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Career Opportunities

Join Our Team

Looking for work that makes a difference? You’ve come to the right place.

At Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas, we’re a team of people with different skills and experiences working toward one shared goal: strengthening children, families, and communities.

If you’re looking for meaningful work where you can make an impact, take a look at our current openings below. We’d love to see if there’s a place for you on our team.

Current Career Opportunities

Job Type: Full-time

Location: Remote • Chanute, Independence, Pittsburg, Parsons, Ft Scott, Fredonia, Garnett area

Benefits:

  • 403(b)
  • 403(b) matching
  • Dental insurance
  • Employee assistance program
  • Flexible spending account
  • Health insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Vision insurance

Position Summary
The Quality Improvement Coach supports best practices in early childhood programs by teaching, coaching, and providing advanced knowledge to child care providers and early childhood administrators in areas of child development and developmentally appropriate practices which promote optimal learning experiences for young children. The Quality Improvement Coach will also play a leadership role in establishing shared service strategies in participating communities. This project is an enhancement of other similar efforts, with opportunities to influence services benefiting child care providers throughout the region.

Typical work hours are 8 am – 5 pm Monday through Friday; however, occasional evening or weekend hours will be required. Services will be offered both virtually (by phone, email, and Zoom) and in person, with regular local travel and occasional overnight travel required. Quality Improvement Coach reports directly to a Provider Services Manager and accountable to the Executive Director. 

Essential Functions of the position:

  • Provide technical assistance and coaching to child care providers and administrators around child care program quality and developmentally appropriate practices that promote optimal learning experiences for young children ages birth to 12.
  • Offer approved professional development coursework as requested for project participants and other child care providers, teachers and/or administrators.
  • Support the creation and implementation of a shared services model, customized for the needs of the providers in the community.
  • Follow all project-specific procedures and guidelines.
  • Maintain accurate records and generate reports of all activities.
  • Assist with program evaluation.
  • Represent the agency in a positive and professional manner.
  • Work effectively with all members of the provider services team and the overall agency, maintaining a commitment to high-quality customer service.

Other Duties or Functions:

  • Assist with the distribution of consumer education materials and other reports.
  • Submit articles for the provider newsletter, as requested.
  • Other, as assigned.

Within each duties or functions, the Quality Improvement Coach is specifically responsible for the following:

