Position Type:
Administrative Support Services/School Readiness Coordinator

Date Posted:
11/12/2021

Location:
Norwalk Early Childhood Center

Date Available:
November/2021

2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR
SCHOOL READINESS LIAISON - EARLY CHILDHOOD FOR
CENTRAL OFFICE (Norwalk City Hall)

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Under supervision of the Education Administrator of Early Childhood, the School Readiness Liaison, this class is accountable for implementing and coordinating the School Readiness initiative for the Norwalk Community. This position in collaboration with the Education Administrator of Early Childhood, the Norwalk Early Childhood Council (NECC) and the City of Norwalk's Early Childhood Coordinator organizes, plans and executes School Readiness program goals and objectives with an emphasis on families and community collaborations/partnerships and the creation of a network of School Readiness funded programs that provides open access for children to high-quality programs. This position also serves as a liaison to the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) and is the staff responsible for the School Readiness/Norwalk Early Childhood Council. This position also facilitates a city-wide system of collaboration with public and non-public agencies to assure effective transitions of children and their families from early care and education programs into elementary schools.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The following identifies the primary essential functions of the position and is not intended to be an exhaustive listing of all duties.

Office of Early Childhood Requirements:

• Advises and counsels all School Readiness Programs with respect to the credentials needed to satisfy the requirements of the Office of Early Childhood (OEC);
• Responsible for all aspects of the School Readiness and Quality Enhancement Grants annually; sends out the required documents to all current SR providers and to local potential new applicants, collect and review all documentation, work with the NECC RFP Review Team to review all applicants, complete the Community RFP, submit to OEC for approval;
• Interprets OEC policies and practices that pertain to the program and facilitates discussions with the OEC as required;
• Maintains contact with the OEC Administrative Team and attends State Liaison meetings.

Norwalk Public Schools:

• Provides technical support to the early care and education (ECE) programs in relevant

organizational areas, as needed, e.g., administrative systems and governance, fiscal management, hiring and personnel, staff training and development, curriculum, recruitment, parent relations and involvement, program expansion, capacity building and improvement;

• Facilitates ongoing communication and collaboration between community ECE providers and Kindergarten teachers to establish effective transition policies and practices resulting in improved student achievement;
• Collaborates with the community, the NPS Administrator for Early Childhood, ECE programs and the city's Early Childhood Coordinator to facilitate and coordinate kindergarten registration activities;
• Serves as the Liaison between the Norwalk Public Schools, the ECE community and Norwalk ACTS Cradle to Career Initiatives;
• Coordinates and facilitates the delivery of joint professional development opportunities for those who serve young children with and without disabilities (ages birth through Kindergarten) and their families;
• Promotes a unified vision, screening instruments and procedures, curriculum and philosophical approach to ECE within the public school and community preschools through Kindergarten;
• Develops and nurtures a strong, educationally supportive collaboration among NPS elementary principals and staff, and public and non-public pre-school providers;
• Provides leadership in strategic planning for Norwalk funding that affect Norwalk and its families regarding Early Childhood development and education;
• Works closely with the NPS Education Administrator for Early Childhood, the city's Early Childhood Coordinator and the Early Childhood Council to implement programs promoting stronger connections between birth to three programs, ECE programs and Elementary Schools;
• Collaborates with the Special Education Department to assure high quality educational standards in all programs serving young children with special needs, including those administered by NPS and by private ECE providers.

School Readiness Programs:

