Early Childhood Education Specialist

Job Overview:

The Early Childhood Education Specialist (ECES) is responsible for providing education services to refugee youth between the ages of zero and five and their families. The ECES will provide childcare enrollment assistance to refugee families to enroll youth in childcare services, preparing them for success in kindergarten and the public school system. Childcare enrollment assistance will include helping families complete daycare enrollment documents, providing transportation for families to and from daycare tours and enrollment meetings, and teaching families how to utilize public transportation for drop-offs and pick-ups. The ECES will also help refugee families apply for and navigate Montana’s Best Beginnings Childcare Scholarship to dramatically reduce the cost of childcare and support family self-sufficiency.

The ECES will work closely with supplemental case management staff, caseworkers, and childcare providers to identify refugee youth that may need additional developmental support or mental health assistance. The ECES will address barriers to safety and wellness for especially vulnerable refugee youth and their families and work with parents to develop at-home positive early childhood education practices.

Major Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Provide childcare enrollment assistance to refugee families with children between the ages of zero and five.
• Help refugee families apply for and navigate Montana’s Best Beginnings Childcare Scholarship.
• Train families to use public transportation to drop off and pick up children from daycare.
• Develop communication plans between families and childcare providers.
• Work with parents to develop at-home positive early childhood education practices.
• Provide training and resources to staff at childcare facilities.
• Work with partner organizations to plan and prepare sessions for parents and children around quality parenting practices.
• Build new relationships within the community and partners.
• Coordinate interpretation services for providers on an as-needed basis.
• Assist with record-keeping and data collection to support program administration and compliance with programmatic requirements.
• Actively participate in regularly scheduled staff meetings and professional development opportunities.
• May train and lead the activities of volunteers and interns.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree preferred. Completion of a certificate as a Child Development Associate or in early childhood education or a related certificate is preferred.

Work Experience:

• Prior childcare experience or experience in early childhood education required.
• Relevant professional experience in education and/or human services strongly preferred.
• Experience working with immigrants or refugees preferred.

Demonstrated Skills & Competencies:

• Strong desire to support vulnerable individuals and families and enthusiasm for working in a multi-cultural setting.
• Enthusiasm for early childhood education and language learning, with children and their families.
• An understanding of the principles of early childhood development and an ability to adapt to meet the needs of immigrant and refugee families.
• An interest in immigrant and refugee and asylee issues and the resettlement process.
• Strong communication abilities, including the ability to lead groups of students and oversee community volunteers.
• Comfortable working in a cross-cultural environment and with adult and child language learners, sometimes with little or no English proficiency.
• Ability to take initiative, work independently on projects, and follow through on critical tasks.
• Ability to work in a collaborative environment, sometimes co-teaching and sometimes facilitating learning through interpretation.
• Strong time-management skills and comfortability with computer and web-based communication platforms.
• Fluent in English, both spoken and written; proficiency in language(s) spoken by client group is desired.

Working Environment:

• A combination of standard office environment, remote work, and ‘Field’ time within the service delivery area to perform the above outline responsibilities.
• May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.

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Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirement.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.