  1. Provide technical assistance and coaching to child care providers and early childhood administrators around child development issues and developmentally appropriate practices that promote optimal learning experiences for young children ages birth to age 12.
    1. Maintain expertise and knowledge of best practice in the early childhood industry, including but not limited to:
      1. Early childhood program management, familiar with best business practices
      2. Family engagement -familiarity of Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework (self-assessment, improvement planning, protective factors survey); and
      3. Developmental screenings, nutrition and physical activity, business practices, community resource and referrals, national and state health and safety standards, and family communication.
      4. Utilization of the CLASS (certification training supplied) to observe and assess classroom interactions.
    2. Work with project participants to create a program improvement plan that will guide their completion of project expectations focused on quality.
    3. Deliver technical assistance and coaching services to project participants to help them continuously improve caregiving practices.
      1. Services must be provided in varied formats, including webinars, phone calls, email, onsite visits, area meetings, and other modes of communication.
      2. Assist programs in the implementation of the Strengthening Families self-assessment and protective factor tools and the NAP SACC best practice standards.
    4. Arrange peer-to-peer meetings between project participants to mentor the program directors and family child care providers in targeted areas to achieve goals.
    5. Assist providers with identifying community resources and/or materials that can be provided to parents.
  1. Offer approved professional development coursework as requested for project participants and other child care providers, teachers and/or administrators.
    1. Attend required professional development and “Train the Trainer” classes established for this project.
    2. Complete the agency’s professional development orientation.
    3. Create/develop at least one new session, upon request and as appropriate, coordinated through the agency’s Provider Services Manager overseeing professional development.
    4. Assist with marketing of agency sponsored in-service and conferences to help ensure that project participants are aware of and accessing all available professional development opportunities in the area/region.
    5. Abide by Child Care Aware ® of Kansas in-service regulations.
    6. Utilize feedback from session evaluations to plan and adapt sessions to best meet needs of participants.
  1. Support the creation and implementation of a shared services model, customized for the needs of the providers in the community.
    1. Maintain knowledge and understanding of existing community and State resources available to participants receiving targeted support services.
    2. Work with project leadership to support shared services that benefit child care programs in meaningful ways.
  1. Follow all project-specific procedures and guidelines.
    1. Be familiar with expected procedure, guidelines and protocol for the position, following written project plan.
    2. Complete work in collaboration with program staff from Child Care Aware® of Kansas, Department for Children and Families (DCF) project staff and other CCR&R Community Consultants.
    3. Meet regularly with project staff from across the state to discuss progress, challenges, needs, etc.
    4. Meet or exceed project benchmarks, reporting all activities as specified.
  1. Maintain accurate records and generate reports of all activities.
    1. Complete all agency required reports and document in accordance with established protocol.
    2. Record all activity in the appropriate database.
    3. Report all required data and outcomes required by individual grants to the appropriate party.
    4. Maintain and report required data elements and common findings/trends based upon portfolio reviews.
    5. Maintain and report required data elements and identify common findings/trends based upon this data.   
    6. Respond promptly to any requests for data from funders, community partners, and supervisors.
    7. Coordinate data collection with other staff members.
  1. Assist with program evaluation.
    1. Work in partnership with project staff to collect data and information to guide program structure and activities.
    2. Enter all activities into the appropriate database (WorkLife Systems/WLS or other database systems), following established guidelines and protocol.
    3. Gather input and feedback from project participants to continually improve the effectiveness of project services.
  1. Represent the agency in a positive and professional manner.
    1. Attend community organizations/groups on behalf of the agency, as assigned.
    2. Attend statewide organizations or meetings on behalf of the agency, as assigned.
    3. Work collaboratively to strengthen CCR&R ties with other agencies
    4. Coordinate support, education, and information to community stakeholders on relevant early childhood or child care issues.
  1. Work effectively with all members of the provider services team and the overall agency, maintaining a commitment to high-quality customer service.
    1. Attend all staff and project meetings.
    2. Work cooperatively with others, sharing your skills, strengths, and expertise to the benefit of the agency and team.
    3. Maintain regular communication with staff.
    4. Attempt to resolve conflict with a staff member first directly with that person, and then take the issue to a supervisor when needed.
    5. Support the mission of the Child Care Resource & Referral.
    6. Follow all ERC personnel guidelines and represent the agency in a professional manner.
    7. Provide the highest quality of customer service possible in every instance.
  1. Assist with the development and distribution of promotional materials and other reports.
    1. Assist with the development of agency promotional materials as appropriate.
    2. Distribute promotional material and published reports through available resources to center and home-based early care programs and agencies.

Skills Required to Perform The Duties of the Position:

  • Effective communication skills (written and verbal).
  • Ability to accurately observe and assess classroom environments using a selected assessment tool.
  • Ability to develop a plan to improve quality in an early childhood program.
  • Ability to design and deliver effective professional development sessions for adult learners around early childhood principles and best practice.
  • Basic administrative and computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Knowledge, Education and Experience Requirements Needed to Perform the Duties of the Position:

  • Minimum of an associate degree with five (5) years of relevant experience in an early childhood education setting or a closely related field OR a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or closely related field with a minimum of two (2) years of experience in an early childhood education setting is required.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of the different types of child care programs (i.e. child care centers, family child care, school-age programs, part-day preschools, Head Start, etc.), and a basic understanding of the early childhood workforce.

Weight Lifting (or Other Physical) Requirements To Perform The Duties Of The Position:

  • Ability to observe a group of children and accurately record their activities from a distance of 30 feet.
  • Ability to hear and verbally respond to a question from a distance of 5 feet.
  • Ability to sit, stand, bend, and lift approximately 20 pounds.

