OVERVIEW
At Edward Street, our priority is high-quality early education and care for all young children in Central Massachusetts. Through supporting early childhood programs and educators and by advocating for policies that benefit children and families, Edward Street seeks to improve the quality and impact of early education and care, enhancing the development of young children and strengthening families in Central Massachusetts. We collaborate with community partners to develop effective early childhood programs and serve as an educational resource and technical assistance center on early childhood issues.
Edward Street Day Care Center was established in 1883 as a day nursery. One hundred and forty years later, now simply named Edward Street, we are a voice for early childhood in Central Massachusetts, advancing the importance of accessible, affordable high quality early education and care and related early childhood supports. We convene and collaborate to solve problems, educate and train to support early learning and care, and advocate for community and government investment in high quality early education and care. We seek to raise awareness of and establish a comprehensive system of quality supports responsive to the needs of our youngest children and their families.
Our goals at Edward Street are to:
- Support a thriving early learning workforce
- Advance high-quality early learning environments
- Influence early education and care investments
- Lead cross-sector alignments for early learning
The Master Teacher Consultation Program provides direct coaching and consultation to early education and care classrooms at several providers in Central MA to enhance early learning environments and outcomes for children. The Master Teacher provides coaching, mentoring and other classroom support to the teaching team to enhance and maintain high levels of quality in children’s learning experiences, instruction and environment. The Master Teacher participates in each classroom weekly for approximately two hours with a focus on reflective practice addressing teaching skills, curriculum implementation, teacher-child interactions, classroom environment, and family interactions.
The Master Teacher reports to the CEO.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The successful candidate will work in partnership with early education and care programs in Central MA to identify teaching teams, provide coaching support, and liaise with the center director on goals, growth and support needs. The Master Teacher will use current evidence based practices and tools to design and deliver coaching and mentoring support for classrooms. The Master Teacher will maintain current credentials to be able to use evidence based tools and provide high quality coaching support.
In-Classroom Coaching
- Provide weekly in-classroom coaching sessions for at least 2 hours/classroom.
- Provide observation of individual educators; implement Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) tool; maintain certifications in CLASS 2.0.
- Host follow-up discussions with teaching teams to support goal setting, discuss progress, and identify additional needs or resources.
- Utilize an array of evidenced-based tools for in-classroom coaching and mentoring.
- Provide direct modeling to support educators.
- Provide access to materials and professional articles to enhance teacher development and support individual goals.
- Maintain coaching data and track impact of work with measurable outcomes.
- Conduct regular meetings with program leadership to provide insights into growth and progress of teaching teams.
Professional Development
- Design and deliver professional development activities to enhance quality in preschool classrooms, including but not limited to workshops, professional learning communities (PLCs), and other PD models.
- Gather and share resources to support coaching goals, such as contemporary research articles, texts, videos, and other professional resources.
- Facilitate training and mentoring for new on-site ECE mentors to build capacity of programs to support newly hired staff.
- Maintain understanding of current trends, issues, curriculum & assessment and research in early childhood. Engage in continuous learning and development.
Special Projects
- Plan and/or support other special projects that connect with Edward Street’s work and community-wide partnerships, such as Countdown to Kindergarten, Children’s Art Shows, Day of Play Family Festival, etc.
- Represent Edward Street in working and advisory groups, coalitions, and other community-based meetings, as needed.
- Participate in grant-related projects, as needed.
Other duties as assigned by CEO.
QUALIFICATIONS
Edward Street is seeking a motivated self-starter who enjoys working with children and educators and collaborating with partners to support professional growth & development.
- Holds at minimum a Bachelor’s degree in education from an accredited college, Master’s degree preferred with a concentration in one degree for early childhood education.
- Minimum seven to ten years’ teaching experience in preschool programs with an additional two years’ experience in infant/toddler classrooms preferred.
- Minimum five years’ experience leading and/or supervising and providing professional development to classroom teachers.
- Demonstrated coaching experience, via ongoing coaching PD, coaching certificate, and ability to obtain EEC Coaching certificate.
- CLASS reliable rater, CLASS 2.0 (preschool)
- Experience in implementing developmentally appropriate early childhood curricula and structured teaching practices for early childhood teachers.
- Experience with early childhood screening tools and assessments.
- Understanding of and experience in trauma-informed practice.
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of early childhood education, child growth and development, effective instructional strategies, classroom management, learning assessment and diagnosis, and research related to early childhood learning, students with special needs and English language learners.
- Exhibit a personality that demonstrates enthusiasm and interpersonal skills to relate well with young children, teaching staff, administration, parents and the community, including flexibility, asset-based framing, and problem-solving orientation.
- Strong oral and written communication skills including MS Office & Google Suite, email, Zoom/Google Meet, phones, etc. Ability to communicate both orally and in writing.
- Demonstrate the ability to use electronic equipment for communication, reporting, data management, information retrieval, visual and audio presentations, and telecommunications.
- Provide evidence that a criminal record history check (CORI and SORI; fingerprinting) has been recently conducted and clearance has been given. Must be able to pass required background record check, as required by EEC.
- Hold a valid driver’s license with no serious violations and be able to travel to center/program locations in Central MA.
- Bilingual (Spanish and/or Portuguese) preferred.
PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential function of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Must be able to move about and may be required to traverse occasionally throughout the center building.
- Must often remain in stationary position for considerable periods of time.
- Is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, and sit, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
- Is expected to lift at least 20 lbs. (i.e. books, school supplies, toys, etc.).
- Must frequently use hand to finger, handle, feel, and use hand strength to grasp tools.
- Must be able to assist children who have physical difficulties.
- Operate a computer and other office productivity machinery (i.e. calculator, copy machine, and computer printer).
- Must be able to input information into a computer as well as read material from a computer monitor as well as handwritten or printed matter with or without visual aids.
- Must be able to communicate effectively with children, teachers, and other staff members in person, via email and phone.
- In the classroom, must be able to see and hear on a continuous basis in order to ensure the safety of children as well as speak frequently to provide direction/instruction.
- May be required to move quickly across even and uneven surfaces.
- Must be able to assist children who have physical disabilities.
- Able to work in a typical classroom environment with acceptable level of noise.
- Must interact with children, teachers and other staff members.
- Must be able to kneel, sit, stand, crawl, push and pull to assist and instruct.
- While the majority of time is spent inside, must spend time outdoors for recess/outdoor playtime, fire drills, and special activities.
- May be exposed to bodily fluids, disease or pathogens.
- May receive unintentional injuries from aggressive children, and
- May be required to have some degree of physical interaction with children who have difficulty controlling their behavior.
Edward Street is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace. People of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Edward Street is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. Edward Street prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Compensation: Salary range, $70,000 - $80,000, and a competitive benefits package commensurate with work in a nonprofit, including health & dental insurance, paid holidays, 3 weeks accrued vacation, personal days, sick days, and retirement plan.
Send cover letter and resume to HR@edwardstreet.org (insert “Master Teacher” in subject line). Selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. No phone calls please