Manager, Head Start Education and Inclusion

Position Title: Manager, Education and Inclusion

Employee Type: Full-Time Regular

Supervisor Title: Program Director

Division: U.S. Programs & Advocacy

Save the Children

For over 100 years, Save the Children has been fighting for the rights of children. The right to a healthy start in life. To have access to education. To be in a safe environment, protected from harm. We work in some of the world's hardest-to-reach places - over 100 countries, including the U.S. No matter what your role is, when you join Save the Children, you're creating positive, irreversible change for children, and the future we all share.

The Role

The Manager, Head Start Education and Inclusion (A-Ed/I) serves as an expert for Save the Children's Head Start operations in the content area of early childhood education and child development birth to five including center-based and home-based program options. You will ensure the Education and Child Development program services are delivered and meet the requirements of the Head Start Program Performance Standards and other applicable State and federal regulations.

You will lead the development of Save the Children Head Start's birth to 5 education initiatives and guide implementation across all Head Start programs in the multi-state portfolio. You are responsible for policy development along with accompanying training and monitoring to ensure implementation and compliance. In partnership with program level counterparts, you will monitor education and inclusion program service delivery, program outcomes, and data to ensure quality and compliance anticipating and addressing any areas of non-compliance. You will be working with program level counterparts to address them before progressing to non-compliance. You will provide training, technical assistance, and other continuous quality improvement measures to address variances, irregularities, and/or non-compliances with implementation. You will be responsive to the needs of Save the Children's portfolio of Head Start/EHS programs based on a triage system of management. You will ensure that Head Start and Early Head Start education, inclusion and child development services comply with the Head Start Program Performance Standards and other state and federal regulations, and that those services are administered across all Save the Children Head Start programs in the highest quality with consistency and uniformity.

What You'll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

Education Services Implementation (35%)

• Ensures the successful implementation of curricula and recognized best practices in the field of early childhood education across all programs

• Supports the development of School Readiness Goals that are uniform across all Save the Children Head Start programs and measures ongoing progress toward each.

• Ensures programs establish a School Readiness committee.

• Ensures cross-program participation in program planning activities, including self-assessment processes, T/TA opportunities, and the development and/or revision of program policies and procedures.

• Ensures program staff integrates education services with disability-, health-, nutrition-, and parent engagement/family support services.

• Ensures programs establish Memorandums of Understanding with Part C and Part B providers to support children with special needs.

• Cultivates a culture of child safeguarding across programs, guiding and monitoring the implementation of active supervision techniques to ensure that there are no incidences of child maltreatment including children being left alone, unsupervised, and/or abused in any way.

Staff Capacity-Building (30%)

• Builds the capacities of program level Education Inclusion Managers/Specialists of program-level to support the successful implementation of education services through reflective and relationship-based practices and guidance that include weekly/bi-weekly meetings and remote and onsite training and technical assistance.

• Builds the capacities of program- level Education Inclusion Managers/Specialists to ensure that education services across programs include developmentally appropriate learning experiences in language and literacy; social and emotional development; math and science concepts; social studies; creative arts; and physical development that are focused toward achieving progress outlined in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five.

• Builds the capacities of program level Education Inclusion Managers/Specialists to ensure that the services provided are culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate and inclusive of individual levels of ability, interests, and developmental skills

• Builds capacities of program-level Education Inclusion Managers to meet the needs of children with special needs including in-service training to include training in special education.

• Builds capacities of program-level Education Inclusion Mangers to meet the needs of children who exhibit behaviors that challenge adults including In-service training.

• Support program-level Education Inclusion Managers/Specialists with cultivating and monitoring partnerships with public and private agencies that are developed to enhance Head Start & Early Head Start education services to include the recruitment of children with disabilities.

• Coordinates the development and implementation of appropriate and effective professional development and training and technical assistance/coaching experiences that are responsive to the needs of education staff of Save the Children Head Start programs and, as appropriate, contracted partners.

Program Monitoring (30%)

• Monitors education program data - performing trend analysis within and across programs - to ensure consistency of high-quality service delivery. Provides regular reports to Head Start Program leadership that capture data from Teaching Strategies GOLD, CLASS, classroom monitoring reports, and other sources of child assessment/outcomes, school readiness, and environmental health and safety data.

