Job Details
Level
Experienced
Job Location
Roxbury – Roxbury, MA
Position Type
Full Time
Education Level
4 Year Degree
Salary Range
$75,000.00 – $80,000.00 Salary
Job Shift
Day
Job Category
Education
Description
Title:
Early Education Inclusion Specialist
Location:
Roxbury, MA; 5 days on-site
Reports to:
Executive Director of Early Education
Supervises:
n/a
Status, FLSA Class:
Full-time, Exempt
Date Written:
May 1, 2023
About us
Horizons for Homeless Children (Horizons) is a local non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of young homeless children in Massachusetts and helping their families succeed by providing high-quality early education, opportunities for play, and comprehensive family support services. Our staff is a dedicated, diverse, and playful group, ranging from 100 to 120 folks. At Horizons, each team member is an important part of our mission.
Where and when you’ll work
This is a 40-hour, full time position that’s exempt from overtime. You can expect to work on-site Monday through Friday during regular business hours (8am – 5pm). There will be occasional evening or weekend events with advanced planning and notice. Our bright and innovative space is located: Edgerley Family Horizons Center at 1785 Columbus Ave, Roxbury, MA.
What you’ll do
As an integral part of Horizons instructional leadership team, you will be responsible for overseeing the educational assistance to children with mental, psychological, learning, behavioral, or physical disabilities. You will operate with the goal of facilitating the special education processes that are needed to maximize the growth potential of students with exceptional learning needs. You will do so while promoting the mission of Horizons for Homeless Children and the Edgerley Family Horizons Center to staff, families, and the community.
Your position is required to comply with all federal, state and local laws, regulations, standards and policies, including those of the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Massachusetts disability law (Chapter 766), Boston Family Engagement Network (BFEN) and Horizons’ policies and procedures.
More details about your responsibilities
Integrated Support and Services
- Work collaboratively with Horizons staff, parents and Horizons partners from community agencies, Early Intervention Programs, and Public Schools to ensure that:
- appropriate referrals, screening, assessment, diagnostic services, and placements are provided.
- children with diagnosed disabilities have access to high quality education and care
- inclusive interdisciplinary program planning occurs.
- Observe children that were referred to by a teacher and or parent and make recommendations as needed.
- Provide assistance in the classroom in adapting and modifying educational activities while also implementing recommendations from outside specialists.
- Support the implementation of Individualized Education Plans (IEP’s) and Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP’s) in Horizons classrooms.
- Ensure that an inclusive classroom environment is provided.
- a program for parents is developed to offer an inclusive understanding of eligibility of services available to their child and the educational plans implemented in the classroom.
- a smooth transition into Head Start/Kindergarten (including K0, K1 and K2 classrooms) is provided for children receiving services.
- Provide ongoing consultation and support to parents and staff regarding:
- P.L. 94-142, Chapter 71b and IDEA;
- NAEYC/ Head Start/Early Head Start philosophy of mainstreaming children with disabilities.
- Advocacy skill development.
- Referrals to contractual and outside mental health professionals.
- Monitor services provided by licensed or certified mental health professionals.
- Identifying behavioral or mental health concerns of an individual child or group of children
- Assist in providing defined assistance to children with atypical behavior or developmental need.
- Coordinate paperwork and create action plans related to a child’s social & emotional needs to facilitate early identification and delivery of service.
- Facilitate the delivery of therapeutic services.
- Meet regularly with partners such as Boston Public School Special Education department, and Early Intervention providers related to the planning and coordination of services, writing and implementation of IEP’s/IFSP’s.
Information and Technical Systems Management
- Maintain and monitor a comprehensive record keeping system through documents and database system.
- Maintain statistical data as requested by Edgerley Family Community Children’s Center administration and in accordance with federal and state regulations.
- Maintain and document on-going communication.
- Monitor and provide information relative to partners (UPK and ABCD) requirements: support program staffs to ensure children have completed, up to date IEPs, IFSPs, and Mental Health Plans;
- Monitor and track follow-up needs, developmental screenings, curriculum accommodations, and a child’s individualized progress.
- Document technical assistance and plan of action provided to staff at local programs.
Qualifications
Qualifications
Education & experience
- Bachelor’s degree in special education is required and a minimum of one course in early childhood education.
- Five years of experience providing care or teaching children with special needs or disabilities may be counted towards special education coursework.
- A minimum of 9 months of experience providing care to or teaching children with special needs or disabilities is required.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Thorough and applicable knowledge of special education for infants through preschool, their social/emotional well-being and its relationship to child development.
