program checklists and reports timely; conducts classroom visits for the purpose of monitoring and observing classroom activities to ensure the implementation of developmentally appropriate activities/experiences, individualization for all children, and positive teacher‑child interactions.
• Provides guidance to education staff on creating a safe, well‑organized learning environment that encompasses developmentally appropriate interactions, schedules, lesson plans, and indoor and outdoor learning experiences that provide adequate opportunities for choice, play, positive interactions, exploration, and experimentation that meet the physical, emotional, and developmental needs of individual children; provides guidance on issues of classroom environments, behavior management, inclusion of children with special needs, and transitioning of children and their families.
• Plans and conducts high‑quality professional development for Head Start staff on the development and implementation of topics related to effective classroom management, positive teacher‑child and peer interactions, parent engagement, evidence‑based behavior strategies, and targeted interventions.
• Conducts strengths‑needs assessment for education staff; secures and implements ongoing training.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret programmatic data to identify trends and areas for improvement; utilize data to create reports to support decision‑making and data‑driven efficiency; provide administrative support for organizational initiatives.
• Supports the program in collecting, analyzing, and reporting child and family outcomes data to effectively make data‑informed decisions regarding the implementation of appropriate behavioral interventions.
• Assists teaching staff with developing lesson plans, assessing children’s progress, and planning home visits and conferences; attends home visits and parent‑teacher conferences when necessary.
• Participates on hiring committees and makes recommendations regarding personnel actions for education staff in accordance with agency policies and procedures.
• Conducts classroom observations and inspections to ensure each classroom is compliant in meeting standards set by the Office of Head Start, Department of Education Child Care Licensing Regulations, Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five System (VQB5), Virginia's Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS), Birth‑Five Learning Guidelines, and the educational curriculum.
• Assists in maintaining educational supplies and equipment to support the implementation of the curriculum to include any necessary accommodation for children with disabilities; ensures education staff change materials intentionally and periodically to support children’s interest, development, and…