Trying Together

The role involves coordinating early childhood intervention strategies, building partnerships, and supporting families and educators in Allegheny County. | Requires a bachelor's degree in Early Intervention or related field, five years of experience working with children and families, training in Applied Behavioral Analysis, and strong data and project management skills. | Culture: Trying Together’s mission is to support high-quality care and education for young children. Trying Together is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that supports the work of early childhood by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the adults who interact with them. A fast-paced organization, Trying Together looks for dedicated and passionate staff who bring positivity to their work and a solution-oriented sensibility. Trying Together encourages its team, partners, and communities to interact compassionately and honor the range of cultures, ideas, and identities that root each person. Young children develop and learn by example; this means that children whose early learning environments reflect just actions, equitable opportunities, diverse representation, and inclusive approaches experience healthier interactions and build relationships that enable them to thrive. Trying Together is an equal opportunity employer. Trying Together does not discriminate and encourages qualified candidates of any gender, race, class, sexual orientation, faith, disability, or age to apply. All candidates will be evaluated on a merit basis. Purpose: The Early Childhood Intervention Coordinator is responsible for organizing and implementing a comprehensive strengths-based approach of providing strategies and supports for Allegheny County early learning programs to ensure that young children at risk of being suspended or expelled are retained in their program. The Early Childhood Intervention Coordinator will work with the ELRC Region 5 Local Leadership Council partners and Rapid Response Team to intentionally develop a team that is prepared to respond quickly to requests from early learning programs and families in Allegheny County when a child is at risk of being suspended or expelled. Responsibilities: • Practice equity in daily decisions. Apply an equity lens to goals, planning, materials, outreach/enrollment, communications, follow-through and partnerships and seek input from people most affected by decisions. • Build a culture of belonging. Use inclusive meeting norms, invite under-represented perspectives, offer constructive feedback, and address harm respectfully. • Improve practices that cause harm. Flag practices, processes, and/or policies that undermine the dignity, safety, or equitable treatment of children, families, educators; propose and help implement and evaluate improvements. • Identify Allegheny County agencies familiar with the early childhood education system, early intervention behavioral health, and infant/early childhood mental health systems that have the capacity to provide support to early educators and program administrators. • Identify key stakeholders and develop and maintain a Rapid Response Team for Allegheny County. • Serve as a consultant to early learning program administrators and educators in collaboration with the ELRC 5 Quality Coach. • Use observational tools, interviews, and data collection to determine the function of a child’s behavior. • Create Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA) in early care and education settings for children who have been referred to the Rapid Response Team. • Coach educators on the implementation of Functional Behavior Assessments. • Respond within 48 hours after a referral is received. • Ensure that the Team works through a Pyramid Model in partnership with the early learning program administrator and educators, family, and child. • Work collaboratively with the program director, teaching staff, early intervention staff, Team, and Quality Coach to assess and develop strategies to support the family and child. • Work collaboratively with the program director, teaching staff, early intervention staff, Team, and Quality Coach to create a plan of action to support the child. • Work collaboratively with the program director, teaching staff, Team, and Quality Coach to support families by connecting them to resources and information throughout the process. • Ensure that there is follow up with the early learning program director, Team, early intervention staff, and Quality Coach. • Collect data from the beginning of the process to the conclusion of the intervention with the early learning program. • Serve as an active member of the Quality Initiatives and ELRC teams to effectively respond to the needs of the field and the systems they work within. • Meet regularly with the Quality Initiatives and ELRC teams to provide feedback and brainstorm new ideas. • Work collaboratively across departments within Trying Together to meet the mission and accomplish the work. • Participate in initial and ongoing professional development for the purposes of continuous learning and expanding one’s professional knowledge base. • Consistently use the NeonCRM platform to build relationships with constituents, record data that measure project performance, and support continuous quality improvement in the organization's resources and services. • Other duties as assigned. Qualifications: • Bachelor's degree in Early Intervention, Special Education or related field and five years of related experience working with young children and families in early intervention, special education, and/or behavioral health environments. Masters degree preferred. • Direct training and/or course work in Applied Behavioral Analysis • Ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds. • Ability to work both independently as well as part of a team. • Ability to maintain a project timeline and monitor progress toward goals. • Must be able to interact with others in a positive and professional manner. • Recognize that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture, community, and society. • Ability to maintain confidentiality. • Excellent data collection and analysis skills. • Strong attention to detail. • Ability to work occasional evenings and/or weekends. • Must own a reliable vehicle as the nature of this job includes regularly visiting early learning programs in-person across Allegheny County. Required Clearances: • Clean Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance. • Clean Act 34 PA State Police Clearance. • Clean Act 73 Federal Criminal History Clearance. • National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification. • Valid driver’s license and proof of insurance. Required Training: • Mandated Reporter Training (must be completed in the first month of placement). • NeonCRM Training (required and recommended online courses must be completed in the first three months of placement). • PQAS Professional Development Instructor Certification (must be obtained within the first year of employment for staff with a Bachelor’s Degree). Benefits: • Competitive compensation and benefits package. • Appreciative inquiry and strengths-based review process.

