Education Coordinator

Title: Education Coordinator

Reports To: Senior Education Manager

Department: Children and Family Services

Location: Oakland, CA

Schedule: Monday through Friday 

Travel: Regular local travel between assigned sites required 

Employee Status: Regular, Full-Time, Exempt 

Union: N/A

Supervises: Center Directors

Benefits

Two weeks of paid vacation a year, sick time, 14 holidays, up to five floating holidays based on employment status, medical and dental benefits on the first of the month following 30 days of employment, life insurance policy at no cost to employees (with the option of increasing policy amount), flexible spending account for medical and dependent care costs, commuter benefits, 403(b) with employer match, and other benefits. We foster a joyful workplace and offer opportunities for professional development and growth. 

Agency Summary 

The Unity Council is a non-profit Social Equity Development Corporation with an over 60-year history in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. Our mission is to promote social equity and improve quality of life by building vibrant communities where everyone can work, learn, and thrive. 

Our programs aim to provide the community with the tools, knowledge, and resources to transform their lives and ultimately achieve their long-term educational, career, and financial goals. These holistic programs and services reach more than 10,000 individuals and families annually in five languages. Programs include early childhood education, youth mentorship and leadership development, employment services, career readiness training, housing and financial stability, senior citizen services, affordable housing and neighborhood development, and arts and cultural events. Our work expands beyond the Fruitvale district and now reaches across Oakland and into Contra Costa County. The Unity Council employs a diverse workforce of more than 300 people who reflect the linguistic, cultural, and ethnic identity of the communities we serve. 

Department Summary

The Children and Family Services programs include Head Start, Early Head Start, State Pre-Kindergarten, Home Based Services, and Developmental Play Groups. Over 900 children birth through kindergarten entry and 32 expectant parents and their families receive child development and comprehensive family services through the Unity Council. The programs are diverse, multilingual, developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and individualized for each child and family services are provided in seven centers and one home-based program throughout Oakland and Contra Costa County.

Position Summary

Under the supervision of the Senior Education Manager, the Education Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day instructional, operational, and compliance leadership of an assigned portfolio of approximately 8 Head Start and Early Head Start sites. The Education Coordinator serves as the first point of contact for assigned Center Directors and is directly responsible for instructional coaching at the Director level, curriculum fidelity, the full assessment cycle (DRDP and CLASS), and the end-to-end compliance monitoring loop — including tiered site visits, documentation of findings, data quality across ChildPlus, Learning Genie, and SmartTeach, dashboard maintenance, and driving corrective action plans to completion.

The Education Coordinator works in close partnership with The Unity Council’s Professional Development (PD) coordinator team: the Education Coordinator identifies teacher development needs from observation data and hands execution to the PD team, then follows up at the next observation cycle to track impact and provides feedback to the Senior Education Manager. The Education Coordinator also works in close partnership with a peer Education Coordinator covering the remaining sites, participating in regular calibration sessions to ensure consistent standards across the full program.

The Education Coordinator reports operationally to the Senior Education Manager, who in turn reports to and consults with the Director of Integrated Services. Matters that require approval — policy changes, new assessment instruments or monitoring tools, contracts and partner agreements, and major strategic shifts — are escalated through the Senior Education Manager to the Director of Integrated Services.

The position ensures programs are not only compliant with Head Start Program Performance Standards, the Head Start Act, CA Department of Education (CDE), Community Care Licensing (CCL), and California Department of Social Services (CDSS) requirements, but also actively oriented toward evidence-based best practice in early childhood education.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

Supervision & Center Director Support

• Serves as the first point of contact for assigned Center Directors on all instructional, operational, and compliance matters.
• Directly supervises assigned Center Directors; holds 1:1 meetings on a tiered cadence based on site risk and director tenure (weekly for high-attention sites, bi-weekly for stable sites).
• Provides ongoing instructional coaching at the Director level such as instructional leadership, managing teaching staff, and running their site.
• Provides real-time feedback and first-line performance management; partners with the Senior Education Manager on formal performance reviews, hiring decisions, and escalated personnel matters.
• Models effective teaching practices and professional conduct.
• Assists with center coverage as needed.

Compliance Monitoring & Documentation

• Conducts tiered site visits (frequency adapted to site size and risk) at assigned centers to monitor compliance with Head Start Program Performance Standards, CDE, Community Care Licensing, and CDSS requirements.
• Documents monitoring findings, conducts trend analysis, and produces clear written reports.
• Writes corrective action plans corresponding to findings and drives each plan to completion.
• Maintains data quality across ChildPlus, Learning Genie, and SmartTeach for assigned portfolio — including child development, School Readiness, and health and safety data.
• Maintains site-level compliance dashboards and surfaces patterns to the Senior Education Manager.
• Uses adopted monitoring instruments and templates; provides field feedback to the Senior Education Manager for any recommended revisions, which require Director of Integrated Services approval before adoption.