- Demonstrated knowledge of typical and atypical development with ability to recognize the symptoms of a developmental delay.
- Ability to empathetically communicate understanding of emotional factors that influence parents of children who experience a disability.
- Demonstrate knowledge of developing individualized and classroom plans to assist a child experiencing developmental delays.
- Demonstrate knowledge and sensitivity to the education and socioeconomic needs of the children and families served at The Edgerley Family Community Children’s Center.
- Familiarity with the Public-School systems and thorough knowledge of the Chapter 71B referral and evaluation process.
- Familiarity with the Massachusetts Early Intervention System and thorough knowledge of the delivery of family centered services to infants and toddlers with disabilities or at risk for developmental delays.
- Ability to translate clinical evaluations into concrete goals and curriculum for infant/toddler and preschool classrooms.
- Ability to plan and implement in-service training sessions for staff with varying abilities and experience.
- Excellent verbal and written communication, as well as interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work cooperatively as a member of a team with other program staff and parents.
- Knowledge of neighborhoods served by Horizons relevant to the program’s population.
- Proven ability to keep accurate written records and documentation.
- Possess bilingual ability where appropriate. Translates as necessary or when needed.
- Knowledge of all federal, state, city and program laws, regulations, standards, and policies.
- Commitment to Horizons mission and ability to embody our core values (Collaborative, Inclusive, Innovative, and Passionate).
What we offer
- The opportunity to make meaningful change and improve the lives of others through mission-driven work, at all levels of the organization.
- The most passionate, supportive, and playful colleagues around-who will shower you with warm welcomes and regular appreciation for your contributions.
- An investment in your health, well-being, and professional development through competitive benefit offerings, time off, professional development funds and opportunities, and ongoing improvements to proactively practice self-care and maintain mental health.
Starting salary range, compensation, and benefits
$75,000 – $80,000 is the starting salary range for this role, typically reserving the top of the range for candidates with strong experience and bilingual or multilingual language capacity. Your starting salary will fall within that range depending on your competencies, experience, and skillset, and language capacity.
Our compensation practices include:
- Regularly comparing our pay rates to that of similarly situated employers (market rates), economic factors, organizational budget, pay equity, and the contributions of the person in the role to ensure that we maintain fair and equitable pay.
- When we make an offer, we do so with the above factors in mind and not based on anyone’s particular negotiation skills, as we know that can lead to inequity.
- While increases and bonuses are never guaranteed, there are opportunities to earn additional compensation every 6 months; cost-of-living-adjustments every Spring and performance-based bonuses or increases every Fall, so starting pay truly is only the beginning.
- Visit our recent update, Creating the world we want to see starts with early educators, for more information on changes we recently made to make our compensation practices more equitable.
Your total compensation package includes the following benefits:
- Health coverage options designed to be as comprehensive and affordable for you as possible, with Horizons covering between 70-75% of premiums (a value that ranges from an additional $8,000 – 20,000 per year based on your enrollment choices).
- While you have a choice between an HMO and PPO plan for medical coverage, most employees pay $78 for individual, $155 for 2-person, or $296 for family coverage per paycheck and never pay more than $300 for individual or $600 for 2-person/family toward deductibles.
- Paid leave coverage is offered through Massachusetts’ Paid Family and Medical Leave. Horizons covers both medical and family contributions at 60% (100% for employees who earn less than $50,000 annually) with up to 26 weeks of paid leave available based on eligibility and approval.
- Horizons’ additionally offers 1 week for paid parental leave for welcoming a child into your family through birth, foster, or adoption, that often covers the waiting period for PFML to begin.
- Visit The Benefits of Working at Horizons for more details on the rest of our benefits package
Hiring process and timeline
Please submit your application through our online application system, Paycom, with your resume and cover letter stating your interest and related experience to be considered for this position. No phone calls, please. We are hoping to find our new team member as quickly as possible, but the opportunity will remain open until we find the best fit for both the candidate and Horizons’. The full hiring process will include a phone-screen interview, first-round virtual interview, and final-round virtual/in-person interview typically with small groups/pairs of people you would most closely work with. Reasonable accommodation will be provided upon request.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
We recognize the value of looking within to ensure our policies, practices, and culture are aligned with Horizons’ vision. Creating a more equitable world has always been at the center of Horizons’ mission, but in the last several years we’ve recommitted to the role Horizons plays in rectifying some of the problems we see and wish to address. Visit our DEI page to learn more about what that looks like at Horizons.
As such, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.
For more information about Horizons, please visit horizonschildren.org.