Keystone STARS Quality Coach - ELRC 19

PHMC is proud to be a leader in public health. The STARS Quality Coach is a core component of the Keystone STARS program. Using the Keystone STARS Performance Standards, the Quality Coach is responsible for guiding and directing early education and school-age practitioners toward achieving quality by engaging them in a Continuous Quality Improvement process.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The STARS Quality Coach is a core component of the Keystone STARS program. Through the use of STARS Performance Standards, the Quality Coach is responsible for guiding and directing early education and school-age practitioners towards achievement by engaging them in a Continuous Quality Improvement process. This position is responsible for promoting participation in Keystone STARS, with specialisation in upward movement in the system. With this specialisation, the Quality Coach provides targeted professional development opportunities to support STAR-level movement goals as well as regulatory referral responses. The Quality Coach acts as a resource, providing practitioners with information and support, assisting them to develop and implementing appropriate plans to achieve the goals of providers in Keystone STARS. The Quality Coach works in conjunction with the Grants Specialist and grant processing partners to enable providers to access Keystone STARS grants and awards. The primary task of the Keystone Stars Quality Coach is to receive and review sources of evidence; interpret the Keystone STARS Performance Standards; guide programs through the process of understanding the intention behind the Standards; act as an expert on available resources; and make recommendations to the early education and school-age practitioners enabling them to move through the STARS process, of understanding the intention behind the Standards; act as an expert on available resources; and make recommendations to the early education and school-age practitioners enabling them to move through the STARS process, submit grants in a timely fashion as required, and annually project professional development plans. This position reports to the ELRC 19 Keystone STARS Manager (Early Learning Resource Center) and is based out of the PHMC offices at 1500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, with frequent travel and scheduled office time throughout the ELRC 19 region.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and maintain working relationships with a caseload of early care and education and school-age practitioners.
• Deliver presentations to practitioners, encouraging the engagement of the continuous quality improvement process and the intent and requirements of Keystone Stars.
• Assist facilities interested in requesting grants or awards.
• Assist practitioners in setting individualised program goals and annual professional development plans in relation to Keystone STARS standards.
• Provide targeted Professional Development opportunities tied to STAR level movement goals within the ELRC 19 region.
• Provide prescribed Professional Development and/or Technical Assistance in response to Regulatory Referrals from Certification partners for providers in the ELRC 19 region.
• Act as a resource informing practitioners of professional development events, educational opportunities, additional grants or consultants.
• Complete annual plans and projections with assigned child care and school-age practitioners to enable them to complete the work toward the achievement of a Keystone STAR level.
• Work with the supportive/collaborative systems to ensure the practitioner can access additional services as are needed (e.g. IU, ELRC 19 staff, Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, etc.).
• Using the available software, the specialist is responsible for recording the progress of all applications assigned to that desk (e.g., QRIS, PELICAN, internal tracking system).
• Develop reports as necessary.
• Responsible for ongoing reporting of the process of the program for practitioners in their caseload.
• Assist as necessary to facilitate STAR level designations, grant generation, closures and audits.
• Attend and participate in meetings with partners such as Certification, PQA, and OCDEL; maintain ongoing communication with said partners.
• Coordinate with Designator or STARS Manager to schedule designation visits.
• Maintains awareness of ongoing changes/improvements to the early care and school-age system.
• Participates in ongoing professional development and educational opportunities to augment his/her own skills.
• Coordinate and conduct meetings, establishing a community of learners.

SKILLS:

• Working knowledge of Keystone STARS Performance Standards and requirements.
• Strong working knowledge of trends and best practices in Early Childhood Education.
• Knowledge of community organisations, social and human services agencies, child care services and systems, Early Intervention, schools, etc., and collaborative interagency relationships.
• Ability to effectively articulate the mission and vision of the Keystone STARS Program, PHMC, and the ELRC.
• Ability to provide guidance, direction, and support to early care and school-age practitioners to facilitate Keystone STARS involvement and compliance with standards.
• Ability to build positive reciprocal relationships with early care and school-age practitioners.
• Ability to provide case management with timely and accurate reports and recommendations.
• Ability to work effectively in a team.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and competing priorities.
• Ability to maintain complete, accurate, and accessible files and records.
• Ability to communicate effectively and work productively with colleagues, government agencies, program participants, parents, and other human services organisations, etc., in a positive, pleasant, professional, and productive manner in writing, by telephone, and in personal contacts.
• Working knowledge of personal computers and networked systems and their use and applications for database management, tracking and reporting, etc., in a human services or similar environment.

EXPERIENCE:

• Three years' work experience, preferably in early care and education and/or school-age programs or human services, which involved some collaborative inter-agency work required
• Experience in outreach, needs assessment, planning, marketing, or public speaking is helpful.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:

Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or a Bachelor's Degree in a related field required

PHMC is an Equal Opportunity and E-Verify Employer.