• Monitors program data related to disability referral, identification, and follow-up for children with special needs.

• In partnership with program level counterparts, monitors the overall impact of the performance of education support services contractors across programs to ensure compliance with Head Start regulations and Save the Children program goals; makes recommendations for improvements, when needed.

• Analyze data to ensure high quality and prevent non-compliance.

• Monitors to ensure that teaching staff have regular communication with parents regarding their child's growth and development, feeding patterns, strengths, and interests. This includes monitoring to ensure parents receive no less than 2 home visits and 2 parent-teacher conferences per year.

• Monitors the educational services budget to ensure efficient operation and appropriate environment set up, which includes developmentally appropriate, sufficient and safe materials at each of the sites.

Other duties as assigned (5%)

• As part of the Head Start leadership team, participates in program wide activities that include, but are not limited to, program planning, self-assessment, community assessment, preparing funding applications, developing and/or revising policies, procedures, forms and plans.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in early childhood development or related field

• Minimum of three years Head Start/Early Head Start experience

• Minimum of three years management experience in early childhood education

• Remote-Extensive travel (40% in-state and out-of-state to include overnight travel)

• Experience with monitoring and training/coaching adults

• Experience teaching children in the birth to 5 years age range (preferred, not required)

• Knowledge and experience in the philosophy and practices of Head Start/Early Head Start (or comparable child development programs) & early childhood education developmentally appropriate practices

• Experience working with culturally and socio-economically diverse families and children

• Must have knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards and Head Start Act

• Must be a certified Reliable CLASS Observer

• Experience in managing programs in data-managed or data-sensitive environment

• Ability to work with families from a strength-based approach

• Proficient use of computers and software packages (especially MS Office, Child Plus, and email) to store data, write reports, and conduct research related to early childhood education.

• Use of web-based conferencing technology like Microsoft TEAMS, GoToMeeting, WebEx, etc.

• Excellent written and communication skills.

• Professional level of technical or managerial knowledge, skills, and experience to manage the operational activities of a unit or team, or provide the technical and

• management support related to various size programs, grants, or projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in early childhood development or related field

Additional Qualifications

• Physical Requirements related to essential functions: Ability to perform medium to heavy physical work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 5-10 pounds constantly, performing such activities as sitting, crawling, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, and grasping. This also includes some duties that require repetitive action and motion skills, keyboarding, and computer use.

• Clear pre-employment background check requirements, including local, state, and national criminal records check, sex offender registries, employment, and education verifications (including child abuse registry check if required by state regulations) and pass all state and local health requirements required post job offers and prior to employment.

• This position may require the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle to fulfill certain job functions. The incumbent should maintain a valid driver's license and remain in compliance with any Save the Children policies pertaining to the safe operation of motor vehicles.

• Current and former Head Start/Early Head Start parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.

Compensation

The base pay for this position starts at $44,790. Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, experience, credentials, base salary of internal peers and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.

About Us

We are looking to build an inclusive team at Save the Children. We offer a range of outstanding benefits to support this goal:

• Paid time off: 10 days winter break and 5 days spring break, 5 personal days, 11 holidays plus 2 floating holidays per year.

• Health: Competitive health care, dental and vision coverage for you and your family. Employer paid short term disability and long-term disability benefits.

• Health Savings Accounts (HSA): Option to select HSA if enrolled into a High-Deductible Health Plan in which the company matches a portion of the contribution.

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): Option to enroll in health care and dependent care options.

• Life: Agency paid life and accidental death and dismemberment benefits (AD&D).

• Family: Parental/adoption, fertility benefits

• Employee Rewards Program: Annual merit increases and/or additional incentives for eligible employees

• Retirement: Retirement savings plan with employer contributions (after one year)

• Wellness: Health benefits and support through Calm and company-hosted events

• Employee Assistance Program: Free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services

• Learning & Growth: Access to internal and external learning & development opportunities and mentorships. Certification and tuition assistance.

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in you.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

If you require disability assistance with the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to applicantsupport@savechildren.org.