Licensing Or Other Special Certifications Required:

  • Must pass a KBI background check and a DCF registry check.
  • Must complete a KDHE physical and TB skin test with a negative screen.
  • Must have a valid driver’s license and a driving record that meets the insurability standards of ERC’s liability insurance carrier.
  • Must attain ongoing professional development annually relevant to the position and scope of work, as established by the project and supervisor.

Interested candidates, please email resume to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

ERC Resource & Referral, d/b/a Child Care Aware® of Eastern Kansas, provides services in a 33-county area. Each staff member is assigned to a team and given specific counties to serve as outlined by either the project or by agency management. 

ERC RESOURCE & REFERRAL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY, INTERPRET, OR APPLY THIS POSITION DESCRIPTION IN ANY WAY THE COMPANY DESIRES. THIS POSITION DESCRIPTION IN NO WAY IMPLIES THAT THESE ARE THE ONLY DUTIES, INCLUDING ESSENTIAL DUTIES, TO BE PERFORMED BY THE EMPLOYEE OCCUPYING THIS POSITION. THIS POSITION DESCRIPTION IS NOT AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE. THE COMPANY REMAINS AN “AT WILL” EMPLOYER. QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES WHO REQUIRE REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS TO PERFORM THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION SHOULD NOTIFY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

 

Early Care & Education Specialist 2

Job Type: Full-time

Location: On-site • Topeka

Benefits:

  • 403(b)
  • 403(b) matching
  • Dental insurance
  • Employee assistance program
  • Flexible spending account
  • Health insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Vision insurance

Position Summary
The Early Care & Education Specialist 2 supports best practices in early childhood programs by teaching, coaching, and providing advanced knowledge to child care providers and teachers in areas of child development issues and developmentally appropriate practices which promote optimal learning experiences for young children. This is a full-time hourly (non-exempt) position under the daily supervision of a Provider Services Manager, and accountable to the Executive Director.

Responsibilities

1. Provide technical assistance and coaching to child care providers, educators, parents and other caregivers around child development issues and developmentally appropriate practices that promotes optimal learning experiences for young children ages birth through age 6.

2. Offer state-approved in-service and pre-service professional development opportunities for early childhood educators.

3. Support early childhood educators as they access needed resources.

4. Follow all project-specific procedures and guidelines.

5. Maintain accurate records and generate reports of all activities.

6. Assist with program evaluation and data collection.

7. Represent the agency in a positive and professional manner.

8. Work effectively with all members of the provider services team and the overall agency, maintaining a commitment to high-quality customer service.

Experience

1. Bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a closely related field, with a minimum of 24 credit hours in early childhood, is required. A combination of education and experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree as determined by ERC Resource & Referral, Inc.

2. At least three years’ experience working with children ages birth to twelve in a group setting, preferably in a regulated child care program.

3. Demonstrated knowledge of the different types of child care programs (i.e. child care centers, family child care, school-age programs, part-day preschools, Head Start, etc.), and a basic understanding of the early childhood workforce.

Interested candidates, please email resume to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

ERC Resource & Referral, d/b/a Child Care Aware® of Eastern Kansas, provides services in a 33-county area. Each staff member is assigned to a team and given specific counties to serve as outlined by either the project or by agency management. 

ERC RESOURCE & REFERRAL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY, INTERPRET, OR APPLY THIS POSITION DESCRIPTION IN ANY WAY THE COMPANY DESIRES. THIS POSITION DESCRIPTION IN NO WAY IMPLIES THAT THESE ARE THE ONLY DUTIES, INCLUDING ESSENTIAL DUTIES, TO BE PERFORMED BY THE EMPLOYEE OCCUPYING THIS POSITION. THIS POSITION DESCRIPTION IS NOT AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE. THE COMPANY REMAINS AN “AT WILL” EMPLOYER. QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES WHO REQUIRE REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS TO PERFORM THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION SHOULD NOTIFY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

 

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