Job Opening: Instructional Coach

Sing this Ad to the Tune of If You’re Happy and You Know it . . .

If you like to work with teachers keep on reading,

If you like to work with children please review,

If you want to make a difference and you like to work from home,

The ASPIRE Program needs a coach like you!

If you really sang this song inside your head,

Or even if you sang it right out loud,

Then we know you have the knack and will have a teammate’s back,

Click the link now to apply and make us proud!

As you might have guessed, the Alliance team likes to have fun while we work. We wrote the song for this job ad, and then sang it at a virtual team meeting (well, everyone sang but Bill. He muttered something about his past, noise pollution, and a court order). If you follow the link to the job description below, you'll find all the details HR people would want us to say, but for just a moment, let us tell you about your potential future teammates, i.e. those of us at the Alliance. We are all experienced early childhood educators with a wide range of teaching experiences (everyone but Bill that is. We know, right? But since he's the Executive Director, we keep him around). 

Alliance team members come from a wide variety of backgrounds such as Head Start, center administration, K-12, family child care and….public libraries? (Yep, it’s him.) We all share a common belief that family child care done well is like magic: everybody wins! On our team you’ll find colleagues that want everyone to succeed. They’re self-starters, team players, entrepreneurial, approachable, action oriented, able to appreciate failure, good communicators, dedicated to their craft, and most importantly, they care. Oh, and yes, we like to have fun (even Bill!). 

But your future team members aren’t just the coaches; our team includes the family child care providers we support (over sixty across Maryland this fall!). We work with family child care educators who want to teach PreK. These rock stars want to continually improve their programs, themselves, and the outcomes for the kids in their care. You’ll have the chance to really get to know the providers you work with. You become a trusted partner on their journey. The two of you will explore new opportunities for the educator’s growth, set goals, and learn together.

Sound like a group you’d like to work with? Excellent! Read through the stuff below our dad made us say. At the bottom of the job description, you’ll find a link to submit a one page cover letter and your resume. In your one-page cover letter, let us know why you are interested in this position and the parts of your experience you think are relevant (you got the one page cover letter thingy right?) We look forward to hearing from you!

Background 

The Family Child Care Alliance of Maryland (the Alliance) is a non-profit organization whose mission is a collaborative network of national, state, and local partners working to advance the field of family child care for the benefit of providers, children, families, local communities, and the State of Maryland.

For the fourth year in a row, the Alliance has been awarded a Prekindergarten Expansion Grant from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to grow our program. This grant aims to expand access to high-quality public prekindergarten for three and four-year-old children, with priority given to children from families with household incomes up to 300% of Federal Poverty Guidelines, and students with special needs, regardless of income. Maryland is one of the few states in the nation that is committed to aggressively building a mixed-delivery system for PreK that includes family child care. (A huge shout out to the team at MSDE for their commitment to FCC!)

In cooperation with MSDE, the Alliance is building a statewide support network to assist family child care educators in their efforts to obtain degrees and P-3 certification, while at the same time, developing a high-quality PreK program. In addition, the Alliance is designing a network that will provide ongoing support for educators with P-3 certification participating in Maryland’s publicly funded PreK program. 

Now for the details...

Position Open Until Filled

Start Date: As soon as possible!

Position Summary

The Alliance is seeking one or more* Instructional Coaches to work as part of a team to coach and support family child care Educators. In partnership with the Educators, Coaches will work to ensure the short- and long-term success of children in family child homes participating in the program. Each Instructional Coach will lead a cohort of Educators to establish an ambitious and inspiring vision, create goals, and a plan for achieving those goals. Coaches will engage Educators in data-based problem solving to increase child outcomes. Coaches will spend up to sixteen hours per month on location in each Educator’s home/business. 

*This position is grant funded. We are optimistic it will be funded as funding comes from the state of Maryland, which currently funds the other coaching positions within the ASPIRE PreK program. We expect a grant award decision no later than early October. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Establish a collaborative relationship with each Educator in the Coach’s cohort. (Kind of important.)
• Observe program practice and gather data using prescribed methods. 
• Quickly assess strengths/weaknesses and use observation/data gathering to tailor support to family child care Educators.
• Assist Educators in gathering and analyzing data (quantitative and qualitative) to reflect on students’ performance and their practice. 
• Provide a variety of solutions to help Educators improve their practice and, therefore, student outcomes  such as modeling or co-teaching.
• Build positive culture within network of Educators in their cohort.
• Implement structures to facilitate networking among family child care Educators. 
• Participate in professional development for coaches to improve practice.
• Participate in the continual development and improvement of the ASPIRE program. (We are building something new, from scratch, so in some ways we are like a start-up. Without stock options.)

Educational/Certification Qualifications

• A Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field.
• A current MD P-3 teaching certification is preferred.

Required Experience

• At least five years’ experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.
• Knowledge of MSDE Early Learning Prekindergarten Standards.
• Knowledge of pedagogy and adult learning theory.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working with family child care business owners.
• Collaborating in a professional environment. (Translation, you play well with others. You know, what you learned in kindergarten? We are very team oriented.)
• Collecting and analyzing data, as well as implement related strategies.
• Modeling research-based best practices.
• Questioning in a way that promotes reflective practice.
• Understanding and working with diverse populations.
• Professional Working Spanish language proficiency.
• Knowledge of The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool.
• Knowledge of Teaching Strategies GOLD®.

Preferred Skills and Personal Characteristics

• Approachable, personable, and empathetic. (Uber important!)
• Strong oral and written communication.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Advanced digital literacy and a willingness to learn new software. 
• Have the ability to motivate and influence others.
• Be a good listener.
• Be a self-starter. (Like Hamilton. Sorry, we just had to throw that in.)
• Be a reflective practitioner.
• Be outcomes-oriented.

Other Requirements

• Access to transportation that will allow you to travel to provider homes up to two hours away on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
• Proof of at least two COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Be able to pass a criminal background check.
• Have access to high-speed broadband Internet access in your day-to-day work space.

 Work Environment

The Alliance is a virtual organization and has no office location. (Hence the need for reliable, high-speed Internet access. We live on Zoom...and coffee.) When not visiting our Educators, Coaches can work from home and must be able to maintain professional decorum during frequent video and telephone meetings. Coaches will travel four to five days a week to coach Educators in their respective cohorts. Position requires occasional evening and weekend meetings.

Compensation

Annual salary: $55,000 to $65,000, depending on qualifications and experience. Benefits package includes health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance plus a flexible leave policy.

The Family Child Care Alliance of Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.