Duties
Purpose: The parent educator/instructional leader will work collaboratively with families, education
staff and community partners to ensure that the Preschool program meets the needs of the whole child
and supports parents/guardians in addressing family needs and setting and achieving ambitious family
goals. The parent educator/instructional leader will support classroom education staff (teachers and
teacher assistants) to refine their practices, improve instructional quality and achieve mastery as early
childhood professionals. This individual will be working with administrators and Standards Coach as
needed.
Performance Responsibilities for Parents includes, but are not limited to the following:
Parent Engagement and Education
• Collaborate with teachers and instructional leaders to engage parents in the classroom and
school/site, including meaningful volunteer opportunities. Ensure that the program maintains a
welcoming environment for parents.
• Lead development and implementation of parent education opportunities, leveraging internal
resources and community partners. Solicit parent input on parent education offerings.
• Implement and support activities to ensure a strong connection between home and school, including
take-home learning activities.
• Engage parents in parent advisory committee and other leadership opportunities.
Eligibility and Recruitment
• Support program efforts to identify and recruit the most at-risk children in the community.
• Educate parents about the importance of early learning programs and support parents in completing
the enrollment process.
• Identify and develop potential partnerships with community entities with access to priority
populations.
Attendance
• Contact parents of absent students to determine reasons for absence.
• Review attendance on a regular basis to identify patterns of absenteeism and share with
administration.
• Determine supports needed to support regular attendance and connect parents to resources as
appropriate. Educate parents about benefits and importance of regular attendance.
Comprehensive Services
• Monitor health and dental records to ensure that children receive regular screenings and follow-up for
any treatment needs in collaboration with the Nurse.
• Coordinate parent meetings and workshops to educate parents in the areas of child health, mental
health and development in collaboration with Title 1 Parent Liaison.
• Assist parents in establishing a “medical home” and “dental home” for their children to ensure access
to consistent health care.
? Collaborate with mental health consultant to facilitate evaluation of children with parent consent and
referrals to mental health resources as needed.
• Coordinate and conduct home visits as needed to support home-school connection, address
attendance concerns and provide other family supports.
• Provide supports to children with special needs, including empowering parents as advocates for their
children.
Connection to Resources
• Assess family needs and identify parent/guardian goals for family. Work with families to develop a
plan towards meeting needs and achieving goals.
• Refer families to resources to support their plan. Document referrals and progress towards goals and
follow up with families regarding referrals on a regular basis.
Performance Responsibilities for Preschool Staff includes, but are not limited to the following:
Curriculum
• Ensure that the program selects a high-quality curriculum in alignment with the Illinois Early Learning
Standards.
• Manage program implementation of selected curriculum, assessment tool and any supplemental
materials. Align program practices and standards to support quality implementation.
• Coordinate teacher training and professional development on selected curricula.
• Provide support to classroom education staff in creating lesson plans that are faithful to the
curriculum and developmentally appropriate. Review lesson plans and provide teachers with timely
feedback and recommendations.
Professional Development
• Collaborate with classroom education staff to develop individual professional development plans for
each staff member.
• Identify professional development opportunities offered by funders, regional professional
development providers and others that align to teaching staff goals and needs.
• Develop and facilitate a professional learning community focused on instructional excellence.
Observation and Coaching
• Conduct regular observation in all assigned classrooms and maintain records.
• Engage education staff in individual and group reflective coaching to discuss observations and develop
a plan to strengthen challenging areas and build on areas of strength.
• Support peer observation and learning between classrooms/sites.
Instructional Quality
• Participate in professional development opportunities, including workshops and conferences, to bring
new and emerging best practices into the program.
• Identify resources and materials that will support instructional quality and integrate them into
program practices.
• Develop internal systems and procedures that advance instructional quality.
Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in child development or early childhood education. Master’s degree or Illinois
Professional Educator License preferred.
• Commitment to supporting at-risk families.
• Cultural and linguistic competency appropriate to service area.
? Experience as an early childhood educator and experience as a coach or supervisor of educators
preferred.
Salary/Benefits
? Contractual Pay Regionally Competitive Based on Experience
? Part Time Position with Flex Hours Between 8:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m
? No Benefits
How to Apply
https://www.applitrack.com/lincoln156/onlineapp/
Link to District/Third Party Online Application Web Page
https://www.applitrack.com/lincoln156/onlineapp/