Sign on Bonus of $1,500!!!
ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE
The Carole Robertson Center for Learning (the Center) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, enriching, and empowering children and families through comprehensive child and family development programs. Our vision is to help build a just and equitable society, in partnership with families, and be a beacon of best practices, innovation, and impact in early childhood and youth development.
The Center is named in memory of Carole Robertson along with Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair — the four girls killed in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement.
Today, the Center serves more than 2,000 children and families daily through anchor program locations in Albany Park, Little Village and North Lawndale, as well as more than two dozen communities across Chicago. Programs serve children at every stage of development, from birth to age 17. Current programs include center-based, family childcare, and home-based early childhood development programs for children ages 6 weeks through age 5 and afterschool and summer camp programming for children up to age 17, as well as extensive family support, mental health, social services, and professional development training.
The Center strives for excellence in providing the highest-quality programs and services to the children, families, and communities it serves. It is a recognized leader in early childhood education and is accredited through national and state entities. The Center has a deep commitment to representing the communities it serves and demonstrating cultural competence and understanding across programs and services. The organization was founded for the community and by the community, with social justice and equity at the forefront. This commitment remains in all we do.
POSITION SUMMARY:
Under the direction of the Director and Assistant Director, assists in overseeing and directing the planning, organizing, and implementation of education services for children, in addition to full-time classroom teacher duties which include developing and implementing individual educational plans for children.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND KEY TASKS:
- Perform the functions of this position with a strong understanding of the Head Start Performance Standards and the component plans, and thorough knowledge and application of Developmentally Appropriate Practices;
- Guide and facilitate activities of the children, including daily activities, field trips, and selecting and arranging equipment and materials in the classroom;
- Cooperate with other staff and classroom groups to maintain the smooth functioning of the program, which at times may require changes to meet the needs of the children;
- Maintain a comprehensive and ongoing portfolio assessment for each child, including weekly observations in each area, examples of the child's work, and a developmental assessment;
- Use home visits and parent conferences to discuss the child's individual development and progress, assist the parents in developing observational skills, and solicit parent observations;
- Eat with and assist children in the development of social and self-help skills, and sound nutritional practices;
- Collaborate with family support staff to exchange information pertinent to the identification and services of children with disabilities;
- Collaborate with the mental health director to discuss mental health needs of children;
- Guide children's acquisition of social skills;
- Attend staff training and meetings, and board and parent meetings as requested;
- Maintain a safe and healthy classroom environment, assuring that classroom equipment, furniture, materials, and supplies are properly maintained and stored;
- Use the playground as an extension of the classroom, assuring that the playground is safe;
- Assist in conducting the daily health and environment checklist;
- Assist in implementing children's I.E.P. (Individual Education Plan) or I.F.S.P. (Individual Family Service Plan), seeking clarification for any aspects that are not well understood;
- Assist in recruiting and orienting volunteers, providing them with guidance as needed;
- Complete and submit required forms and records in a timely and accurate fashion; e.g. lesson plans, timesheets, meal reports, etc.;
- Oversight:
- Supervisory responsibility of teacher assistant and aide, including but not limited to all functions of reflective supervision and staff evaluation, mentorship, and coaching;
- Review teacher assistant and aide contributions to lesson plans, schedules, room arrangements, and portfolio assessments to assure their accordance with requirements;
- Actively participate in the development and implementation of the teacher assistant and aide professional development plan;
- Assure that files are complete, accurate, and confidentially maintained; and
- Perform other duties as required.
COMPETENCIES
- Values—ability to demonstrate in word and action the Center’s core values and deep commitment to the mission, vision, priorities and needs of the organization and the diverse communities it serves.
- Inclusion—values all people for their unique talents and perspectives and promotes practices that promote and provide equal access to opportunities and resources that enable employees to contribute fully to the organization’s success.
- Relationships—ability to build authentic relationships in the service of enhancing individual and team performances to support the Center’s work.
- Change Capacity—leads self and others by demonstrating the ability to pivot and respond to unpredictable, disruptive, and ambiguous situations. Develop processes, tools, and techniques used to advance desired organizational outcomes and manage change effectively.
- Results-Proven Track Record—demonstrable ability to exceed goals with a bottom-line orientation; evidence of the ability to consistently make good decisions through a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; high level of business acumen including successful P&L management; the ability to balance the delivery of programs against the realities of a budget; and problem solving, project management, and creative resourcefulness.
- Strategic Vision and Agility—ability to think strategically, anticipate future consequences and trends, and incorporate them into the organizational plan.
- Innovation—ability to form ideas that are new and enhanced, while introducing constructive ways of looking at problems that foster creativity interdisciplinary/cross-functional work.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES:
- A baccalaureate or advanced degree in early childhood education or child development and A Level 5 ECE and IT credential; or
- A baccalaureate or advanced degree in education and a Level 5 ECE and IT credential with an Illinois Pre-K certification;
- Have knowledge and experience in the philosophy and practices of Head Start (or comparable child development programs), early childhood education, developmentally appropriate practice, and bilingual education;
- Proof of a physical examination within the last six months, which includes a tuberculosis test, and comply with other background checks as required by the Agency and/or DCFS licensing;
- Personal qualifications as required in Part 407: Licensing Standards for Day Care Centers, emotional maturity, willingness to cooperate with the aims of the program, respect for children and adults, flexibility, patience, good personal hygiene, and physical and mental health which does not interfere with responsibilities;
- Education or experience in collaborating with parents in the education of their children;
- Requires ability to use abstract reasoning, problem-solving, planning, and analytical skills in training, evaluation, and program development;
- Requires effective interpersonal and oral communication skills for supervisory duties;
- Requires effective writing and oral communication skills to conduct meetings and to prepare reports that are clear, complete, comprehensive, and use good grammar and punctuation;
- Requires proficient use of technology, Microsoft Word, Outlook, and the ability to acclimate to online portal usage for recording observations, assessments, and lesson planning;
- Successful experience working in a team setting;
- Ability to present a positive image of the organization to members of the community;
- Visual and auditory acuity within professionally determined normal ranges, with correction, if needed;
- Manual dexterity sufficient to operate a computer and office equipment, including, but not limited to: telephone, fax machine, copier, and tape recorder;
- Must be able to lift 55 pounds; and
- Experience successfully working with a culturally diverse staff and clients.
WORKING CONDITIONS:
- Possible exposure to blood and bodily fluids or tissues;
- Possible exposure to communicable diseases; and
- Job requires sitting for long periods of time (during planning and reporting) and standing for long periods of time (during work with children, observations, and training), as well as stooping, squatting, and running.
Carole Robertson Center for Learning provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Fostering a safe environment for the children, families, and communities we serve, and our employees is of the utmost importance. In this spirit, please note that upon accepting an offer of employment, you will be required to share proof of full COVID-19 vaccination status. To be considered fully vaccinated, it must be at least two weeks since you received the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or the only dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Accommodation requests will be considered in compliance with applicable laws.
