What are the responsibilities and job description for the Early Childhood Education Coach position at Urban Sprouts Child Development Center?
Early Childhood Education Coach, Community of Practice
A community of practice (CoP) is a group of individuals who come together to pursue a shared purpose, exchange knowledge, and foster learning and change. For leaders of a given field, having a CoP to rely on can be an essential source of support, continuous development, and well-being.
In our case, this shared purpose is catalyzing excellence throughout our region’s early learning system so that all children and families, regardless of identity, have access to high quality, affordable education and care.
The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Coaches serve as a supportive resource for early childhood (ages 0-5) educators and program leaders, working to strengthen instructional practices and promote high-quality, developmentally appropriate care and education across the region. ECE Coaches work directly alongside caregivers and teaching teams to guide, model, and reinforce Ideal Learning practices in multiple early childhood settings throughout the region. Through coaching, observation, modeling, and professional development, the ECE Coach helps improve educator practice and positive outcomes for young children.
This position will report to the Senior Director, Community of Practice.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as collaborator and resource to early childhood (ages 0-5) educators and program leaders at Urban Sprouts, and with our community partners at sites across the 24:1 to support continuous quality improvement throughout the region
- Promote and support the implementation of Ideal Learning practices across diverse early childhood programs
- Conduct classroom observations and provide reflective, strengths- based feedback to educators
- Collect and analyze data to monitor individual teacher/program progress, evaluate coaching effectiveness, and identify areas for improvement
- Use coaching strategies to guide early childhood educators in planning, implementing, and refining curriculum and instructional practices; emphasis placed on addressing individual needs identified in program assessment tools
- Support early childhood educators in understanding child development and applying developmentally appropriate care and education
- Facilitate professional development opportunities, including trainings, workshops, and small group learning experiences to early childhood programs within the community
- Assist early childhood programs in aligning curriculum and teaching practices with best practices, standards, and program goals
- Build trusting relationships with early childhood educators and program leaders that encourage growth, reflection, and professional confidence
- Maintain documentation related to coaching activities, observations, and professional development outcomes
- Collaborate with internal teams and community partners to support program-wide and regional early childhood initiatives
You might be a great fit for this work if you:
- Possess a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, or a related field.
- Have 5 years, hands-on experience as a lead teacher in early childhood (ages 0-5) classrooms and have a strong understanding of Constructivist, Developmentally Appropriate Practices (as identified by the National Association for the Education of Young Children - NAEYC)
- Possess prior experience in adult-based education, coaching, mentoring, and supporting early childhood educators in reflective and growth-focused ways
- Are comfortable working directly in classroom settings, modeling instructional strategies and engaging in observation and feedback
- Have experience working with diverse, urban early childhood communities and value culturally responsive and inclusive practices
- Are committed to equity and inclusion and intentionally center these principles in your work with early childhood educators, children, and families
- Enjoy building trusting relationships with educators from a variety of backgrounds and experiences
- Adapt to support various early childhood programs across multiple sites
- Able and willing to travel between program locations throughout the region
- Are a strong communicator who approaches mentoring/coaching with empathy, professionalism, and collaboration
- Are passionate about strengthening early childhood education to improve outcomes for all children throughout the region
Compensation & Benefits
Salary commensurate with experience.
Our generous benefits include:
- Medical Health Insurance of which we pay 75% of the premium to start and 90% of the premium after your one year service anniversary
- Dental & Vision insurance of which we pay 75% of the premium to start and 90% of the premium after your one year service anniversary
- Free snacks and beverages
- Free CPR/First Aid training as well as other trainings throughout the year
- 2 Paid Mental Health Days a year
- One Week of Paid Sick/Vacation time to start, Two Weeks after Two Years, Three Weeks after Five Years
- One Week of Paid Holiday Vacation time during our annual winter break
- One Week of Paid Holiday Vacation during our annual Spring break
- Three Day Paid Fall Break during Thanksgiving
- All Federal Holidays Paid, to include Juneteenth and MLK day
- Special Staff Appreciation Event in Summer (typically involving free travel)
- 403 B (comparable to 401K) retirement plan