Provide tailored coaching and technical assistance to home-based child care providers to improve program quality through observation, goal setting, and professional development. | Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or related field, 2+ years classroom and administrative experience in early care, knowledge of Keystone STARS, ability to coach adult learners, valid driver's license, and required Pennsylvania clearances. | Position: ELRC Home-Based Quality Coach Full-Time | Salary $44,000 - 47,470 Culture: Trying Together's mission is to support high-quality care and education for young children. Trying Together is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that supports the work of early childhood by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the adults who interact with them. A fast-paced organization, Trying Together looks for dedicated and passionate staff who bring positivity to their work and a solution-oriented sensibility. Trying Together encourages its team, partners, and communities to interact compassionately and honor the range of cultures, ideas, and identities that root each person. Young children develop and learn by example; this means that children whose early learning environments reflect just actions, equitable opportunities, diverse representation, and inclusive approaches experience healthier interactions and build relationships that enable them to thrive. Trying Together is an equal-opportunity employer. Trying Together does not discriminate and encourages qualified candidates of any gender, race, class, sexual orientation, faith, disability, or age to apply. All candidates will be evaluated on a merit basis. Purpose: Coaching is inherently relationship-based work. The Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region 5 Home-Based Quality Coach supports program administration and staff in home-based child care programs in Allegheny County to develop new skills and continuously improve their early care and education practices to achieve higher program quality. The ELRC Home-Based Quality Coach engages program administration and staff in a collaborative process that involves observation, reflective communication, professional growth, role- modeling, and goal setting. Whenever possible, a mutual learning partnership is developed to share responsibility and accountability for project goals. Coaching is customized and every effort is made to establish trust and respect for educators and program leaders while a variety of coaching strategies and practices are employed to achieve goals. Responsibilities: • Commitment to racial equity and inclusion and a willingness to do ongoing personal work to bring about a more just society by actively participating in professional growth opportunities. • Actively work with peers to create a culture of belonging at Trying Together. • Willingness to disrupt practices that do not honor children's, families', educators' and colleagues' humanity • Strive for excellence in work by consistently incorporating cultural competencies and employing relationship-based coaching and consultation practices. • Maintain and manage a caseload of home-based child care providers in Allegheny County. • Complete a minimum of twelve monthly on-site face-to-face visits to provide tailored coaching, technical assistance, and resource support to home-based providers. • Recognize and build on the existing knowledge and skills of home-based providers through observation, reflective practice, goal setting, and planning. • Using a strengths-based approach, support home-based providers in aligning their unique learning environments with Keystone STARS standards, licensing regulations, and best practices in health/safety, child development, and early learning to support their continuous quality improvement goals. • Stay informed about workforce, business, and cultural trends in home-based child care, and transform these insights and best practices into practical strategies for the providers. • Facilitate face-to-face and virtual professional development sessions, workgroups, and Community of Practice groups for providers. • Facilitate connections between home-based child care providers and peer networks, community resources, and professional development opportunities to reduce isolation. • Work collaboratively with ELRC and Trying Together colleagues to ensure the needs of home-based programs are being met. • Oversee and facilitate ELRC and Trying Together initiatives for home-based providers. • Work collaboratively across departments within Trying Together to meet the mission and accomplish the work as identified in the Strategic Roadmap. • Complete coaching events and case notes in OCDEL-assigned database systems according to specific timelines for the purpose of required tracking and monitoring. • Navigate and work within OCDEL-assigned database systems for STAR movement, renewal, and maintenance support. • Navigate and work within Trying Together-assigned systems for professional development facilitation and other work as assigned. • Participate in initial and ongoing professional development for the purposes of the coach's own continuous learning and expanding one's professional knowledge base. • Follow the procedure for reporting suspected child abuse. • Other duties as assigned through the ELRC and Trying Together. Qualifications: • Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education; advanced degree preferred. Related bachelor's degrees along with ECE experience considered. • Two or more years of early childhood classroom experience and two years of experience at an administrative level in an early care and education setting. Experience within a certified home-based child care program preferred. • Ability to employ a variety of consultation and coaching strategies that are based on appropriate and culturally competent practices and the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct. • Capacity to align consultation with professional development content. • Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team. • Knowledge of Keystone STARS. • Experience working with adult learners. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. • Intermediate to advanced computer, internet, and email skills. • Knowledge of local, state, and national systems for early care and education. • Willing and able to engage in honest self-reflection about coaching progress and personal contribution to the process. • Ability to foster a program's capacity building and assume a strengths-based approach. • Ability to prove reliability and establish credibility as a resource worthy of the program's respect and trust. • Ability to facilitate a program's own problem-solving process. • Ability to maintain project timelines and monitor progress toward goals. • Must be able to interact with others in a positive, equitable, inclusive, and professional manner. • Acceptance of diversity and ability to work comfortably in a variety of settings. • Ability to maintain confidentiality. • Good judgment and decision-making abilities. • Must demonstrate enthusiasm and flexibility. • Must be able to work occasional evenings and/or weekends. • Must own a reliable vehicle as the nature of this job includes regularly visiting early learning programs in-person across Allegheny County. Required Clearances: • Clean Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance. • Clean Act 34 PA State Police Clearance. • Clean Act 73 Federal Criminal History Clearance. • National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification. • Valid driver's license and proof of insurance. Required Training: • Mandated Reporter Training (must be completed in the first month of placement). • Coach Approach to Adaptive Leadership (As scheduled by OCDEL). • New Quality Coach Training (must be completed in the first three months of placement). • NeonCRM Training (required and recommended online courses must be completed in the first three months of placement). • PQAS Professional Development Instructor Certification (must be obtained within the first year of employment with a Bachelor's Degree). Benefits: • Competitive compensation and benefits package. • Appreciative inquiry and strengths-based review process.