Education Specialist Coach

Title: Quality Rated - Education Specialist Coach

Location: United States, Remote - mobile, statewide travel will be required.

Job Description:

Salary: $44,998.81-$59,143.37 - Commensurate with education and experience

Pay Grade: K

Number of Openings: 1

Position Overview:

This position is housed within the newly created Business Operations Unit in Quality Rated (QR), which sits in the Quality Innovations and Partnerships (QIP) Division at DECAL. The role of QR is to:

• Implement the State's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) to ensure accurate and timely Star Ratings.
• Increase the availability of high-quality child-care programs to all children state-wide.
• Provide education resources, training, and support to ensure clarity, consistency, and understanding among all system users, including families and child care providers.

The Quality Rated Education Specialist Coach, provides daily guidance and support for child care programs enrolled in the CAPS/QR Provisional or Probationary Status in three core Quality Rated areas: Education and Environmental Supports (research-based curricula, formative assessments, quality classroom environment etc); Program Improvement (access to supports and resources for supporting program improvement); and Professional Development (virtual and on-site technical assistance and relationship-based coaching for QR requirements).

This position functions as a direct educational resource and support to the CAPS/QR Provisional and Probationary programs by providing comprehensive improvement services to help programs achieve their goal of obtaining a star rating. This includes working directly with program administrative staff, teachers, and CCR&R TA Consultants; determine, guide, and monitor improvement activities; conduct ongoing program and activity reviews, and provide Quality Rated professional development. This position works as a member of a comprehensive team, to provide a cross-discipline approach to ensure that all child care program staff, children, and their families receive high quality, equitable and inclusive program improvement services.

Job Duties:

Reporting to the Quality Assurance Supervisor, Quality Rated Education Specialist Coaches will be assigned as either a Provisional or Probationary coach and will, under general and specific supervision, monitor, evaluate, and supervise a group of early childhood educational programs to ensure compliance with CAPS/QR Provisional or Probationary Status regulations and standards. Key to this role will be to advise child care program participants on eligibility, standards, and improvements. This position will help guarantee that CAPS/QR Provisional or Probationary providers maintain compliance with DECAL policies and procedures, meet state requirements to achieve a star rating, and ensure that the children and families served by the child care programs receive the highest quality services.

Specific Job Duties and Responsibilities:

1. CAPS/QR Provisional or Probationary Status Reporting and Documentation Creation

• Determine and communicate program eligibility prior to status designation, consistent with CAPS policies throughout the process of CAPS/QR Provisional and Probationary Status.
• Collaborate with Quality Assurance Supervisor, child care program directors, and other DECAL personnel as necessary to develop customized Benchmarks of Progress Plans (BoP) for individual child care providers enrolled in CAPS/QR Provisional or Probationary Status.
• Develop and maintain documentation to track/document each visit or call with providers enrolled in a CAPS/QR Provisional or Probationary status.
• Provide ongoing monitoring of Benchmarks of Progress (BoP) Plans for programs, tracking progress in SharePoint, related Excel documents, and any other recognized system.

2. CAPS/QR Provisional and Probationary Status Relationship-based Coaching

• Engage in ongoing virtual and/or in-person support with educational programs enrolled in CAPS/QR Provisional and Probationary Statuses to deliver agreed upon quality improvement direct services, advice, and troubleshooting.
• Provide reflective technical assistance, coaching, and mentoring. Including but not limited to technical assistance in the use of classroom materials and equipment, understanding and implementing concepts covered in The Big Three of the ERS, implementation of research-based curricula, meeting program and school readiness goals, and ensuring Quality Rated standards are met.
• Utilize the TORSH online coaching platform to deliver timely, individualized, and impactful feedback to child care programs enrolled in CAPS/QR Provisional or Probationary statuses.
• Collaborate with Quality Assurance Supervisor to develop QR specialized training content for CAPS/QR Provisional and Probationary qualified programs as needed.
• Deliver improvement team activities, both in-person and remotely, for a variety of education program entities enrolled in CAPS/QR Provisional or Probationary status.
• Deliver virtual monthly in-service training sessions and Professional Learning Communities to CAPS/QR Provisional and Probationary program staff (administrators and classroom staff).
• Conduct classrooms observations for monitoring and program progress using QR observational protocols such as DECAL developed observation forms, monthly focus checklists, and research-based classroom observation tools such as the ERS or CLASS as necessary.
• Complete cross training and/or reliability with the Environment Ratings Scales (ERS), QR Portfolio, and any other instruments as determined necessary by QR leadership.

3. On-going Communication

• Monitor and respond to the CAPS/QR mailbox throughout the day.
• Serve as first point of contact for all CAPS/QR queries or questions.
• Assists with client and public inquiries while providing high-level customer service.
• Complete checkpoint monitoring and notification. Provide direct, timely, and customizable ongoing feedback to programs to support their ongoing compliance with the quality improvement efforts.
• Communicate reminders of upcoming checkpoints to individual providers.
• Keep Quality Assurance Supervisor apprised of individual program's progress.
• Notify Quality Assurance Supervisor of insufficient progress or non-responsiveness from programs.

