ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE

The Carole Robertson Center for Learning (the Center) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, enriching, and empowering children and families through comprehensive child and family development programs. Our vision is to help build a just and equitable society, in partnership with families, and be a beacon of best practices, innovation, and impact in early childhood and youth development.

The Center is named in memory of Carole Robertson along with Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair — the four girls killed in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement.

Today, the Center serves more than 2,000 children and families daily through anchor program locations in Albany Park, Little Village and North Lawndale, as well as more than two dozen communities across Chicago. Programs serve children at every stage of development, from birth to age 17. Current programs include center-based, family childcare, and home-based early childhood development programs for children ages 6 weeks through age 5 and afterschool and summer camp programming for children up to age 17, as well as extensive family support, mental health, social services, and professional development training.

The Center strives for excellence in providing the highest-quality programs and services to the children, families, and communities it serves. It is a recognized leader in early childhood education and is accredited through national and state entities. The Center has a deep commitment to representing the communities it serves and demonstrating cultural competence and understanding across programs and services. The organization was founded for the community and by the community, with social justice and equity at the forefront. This commitment remains in all we do.

POSITION SUMMARY

Under the direction of the Director of Program Assessment and Evaluation, the Early Childhood Program Advisor ensures compliance with all internal and external program standards and promotes continuous quality improvement for all Carole Robertson Center for Learning programs. The advisor will support the implementation of the Center’s professional learning system, including engaging the Center’s teachers, family child care providers, and home visitors serving children 0-5 in communities of practice through the provision of coaching and technical assistance support. This role is a critical link in building a culture of inquiry among teachers, home visitors, and direct service staff to support children’s growth and development.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND KEY TASKS

• Work with a team of advisors to establish and implement a learning agenda to advise and align with Center program goals;
• Provide expertise for teachers and site leadership in developing and implementing quality improvement strategies;
• Implement quarterly data-dialogue sessions with teachers as a part of the broader continuous improvement strategies;
• Maintain a consistent coaching schedule with teachers and home visitors serving children ages 0-5;
• Work with all members of the Learning, Evaluation, Scale, and Dissemination team to plan for and coordinate program evaluation and reporting;
• Work closely with Program and Impact leadership team to review monthly quarterly program data and support continuous quality improvement efforts. Design and develop staff training;
• Provide support to Carole Robertson Center for Learning direct service staff through the provision of training and consultation on training needs;
• Stay abreast of national trends and early learning research to curate and maintain a directory of resources;
• Track program success and challenges;
• Assist in collecting data with various assessment tools including ECERS, ITERS, SACERS, FCCERS, CLASS, and DECA/DARS for Carole Robertson Center for Learning programs and partners;
• Assist in managing Teaching Strategies GOLD (TSG) observational data and maintaining TSG/Creative Curriculum fidelity;
• Develop a plan for ongoing technical assistance for teachers based on TSG/Creative Curriculum fidelity;
• Support the implementation of organization-wide professional learning communities for educators;
• Prepare reports and maintain relevant documentation; and
• Assist with other duties and projects as assigned.

COMPETENCIES

• Values—ability to demonstrate in word and action the Center’s core values and deep commitment to the mission, vision, priorities and needs of the organization and the diverse communities it serves.
• Inclusion—values all people for their unique talents and perspectives and promotes practices that promote and provide equal access to opportunities and resources that enable employees to contribute fully to the organization’s success.
• Relationships—ability to build authentic relationships in the service of enhancing individual and team performances to support the Center’s work.
• Change Capacity—leads self and others by demonstrating the ability to pivot and respond to unpredictable, disruptive, and ambiguous situations. Develop processes, tools, and techniques used to advance desired organizational outcomes and manage change effectively.
• Results-Proven Track Record—demonstrable ability to exceed goals with a bottom-line orientation; evidence of the ability to consistently make good decisions through a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; high level of business acumen including successful P&L management; the ability to balance the delivery of programs against the realities of a budget; and problem solving, project management, and creative resourcefulness.
• Strategic Vision and Agility—ability to think strategically, anticipate future consequences and trends, and incorporate them into the organizational plan.
• Innovation—ability to form ideas that are new and enhanced, while introducing constructive ways of looking at problems that foster creativity interdisciplinary/cross-functional work.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree preferred) in early childhood education, early childhood administration, education, or a related field;
• At least 5 years of experience in early childhood or a related field;
• Ability to gain and maintain reliability on various assessment tools in order to assist in collecting data using these tools (ECERS, ITERS, SACERS, CLASS, DECA/DARS);
• Advanced knowledge of Teaching Strategies GOLD system, Coaching to Fidelity, NAEYC accreditation standards, and Head Start standards;
• Advanced knowledge of child and adult learning theory, practice, and implementation;
• Advance knowledge of teacher coaching best practices and implementation;
• Advanced skills in use of Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint;
• Excellent oral and written skills;
• Must be willing and able to work evenings, weekends, or other times as required;
• Excellent project management skills and ability to multi-task with demonstrated attention to detail;
• Ability to oversee multiple concurrent projects effectively and ability to work well under tight deadlines; and
• Flexibility to adapt to changing conditions and requirements.

Carole Robertson Center for Learning provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and 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.

Fostering a safe environment for the children, families, and communities we serve, and our employees is of the utmost importance. In this spirit, please note that upon accepting an offer of employment, you will be required to share proof of full COVID-19 vaccination status. To be considered fully vaccinated, it must be at least two weeks since you received the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or the only dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Accommodation requests will be considered in compliance with applicable laws.