Quality Enhancement Specialist - PreK

Wake County Smart Start is seeking a Pre-K Quality Enhancement Specialist to support and strengthen the quality of early childhood education across our community. This position provides coaching and technical assistance to child care providers and Pre-K lead teachers, supports compliance and best practices, coordinates social-emotional learning initiatives, and builds strong relationships with early childhood partners to promote positive outcomes for young children.

• Salary: up to $57,250 annually
• Benefits: Health, dental, vision insurance, 401(k) with matching, paid time off, life insurance
• Work Environment: This is a hybrid position. The direct supervisor will define the work schedule. The position is expected to travel approximately 80% of the time to early childhood facilities and the remainder working from a home or WCSS office. The position may require occasional work performed outside of standard office hours, including evenings and weekends.

• Monitoring and Compliance
• Technical Assistance and Coaching
• Coordinate Social Emotional Learning Projects and Grants
• Community Engagement
• Administrative Support
• Documentation and Reporting

• 
  Education: Master’s degree (preferred) in Early Childhood, Child Development, Psychology, Social Work or related field from a college or university
• Experience: 5+ years in early childhood education or equivalent experience
• Skills: Job requires discretion and independent judgement
• Certifications:
  • TPOT: 1 year (Preferred)
  • Pyramid Model: 1 year (Preferred)
  • ECERS: 1 year (Preferred)
  • CLASS®: 1 year (Preferred)
  • Early Educator Certification Level 11 or higher (Preferred)
  • Technical Assistance Endorsement (Preferred)
  • Driver's License (Required)

Full Job Description

Position Summary

The Pre-K Quality Enhancement Specialist will enhance the quality of early childhood education classrooms by coaching providers and Pre-K lead teachers, ensuring compliance with established guidelines, and supporting the social-emotional development of children. This role involves community engagement, project management, and the implementation of best practices in early childhood settings.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Monitoring and Compliance

• Technical Assistance and Coaching

• Coordinate Social Emotional Learning Projects and Grants

• Community Engagement

• Administrative Support

• Documentation and Reporting

• Other duties may be assigned

Monitoring and Compliance

• Conduct timely site visits and oversight to all participating Pre-K sites to ensure compliance with programmatic and contractual requirements set by the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) and Wake County Smart Start Policies and Procedures.

• Utilize monitoring tools and processes to review and verify records, reports, staff credentials, compensation, and other programmatic documents.

• Maintain clear and accurate documentation of all monitoring activities, including plans, reports, and work summaries and communicate with tact and diplomacy

• Prepare comprehensive summary reports detailing reimbursement rate status, monitoring findings and recommendations, and follow up on any outstanding issues.

• Review and assess progress in implementation of Site Improvement Plans and make recommendations for ongoing improvement as needed

Technical Assistance and Coaching

• Provide on-site mentoring and coaching to site-level staff on developmentally appropriate practices and teaching practices that promote healthy social-emotional development in children, aimed at improving their understanding, communication, and self-regulation, along with program performance outcomes and teaching effectiveness
• Respond to and record inquiries/requests for assistance to Pre-K programs to effectively address unique needs and challenging behavior
• Coordinate and/or conduct training sessions and professional development workshops that enhance teachers' skills in promoting social-emotional development, implementing developmentally appropriate practices, and addressing provider needs.
• Utilize assessment tools (e.g., ECERS, CLASS ®, TPOT) to collect data and evaluate classroom practices to provide actionable feedback.
• Collaborate with Wake County Public School and other community partners to support the unique needs plan
• Review and assess progress in implementation of coordinated child plans and make recommendations to support child’s enrollment

Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain accurate documentation of site visits, classroom progress, training sessions, and evaluation data
• Accurately enter staffing and rates into database systems, spreadsheets and reports
• Ensure that all information is accurate and up to date across all database platforms utilized by NC Pre-K

• Oversee grants and other funded activities as assigned by the supervisor. Turn in deliverables, such as reporting information, and assist with ensuring compliance with grant requirements per assigned deadlines as requested
• Lead and manage projects as assigned by the supervisor. Develop guidance and strategies for achieving desired outcomes for childcare centers
• Support grant writing and reporting around Social Emotional Learning projects
• Support development and monitoring of budgets for Social Emotional Learning grants and projects
• Foster partnerships with external organizations committed to improving the quality of childcare centers and publicly funded early childcare programs, emphasizing collaboration on social-emotional support strategies and interventions

• Identify, connect, and engage community resources that support Pre-K goals and objectives for children and providers.
• Support child and community recruitment and selection of Pre-K sites, ensuring alignment with program goals.
• Assist Pre-K Manager with administrator and community meetings, as needed

• Lead the development and communication of a coordinated support plan for children exhibiting unique needs or dysregulated behavior when needed.
• Link the Pre-K sites and families to referral services as needed
• Facilitate the selection and ordering of new materials for sites, as needed
• Accurately document all work performed in an organized, timely manner

• Represent Pre-K in community and state meetings as assigned
• Provide assistance, as needed, with application review, income analysis, database entry of child applications
• Lead, manage, and support projects assigned by the supervisor and as needed develop guidance and strategies for achieving desired outcomes

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience: Master's degree in Early Childhood, Child Development, Psychology, Social Work, or related field from a college or university; and five or more year's related experience and/or training in early childhood work, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Job requires discretion and independent judgment.

Knowledge and Abilities:

• Understanding of current theory and practices of group child care and best practices for children
• Knowledge of NC Pre-K and childcare regulations, from the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE)
• Knowledge of Positive Behavior Support philosophies and practices including the "Pyramid Model" and the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool
• Knowledge of ECERS, CLASS ®, and TPOT assessment tools
• Knowledge of adult learning strategies
• Ability to build coaching and mentor relationships with early childhood staff members
• Ability to read, understand, interpret, and apply information at a moderately complex level
• Ability to function effectively within a team environment and to work independently without close supervision
• Knowledge of culturally responsive practices and a commitment to incorporating a racial equity lens in early childhood program implementation and application processes

Computer Skills: Excellent word processing and spreadsheet skills on a PC required. Ability to use e-mail, internet/intranet applications, databases, virtual observation tools and Microsoft applications including Outlook. Ability and willingness to learn new computer software programs.

Language and Communication Skills: Ability to collaborate and coordinate with community partners and programs. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret reports and documents. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from the public. Ability to write reports and present findings. Ability to effectively present information to small groups, top management, and/or boards of directors.

Certifications, Licenses: Valid driver’s license. Have reliable transportation. Hold a current Early Educator Certification (EEC) level 11 or higher on the Early Care and Education (ECE) scale. Hold a current Technical Assistance Endorsement (TAE).

Acquire and sustain certification and/or training in environmental rating scales, the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT), the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®), and other relevant assessment tools as determined by the supervisor.

Safety, Security and Confidentiality: This position requires keeping complete confidentiality of all children’s information and protecting the confidentiality of all childcare center files and records.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This position is a hybrid position. The direct supervisor will define the work schedule. The position is expected to travel approximately 80% of the time to early childhood facilities and the remainder working from a home or WCSS office. The position may require occasional work performed outside of standard office hours, including evenings and weekends.