Job Description

General Description: The Child Development Specialist, Early Childhood Education, oversees the implementation of trauma responsive, social, emotional, mental and behavioral health education services and programs for children in RPS’s preschool program. The Specialist plans and implements developmentally appropriate curriculum and models and provides feedback on appropriate interaction skills and teaching techniques for teachers, students and parents. The Specialist also supports a broad range of other activities and programs to support student success and kindergarten readiness.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

●        Works in collaboration with other child development staff, teachers, instructional assistants, directors, and other support staff to support positive teacher-child interactions and a classroom environment that promotes each child’s cognitive, social, and emotional growth

●        Works in collaboration with teachers, instructional assistants, and support staff to model teacher practices, strategies and techniques to support children with challenging behaviors and other social, emotional, and mental health concerns

●        Provides orientation, training, technical assistance, and monitoring of teaching staff to facilitate the integration of mental health activities within the curriculum and to implement mental health and disabilities services plans for children and their families

●        Establishes community partnerships with mental and behavioral health agencies to facilitate family and staff access to additional resources and services, as needed

●        Establishes and directs a comprehensive social/emotional, mental health services delivery system that includes identifying and supporting children with mental health and social and emotional concerns and when appropriate, refers child and family for further assessment and services

●        Conducts classroom observations and home visits and interviews staff and collects data on children’s challenging behaviors in order to provide feedback, on-going training, technical assistance and support to classroom staff and/or families

●        Assists teachers and parents with completing the child behavioral checklist and enters all results into the program’s database

●        Ensures timely documentation in the database of all social/emotional and mental health services provided

●        Develops behavioral intervention plans and/or makes appropriate referrals to outside community agencies as needed

●        Tracks children referred for social/emotional and mental health services in the programs’ database system to ensure services are being received

●        Participates in the development of program, family engagement, and school readiness goals to ensure social/emotional, mental and behavioral health needs are addressed

●        Prepares required monthly reports to be submitted to the Associate Director and Director of Early Childhood

●        Performs other related duties as assigned

Qualifications:

●        Master’s degree and VDOE licensure in Social Work required

●        Minimum of three years of experience working with young children with challenging behaviors and families; experience working in preschool preferred

●        Experienced in modeling/coaching appropriate and effective behavioral strategies to teachers

●        Knowledgeable in the development and implementation of positive behavior intervention plans

●        Excellent organizational, oral and written communication skills

●        Bilingual skills preferred

●        Possess of a valid driver’s license and/or able to obtain a valid Virginia Driver’s License within six months of employment as well as use personal vehicle