• Promotes School Readiness/Early Childhood quality program standards, including but not limited to, professional development, best practices, transition to Kindergarten, parent involvement, parenting education, family literacy, collaboration, and inclusion of children with disabilities.
• Acts as a resource to staff in problem solving and providing feedback regarding potential problem situations;
• Promotes standards of high quality and excellence in ECE, including, but not limited to, NAEYC Accreditation standards;
• Coordinates with Norwalk ACTS, Norwalk Public Schools, the city's Early Childhood Coordinator and the NECC to maintain the required and other identified professional development trainings for program staff;
• Serves as the lead of the Preschool Early Literacy Initiative (PELI) Project;
• Supports planning Professional Development with operational duties by creating and distributing Professional Development training flyers, collecting registration forms, collecting fees, securing the site, preparing the evaluations and the certificates, ordering the meal, collecting the evaluations and assisting with the presenters;
• Counsels program participants and parents about general policies requirements and such issues as the unavailability of slots for their children, fees, program issues requirements, personality issues, etc. and makes referrals accordingly;
• Develops strong referral relationships throughout the community;
• Ensures that all of the School Readiness programs are in compliance with OEC General Policies and requirements;
• Establishes program evaluation systems, including an evaluation plan and data collection that coordinates with the state system of evaluation, including timely submission of required reports;
• Maintains positive relationships with programs and their staff while enforcing OEC requirements;
• Monitors programs for quality and fiscal compliance, attendance of students, student files, and staffing requirements;
• Prepares reports and maintain records, and reviews for accuracy all reports and records of participating agencies;
• Recommends changes in practices, policies and procedures which affect and support the programs;
• Researches funding sources to ensure the long-term sustainability of School Readiness Programs in the community;
• Responsible for the accuracy of the Monthly Reports that are submitted to the Finance Department,
• Balances and reviews the year end budgets of Quality Enhancement and funding for the programs in accordance with the OEC guidelines;
• In collaboration with the NECC, provides leadership and coordinates technical assistance to local community early care and education providers.

Norwalk Early Childhood Council:

• Attends and reports to the School Readiness Provider Network and Norwalk Early Childhood Council;
• Serves as the staff member to the NECC;
• Serves as the chair to the School Readiness sub-group;
• Maintains all data and records on NECC membership, agenda/minutes;
• Responsible for the Quality Enhancement funds in accordance with the procedures and requirements of the Finance Department, and submits all requisitions for the disbursement of funds;
• Follows the Norwalk Early Childhood Council's Strategic Plan.

Community Requirements:

• Acts as liaison to relevant groups and participates, as appropriate, in relevant community activities and meetings affecting Early Childhood Education services in Norwalk;
• Acts as liaison to relevant State level groups and participates, as appropriate, in statewide planning affecting early care and education services;
• Maintains contact with local, State and Federal level leaders and legislators to advocate on behalf of young children and their families;
• Collaborates with existing organizations and structures to seek grant funding for Early Childhood initiatives;
• Facilitates and provides leadership for strategic planning and legislative advocacy locally, regionally and at the State and Federal levels as directly affects and benefits Norwalk;
• Interfaces with all community partners and public agencies to promote services;
• Maintains contact with local agencies to promote collaboration and strengthen the support of the School Readiness programs and their families;
• Maintains vendor contacts for purchasing;
• Represents the School Readiness sites at all levels of policy-making and program development (e.g., district, city, regional, and state).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or related field;
• Minimum of 5 years' experience in the field of Early Childhood Education, preferably in School Readiness/funded programs or Preschool/Kindergarten Public Schools;

• Knowledge of best practices in Early Childhood Education, birth through kindergarten, including program management, curriculum and assessment, transition and developmentally appropriate practices;
• Familiarity with standards of practice in the field, including, but not limited to, School Readiness, NAEYC Accreditation, Head Start Performance Standards, Child Day Care Contract, CT Early Learning and Development Standards (CTELDS), Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), Preschool Early Literacy Indicator (PELI), Office of Early Childhood General Policies;
• Familiarity and experience with grant compliance, program evaluation and reporting;
• Demonstrates grant writing skills and ability to develop both formal and informal interagency collaboration agreements; ability to communicate effectively in oral and written form;
• Computer Skills: Windows, Microsoft Office, Presentation software (PowerPoint), Spread Sheets (Excel, Google spreadsheets), communication and collaboration tools;
• Demonstrates ability to work collaboratively with diverse community partners; excellent interpersonal and organizational skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Fluency in English and Spanish is preferred
• Knowledge of Public School operations, and Special Education requirements, policies and procedures;

Days: Monday - Friday - 12 months
Salary: $64,000-$83,000
Benefits: Eligible for competitive benefits package

Apply at
www.norwalkpublicschools.org
Click "Employment"

NORWALK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

It is the policy of the Norwalk Board of Education to ensure equal educational opportunity for all students and to prohibit unlawful discrimination because of race, color, religion, creed, age, marital status, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or physical and mental disability in the school district's educational program and activities; and to prohibit unlawful discrimination in employment because of race, color, religion, creed, age, marital status, national origin, gender; gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or physical and mental disability.

11.12.2021