Role Description: The Early Childhood Specialist plays an essential role in supporting the success of diverse learners in the Early Childhood Division, supporting students, families and faculty by providing observations, interventions, recommendations for evaluations, and support with the acquisition of related services.

Key Responsibilities 

Student Success Team (SST):

• Collaborate with the Early Childhood Division Director to design a yearlong evaluation and developmental assessment calendar
• Analyze assessment data to identify students in need, suggest interventions, and develop progress monitoring systems
• Be familiar with and utilize the Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP) assessment instrument for children birth-6 yr old
• Be responsible for monitoring progress and offering support  for Early Childhood students on the SST caseload
• Reflect with SST on student responses to interventions and make necessary adjustments
• Be responsible for coordinating all related services for children in the Early Childhood Division 
• Coordinate and lead ongoing student case therapeutic team meetings with teachers, parents, and related service providers to ensure adequate progress is being made and to adjust the responsive plans of action when necessary 
• Enlist the support and presence of school leadership to navigate and strategize challenging family communications
• Be a resource to families as they develop an understanding their child’s development and unique learning profile 
• Make referrals or recommendations for outside evaluation and support services 
• Assist with referral process through a private evaluator and/or the Department of Education 
• Plan next steps in Tier 1, 2, or 3 support, and monitoring responses to intervention on a cyclical basis
• Interpret reports from formal diagnostic evaluations that include recommendations for instruction, accommodations, and/or intervention 

Faculty Collaboration: 

• Collaborate with faculty to utilize Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a guiding framework in any discipline or domain, to design inclusive learning experiences that are purposeful, motivating, and goal-directed by offering students multiple means of engagement, representation, action, and expression, ensuring all learners can access meaningful learning opportunities
• Conduct observations of individual students in consultation with classroom teachers and/or SST,  and offer proactive strategies and responsive plans of action to support the success and growth of individual students 
• Assist teachers with understanding psycho-educational evaluations and assessments to differentiate for students
• Provide teaching teams with templates and systems for collecting student data to inform responses to interventions 
• Participate in team meetings to orient to new units, assessment tools, and analyze student work/assessments
• Participate in meetings to reflect on teaching practices, classroom-based strategies, give/receive feedback, and make adjustments for individual students
• Support faculty in the implementation of identified accommodations, modifications, and interventions for individual students
• Provide faculty with suggestions of specialized tools/materials to meet the needs of neuro-diverse learners
• Collaborate with SST to offer faculty professional workshops on differentiated instruction and inclusive practices
• Understand, utilize ASQs, Peabody assessment test and DAP
• Possess comprehensive understanding of the EI and CPSE/CSE process from initial observation to evaluative process, IEP meetings and implementations of all supports
• Meet with teaching teams, parents and service providers
• Monitor progress of all children to ensure meeting developmental milestones
• Meet with teachers to assess and evaluate best supports in the classroom setting
• Demonstrate ability to observe children’s development, assess strengths and concerns and possess interactive analysis skills regarding best ways to support children Toddlers through PreK in all developmental domains
• Familiarity with Play Therapy techniques and Sensory Integrative Supports
• Utilize Reflective Responsiveness Approach with children rooted in compassionate inquiry/intervention

Student Intervention:

• Familiarity with Response to Intervention (RTI) model and research-based diagnostic and progress monitoring tools
• Provide Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention to students by pushing into the classroom or pulling out for intensive intervention
• Monitor progress of students receiving Tier 2 or Tier 3 intervention using assessments and other research based tools for data collection
• Support the administration and analysis of Early Childhood assessments and screeners for current and prospective students
• Possess deep understanding of Sensory Integration as it pertains to multi-domains of development and ways to support children in sensory integrative approaches to learning

Essential Qualities: 

• Value the school's mission to serve students who are economically, racially and ethnically diverse
• Demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice
• Have the ability to connect to and collaborate with a diverse community of faculty, families and children
• Demonstrate a keen self-awareness and strong interpersonal communication skills that support positive relationships with various constituents in the school community
• Demonstrate skill in adapting instruction for multiple cultural and learning perspectives 
• Have the motivation, skill and a positive outlook to provide feedback, mentorship and collaborate with colleagues

• Be experienced in Reggio-inspired, play-based, inquiry-driven, constructivist early childhood education
• Depth of knowledge of developmental domains (language, adaptive, psychological, physical, cognitive)
• Have a profound understanding of the complexities of early childhood development, specifically from 12 mos--4 yrs
• Possess comprehensive understanding of the EI and CPSE/CSE process from initial observation to evaluative process, IEP meetings and implementations of all supports
• Have previous experience supporting the needs of diverse and/or developmentally delayed learners
• Demonstrate ability to observe children’s development, assess strengths and concerns and possess interactive analysis skills regarding best ways to support children Toddlers through PreK in all developmental domains
• Maintain institutional priorities, while advocating for individual student needs 
• Be committed to reflection and professional growth and integrity

Essential Qualifications: 

• 5+ years experience collaborating with teachers and parents in an early childhood program 
• Knowledge of various programs and resources such as: Early Intervention Program, special education processes, private evaluators, and/or health providers available through Department of Health and/or Education 
• Familiarity with Response to Intervention (RTI) model 
• LCSW, M.ED, MA or MS in early childhood education, childhood education, and/or special education

Health Requirements:

All employees are required to have received one COVID vaccine series (but not a booster).Should the DOH institute a mandate for any vaccination, including COVID vaccination, we will require staff to comply, with due time and notice from the school

Salary Range: $65,000—$80,000

To Apply: Please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@corlearsschool.org

About Corlears School

Corlears, a small, independent, progressive school located in the lively Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, is dedicated to the education of young children through the elementary grades. We seek to cultivate joy in learning through active investigation of integrated curricular themes. Daily practice at Corlears is based on the belief that educating students to be well informed, socially engaged, critical thinkers is essential in order to sustain a healthy democracy. We have intentionally created an intimate environment, well suited to the needs of children through the elementary years, where students can easily navigate both the physical space and social networks of the community. We seek to create an economically and culturally diverse community that reflects our immediate neighborhood and reaches into the city beyond.

Connections working at Corlears School