Description: EMBRACING ABILITIES. EXPANDING POSSIBILITIES.
At Easterseals of Chicagoland and Greater Rockford, we are committed to two – often interconnecting - pillars of work……early learning and disability. Through these pillars, we transform the lives of early learners and individuals of all abilities through access to expert educational, family, and community support. As an affiliate of America’s largest nonprofit healthcare organization, we have proudly served the communities and families of Chicagoland and Greater Rockford since 1936.
For more information about our organization, please visit us online at www.eastersealschicago.org.
The CDC Assistant Director acts as the right-hand to the Center Director, assuming leadership responsibility for the center in the Center Director’s absence and supporting recruitment, development, and retention of staff, ongoing communication and engagement with families, and day-to-day center operations. providing guidance and support throughout the center. The Assistant Director implements research-based curriculum and coordinated coaching strategies within Early Head Start/ PI and Head Start/ PFA classrooms, ensures review and analysis of education, disabilities, and mental health data to inform planning, and supports the referral and inclusion of children with suspected and/or diagnosed disabilities. This role provides supervision to an assigned group of teachers and spends the majority of time providing support throughout the building as needed, including classrooms, the kitchen, and the administrative front desk.
This position is located at the Easterseals Gilchrist Marchman Child Development Center at 1312 S. Racine Ave, Chicago, IL 60608.

MAJOR FUNCTIONS/ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Implement research-based curriculum:

• Monitor, assess, and review classrooms regularly to maintain the highest level of curriculum fidelity and ensure alignment with educational standards. In collaboration with the Instructional Coordinator, use assessment data to drive coaching strategies, and align coaching with school readiness goals, curricula, and other approaches to professional development.
• Ensure that Lead teachers are facilitating lesson-planning meetings.
• Participate in regular meetings to assess progress and planning for education and disabilities content areas.
• Assist teaching staff to ensure child assessments, parent/teacher conferences, and other requirements are completed within designated time frames.
• Assure all enrolled children receive developmental screening, all education and disabilities information data is complete in the ChildPlus system and in Teaching Strategies Gold, and all child portfolios, anecdotal child observations, and education folders are maintained.
• Work with the regional team and teaching team to review and analyze child outcome data, home visits, parent/teacher conferences, and screenings to inform individual child and program planning.
• Support children with suspected disabilities and social-emotional concerns and ensure the full inclusion of all children in the program:
• Collaborate with coordinators and managers to create an inclusive environment that supports children with disabilities, social-emotional needs, and challenging behaviors, ensuring all children feel welcomed and supported.
• Assist teachers in modifying curriculum and individualizing lesson plans for children with disabilities based on IEP goals.
• Assist Coordinators to provide ongoing training related to Education and Disabilities for all programs, as needed.
• Ensure screening results are shared with parents and that re-screenings, referrals, and follow-ups are conducted as needed.
• Ensure timely referrals to the LEA and Early Intervention.

Ongoing Monitoring:

• Maintain compliance with daycare standards as specified by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
• Support the center in maintaining the highest levels in ExeleRate and NAEYC Accreditation.
• Implement active supervision systems and monitor documentation, ensuring the active supervision and safety of children so that no child is ever left alone or unsupervised.
• Follow up with families to ensure timely payment for services as needed.
• Maintain the site-level system of monitoring compliance for all service areas, including observations in the classrooms and support the development of action plans in response to monitoring reports sent by the Quality, Safety, and Compliance team.
• Monitor Child Plus and Teaching Strategies GOLD data for the center to ensure information is accurate and complete.
• Ensure all health regulations and food handling regulations are carried out as required by the Department of Public Health.
• Monitor the facility to ensure that the building meets all funding, administrative and regulatory standards.
• Ensure that the center is a clean and safe learning environment for all children.
• Participate in Enrollment/Recruitment Campaigns and annual self-assessment and PIR.

Human Resources:

• Offer leadership development for Lead Teachers to enhance their skills and foster growth within the team.
• Provide ongoing supervision, training, and support to teachers including performance evaluations and professional development plans.
• Recruit, retain, and motivate a team of collaborative and engaged classroom staff. Provide timely praise and corrective feedback as needed.
• Provide coaching and modeling to teachers on effective parent/teacher conferences and parent-child activities.
• Implement reflective and relationship-based practices.
• Onboard new staff, clarify roles and expectations during onboarding and implement strategies to retain qualified employees.
• Communicate regularly with staff to ensure they are informed of and engaged in the center’s goals, identify, and encourage staff initiative, and address potential concerns or problems at an early stage, both individually and through regularly scheduled staff meetings.

Parent Engagement, Communication, and Other

• Develop and maintain positive relationships with parents and implement strategies to engage parents in the children’s development and learning. Develop yearly Family Engagement plan in accordance with program guidance and annual budget.
• Promptly address parental questions, concerns, and complaints regarding safety, staff members, curriculum, philosophy, and structure and proactively report complaints and concerns (including resolution) to the Director.
• Establish a collaborative and transparent center culture that emphasizes the importance of direct conflict resolution.
• Maintain systems for regular, ongoing communication with staff and families.
• Facilitate and/or participate in region, team, leadership, and other meetings.
• Participate in agency-sponsored events, committees, and meetings.
• Provide effective oversight of all services at the center in the Director’s absence.
• Enforce all agency policies, practices, and standards.
• Support in opening and closing of the center as assigned, starting as early as 7 am to open the center, or closer job until 5 pm based on schedule & need. Opener- Open the facility and prepare it for the day’s activities. Closer- Ensure all children have been picked up by designated parent/guardian and complete a sweep of the building to ensure the center is locked down and prepared for the next day.
• All other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE)
• Meet all requirements in the Licensing Standards for the Department of Children and Family Services and have (or be able to obtain) Illinois Director’s Credential Level II within 3 months of hire.
• Certified CLASS Pre-K and Toddler Observer within 1 year.
• Illinois Substitute License and Gateways ECE level 5 credential within 3 months of hire, PEL preferred.

EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE:

• 3 years teaching in an early childhood classroom, including working with children with disabilities. Head Start/Early Head Start preferred.
• 1-3 years of supervisory experience and experience coaching teachers strongly preferred.
• Bilingual language skills (English & Spanish) a plus
• Experience working with Teaching Strategies Gold, ChildPlus, and Chicago Cares systems a plus.
• Knowledge of Head Start/ Early Head Start program operations and performance standards, CLASS, ITERS and ECERS, Teaching Strategies, Creative Curriculum, Pyramid Model, ExceleRate, and NAEYC a plus.

VEHICLE/TRANSPORTATION REQUIREMENTS:

• Valid driver’s license and auto insurance, safe/ reliable vehicle

SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Able to work well with all levels of the organization, regulators, funders, and other agencies.
• Able to manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Well-organized and highly detail-oriented.
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
• Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing the performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Speaking — Talking to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Time Management — Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
• Negotiation — Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
• Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Management of Personnel Resources — Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• Persuasion — Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Writing — Communicating effectively in writing for the needs of the audience, including writing and editing reports, summary memoranda, correspondence, etc.
• Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.
• Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Technologically adept – comfort, familiarity, and ability to learn and use variety of computer applications. Intermediate-level knowledge of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, and Excel. Ability to use internet browsers, video conferencing.
• Excellent interpersonal skills that allow for effective relationships in a diverse environment with ability to collaborate and build a consensus.