4. Professionalism and Customer Service:

• Assist with client and public inquiries while providing high-level customer service.
• Attend required training courses and meetings as scheduled, related to both the Department and Quality Rated.
• Cooperate with others to accomplish common goals; work with child care program staff to achieve shared goals, treat others with dignity and respect, and maintain a friendly demeanor.
• Accept full responsibility for self and contribution as a team member; display honesty and truthfulness; confront problems quickly; display a strong commitment to organizational success and inspire others to commit to goals; demonstrate a commitment to delivering on his/her public duty and presenting oneself as a credible representative of the Agency and State to maintain the public's trust.

5. Other duties as assigned.

The responsibilities listed in this job description generally describe the types of work assigned but are not an exhaustive listing of all possible responsibilities in the job. Management may add to, delete, or alter specific responsibilities of any position if such responsibilities are a reasonable assignment to the position.

Entry Qualifications:

High School diploma/GED and four (4) years of program management experience; or Associate degree in education or business or a related field from an accredited college or university; or two (2) years of experience required at the lower level Education Prgm Spec 1 (EDP030) or position equivalent.

Agency Preferred Qualifications: Preference will be given to applicants who, in addition to meeting the minimum qualifications, can demonstrate attainment of (6) six or more of the following:

• Demonstrated experience providing relationship-based coaching with child care providers to assist them in making quality improvements to their program.
• Proven experience in quality assurance, compliance monitoring, or a similar role within the child care or social services sector.
• In-depth knowledge of the TORSH coaching platform or other technology based coaching platforms.
• Experience coaching with or assessing classrooms using the Environment Rating Scales (ERS).
• Three or more years of work experience with a Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented with exceptional organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Proficient in using computer software and applications for data analysis, reporting, and documentation.

Technical Competencies (required to perform the job, i.e., knowledge, skills and abilities)

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, as well as superior organizational skills.
• Ability to review, classify, categorize, prioritize, and/or analyze data. Includes exercising discretion in determining data classification.
• Capacity to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving the evaluation of

information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.

• Ability to multi-task and prioritize work, often under tight deadlines.
• Proven ability to form and maintain collaboration among partners, to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated capability to develop and deliver specialized training and presentations and represent DECAL in a professional manner.
• Highly competent computer skills: Microsoft WORD, EXCEL, Outlook, and POWERPOINT and a willingness to research and learn new applications appropriate to advance the work.
• Ability to think critically, manage own time, set priorities, work without direct supervision, and contribute to a team atmosphere.
• Ability to be innovative and seek creative solutions to problems.
• Strong knowledge/experience of program application.
• Experience working with diverse communities and an awareness of the needs and concerns of individuals with

differing cultural, ethnic, linguistic, socio-economic, age, gender, or ability.

Physical/Cognitive Requirements (necessary to perform the job)

• Work is typically performed in an office and/or early childhood classroom environment with intermittent sitting, standing or walking.
• The ability with or without aid devices, to speak clearly, to hear and understand at a normal conversational level, and to receive detailed information through verbal communication.
• Requires the ability to hear in loud, sound-congested environments such as a classroom and understand at a normal conversational level.
• Requires the ability to occasionally continuously stand or walk for long periods of time; regularly requires bending, stooping, reaching, twisting, lifting, pushing, pulling, and moving items or materials occasionally of moderate weight up to 30 pounds.
• Full range of hand and finger motion for data entry purposes.
• Requires the ability to review, classify, categorize, prioritize, and/or analyze data. Includes exercising discretion in determining data classification.
• Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.
• Requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, extensive reading, and visual inspection.
• Must have a valid Georgia driver's license, insurance coverage and have the ability to drive extensive periods as needed.

Recruitment Pool: Open to all qualified applicants.

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is a family-friendly employer, offering flexible work schedules (at supervisory discretion) and a comprehensive compensation package, that includes retirement, 401K match, and elective options for health, life, dental, and vision insurance. Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is an equal opportunity employer. A background check will be completed upon hire, which may consist of any of the following: criminal history, credit history, employment history, educational records, IRS records, and driving records.

"If you are an individual with a disability who may require assistance or other reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the selection process for this position, you may contact our HR department at 404-656-3922. Due to the volume of submissions received by this office, information concerning application or interview status cannot be provided in writing, over the phone, or in person. Only qualified candidates who are selected for an interview will be notified when this vacancy is filled. All applicants who submit a complete application package will be considered but may not necessarily receive notification or an interview. The job posting may be closed at any time without notice.

High school diploma/GED and four (4) years of program management experience; or two (2) years of experience required at the lower level Education Prgm Spec 1 (EDP030) or position equivalent.

Additional Information

• Agency Logo: Requisition ID: EDU09BJ
• Number of Openings: 1
• Shift: Day Job
• Posting End Date: May 15, 2025