Curriculum & Instructional Quality

• Owns curriculum fidelity execution at assigned sites; leads curriculum and Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) implementation conversations with Center Directors.
• Coaches Center Directors on instructional leadership, play-based and child-centered practice, and developmentally appropriate strategies.
• Ensures consistency of instructional quality across assigned sites.

Cross-Departmental Coordination

• Serves as working-level partner with the Mental Health & Disabilities (MHD) Coordinators and School Readiness Coordinators (SRC) for assigned sites.
• Coordinates integrated service delivery so that children and families at assigned sites receive seamless support across all service areas.

Assessment Cycle & PD Team Partnership

• Oversees CLASS observations at assigned sites and maintains CLASS reliability.
• Owns end-to-end Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) cycle execution at assigned sites: scheduling, data quality, completion timelines, follow-through.
• Translates observation and assessment data into teacher development needs and hands execution to the Professional Development coordinator team.
• Partners with assigned PD coordinators on training calendars, technical assistance schedules, and follow-up on PD interventions.
• Holds SRC, MHC, and PD coach visit schedules at assigned sites.
• Follows up on PD interventions at the next observation cycle and provides feedback to the Senior Education Manager on impact.

Cross-Coordinator Calibration

• Participates actively in monthly calibration meetings with the peer Coordinator and Senior Education Manager.
• Co-observes classrooms with the peer Coordinator quarterly to maintain consistent scoring and standards.
• Co-develops shared tools, rubrics, and corrective-action templates for Senior Manager review and Director approval before adoption.

Reporting, Communication & Administration

• Prepares site-level materials for the Senior Education Manager’s board-ready and Policy Council–ready reports.
• Communicates effectively with staff, families, and external partners; represents the agency at external meetings as designated.
• Participates in annual self-assessment, ongoing monitoring, and the update of service area plans.
• Creates purchase orders for materials, supplies, and services required at assigned sites within established budget and approval workflows.
• Escalates matters requiring policy interpretation, new instrument adoption, contractual decisions, or strategic direction through the Senior Education Manager to the Director of Integrated Services.

Best Practice & Continuous Improvement

• Implements pilots at assigned sites following the direction set by the Senior Education Manager.
• Refines approaches based on pilot results and shares findings in calibration meetings; pilots considered for program-wide scaling are recommended through the Senior Education Manager to the Director of Integrated Services for approval.
• Maintains active awareness of innovations in the field.
• Participates in ongoing professional development.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development required.
• Minimum 4 years of classroom experience in early childhood education, with at least 2 years in a supervisory, lead, or coordinating role.
• Head Start experience required.
• Site Supervisor Permit required at minimum; Program Director Permit preferred (or ability to obtain within 12 months of hire).
• Must have reliable transportation and a current California driver’s license.

Qualifications

• CLASS certification required, or ability to become certified within 12 months of hire.
• Demonstrated experience conducting compliance monitoring, writing corrective action plans, and following them through to completion.
• Demonstrated experience coaching adult learners and managing performance.
• Working knowledge of Head Start Program Performance Standards, CDE, CCL, and CDSS requirements.
• Experience with ChildPlus, Learning Genie, SmartTeach, or comparable child-data management systems.
• Familiarity with play-based, child-centered curriculum; experience with ITERS/ECERS, Creative Curriculum, CSEFEL, DRDP, and CLASS.
• Experience working with partner organizations and/or family childcare providers preferred.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish/other language, strongly preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to produce clear monitoring reports and corrective action plans.
• Ability to: coordinate across multiple sites, facilitate meetings, model effective teaching practices, model professional integrity, work effectively with diverse socio-economic and multi-ethnic communities, and analyze data.
• Advanced computer skills with strong MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and proficiency with ChildPlus, Learning Genie, and SmartTeach (or ability to learn quickly).

Physical Requirements

• Must be able climb stairs, reach, bend, lift 20-30 pounds, crawl, kneel, stoop, twist, grasp materials with hands and fingers, use arms and legs, able to walk, climb ladders if applicable. 
• Must be willing and able to participate with children and teachers in planned activities when appropriate.
• Regularly required to sit for long periods of time, and occasionally stand and walk; 
• Regularly required to use hands to operate computer and other standard office equipment; 
• Close vision required for computer use.

Pre-Employment Requirements

• Physical exam 
• TB test 
• Background/fingerprint clearance 
• MMR and Tdap vaccinations, 
• CPR 
• Child Abuse Mandated Reporter Training 

This description is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities or requirements for the position. This position may change or assume additional duties at any time.

*** Please submit your cover letter and resume. ***

The Unity Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer.