What are the responsibilities and job description for the Early Childhood Education Coach (Program Specialist II, Grade 21) position at Montgomery County Government?
About The Position
Please note: The salary range above represents this position’s earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $70,556 to $103,428, based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.
Who We Are
Montgomery County is located adjacent to Washington, D.C., and with over one million residents, is the most populous County in the State of Maryland. The County is also the most diverse County in the State and ranks among the top ten most diverse Counties in the nation. Montgomery County contains many major U.S. government offices, scientific research and learning centers, and business campuses.
The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for delivery of the County’s public health and human services that meets the needs of our community’s most vulnerable children, adults and seniors. The Department provides services through more than 120 programs at more than 20 locations. With over 2,000 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest County Department.
As a department, we believe the health and wellness of the county can only be achieved by ensuring that every resident has fair opportunities to reach their fullest potential. This means access to quality housing, transportation, education, employment, health care, human services, safe neighborhoods, and healthy food. HHS provides critical services for residents who face a variety of obstacles in achieving their full potential. HHS plays an essential role in building a healthy and strong community.
Who We Are Looking For
The Children, Youth, and Family Services Division – Early Childhood Services’ Birth to Five Head Start program is excited to welcome applications from passionate, dedicated professionals who are ready to inspire excellence in early childhood education. As an Early Childhood Education Coach, you will play a vital role in guiding and supporting childcare providers and teachers, fostering meaningful learning environments, and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.
What You'll Be Doing
The Early Childhood Education coach supports the implementation of the Practice-Based Coaching Model with countywide childcare providers. Training will be provided in the specific coaching tools and processes used by the program.
Duties of this position include, but are not limited to:
Bilingual applicants in the Amharic, French, and Spanish to English languages are encouraged to apply.
A criminal background check will be conducted on the selected candidate prior to appointment and will be a significant factor in the hiring decision.
Work Schedule: Some parent education sessions and community events may occur during evening or weekend hours.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience: Two (2) years of professional experience working in early childhood education as a provider or provider’s advocate inspiring and supporting high-quality learning environments.
Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree.
Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.
Medical Protocol: This position requires completion of a pre-employment Medical History Form to assess your ability to safely perform the essential duties of the role.
Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
The applications of those individuals meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed to determine the extent, relevancy of training, and experience in the following areas:
The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.
Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at Hiring@montgomerycountymd.gov . Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.
MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference .
All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.
This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.
If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.
Montgomery County Ethics Law : Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code . Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
Please note: The salary range above represents this position’s earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $70,556 to $103,428, based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.
Who We Are
Montgomery County is located adjacent to Washington, D.C., and with over one million residents, is the most populous County in the State of Maryland. The County is also the most diverse County in the State and ranks among the top ten most diverse Counties in the nation. Montgomery County contains many major U.S. government offices, scientific research and learning centers, and business campuses.
The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for delivery of the County’s public health and human services that meets the needs of our community’s most vulnerable children, adults and seniors. The Department provides services through more than 120 programs at more than 20 locations. With over 2,000 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest County Department.
As a department, we believe the health and wellness of the county can only be achieved by ensuring that every resident has fair opportunities to reach their fullest potential. This means access to quality housing, transportation, education, employment, health care, human services, safe neighborhoods, and healthy food. HHS provides critical services for residents who face a variety of obstacles in achieving their full potential. HHS plays an essential role in building a healthy and strong community.
Who We Are Looking For
The Children, Youth, and Family Services Division – Early Childhood Services’ Birth to Five Head Start program is excited to welcome applications from passionate, dedicated professionals who are ready to inspire excellence in early childhood education. As an Early Childhood Education Coach, you will play a vital role in guiding and supporting childcare providers and teachers, fostering meaningful learning environments, and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.
What You'll Be Doing
The Early Childhood Education coach supports the implementation of the Practice-Based Coaching Model with countywide childcare providers. Training will be provided in the specific coaching tools and processes used by the program.
Duties of this position include, but are not limited to:
- Providing direct services including staff training, parent education, technical assistance, and coaching for community providers, while building collaborative partnerships with community schools and partner organizations.
- Providing training and technical assistance to childcare educators who support birth to five Head Start children; and providing coaching to childcare staff to strengthen teaching and learning practices.
- Facilitating parent education for birth to five Head Start families.
- Coordinating and conducting outreach including planning and delivering community events, and monitoring and supporting the implementation of coaching strategies in community-based birth to five classrooms, including licensed childcare centers, family child care homes, and community-based early childhood programs.
- Developing print and electronic communications for birth to five Head Start families and childcare educators.
- Serving as a liaison with childcare partners and MCPS Pre-K/Head Start.
- Coordinating early childhood education activities with community school partners that support community providers and birth to five Head Start families.
- Conducting data collection and analysis to evaluate progress toward Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (HSELOF) and program school readiness goals.
Bilingual applicants in the Amharic, French, and Spanish to English languages are encouraged to apply.
A criminal background check will be conducted on the selected candidate prior to appointment and will be a significant factor in the hiring decision.
Work Schedule: Some parent education sessions and community events may occur during evening or weekend hours.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience: Two (2) years of professional experience working in early childhood education as a provider or provider’s advocate inspiring and supporting high-quality learning environments.
Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree.
Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.
Medical Protocol: This position requires completion of a pre-employment Medical History Form to assess your ability to safely perform the essential duties of the role.
Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
The applications of those individuals meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed to determine the extent, relevancy of training, and experience in the following areas:
- Degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or related field, and possession of an MSDE trainer credential.
- Experience coaching early childhood educators (Birth to age 5) using structured reflective practice.
- Experience providing training and technical assistance to childcare providers or early childhood educators.
- Experience facilitating parent education sessions for families with children Birth to age 5.
- Experience coordinating community outreach or events that support early childhood programs.
- Experience applying Head Start frameworks (HSELOF and Head Start Performance Standards).
- Experience collecting, analyzing, and reporting early childhood data to support school readiness goals.
The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.
Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at Hiring@montgomerycountymd.gov . Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.
MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference .
All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.
This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.
If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.
Montgomery County Ethics Law : Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code . Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
Salary : $70,556 - $103,428