Who We Are: Shine Early Learning partners with states and local communities to accelerate child and family outcomes by providing professional development and other supports. Since its founding in 2011, Shine Early Learning has partnered with cities, states, and programs across the U.S. serving hundreds of thousands of students, families, and educators. Shine Early Learning’s experts have decades of experience in early child care education, training, and technical assistance.

The Montana based project, named SPARK Learning Lab Montana (SPARK), provides regulatory and quality technical assistance to child care programs and professionals across the state. We provide technical assistance and training with a focus on building relationships, using a practice-based model that includes self-directed, group, and one-on-one learning. We are seeking professionals who are eager to make a meaningful impact on the lives of young children by supporting quality improvement efforts for the child care providers who serve them. We are building a local, Montana based team of leaders, technical assistance staff, and other specialists, housed in local offices and working remotely across the state to ensure continued regional and community knowledge and engagement.

Job Summary:

The Access & Inclusion Specialist is responsible for the development of universal support based on research-driven best practices in creating learning opportunities that support equitable access, inclusive environments, and a sense of belonging that authentically represents children and families. The Access and Inclusion Specialist supports Montana providers with the goal of supporting all children to achieve school readiness. The Specialist collaborates with a team of content experts and instructional designers to develop and deliver relevant products such as templates, job-aids, and resources, as well as in-person, live webinar, on-demand, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. The Specialist also provides targeted support to tribal providers and providers that have identified children who may have a disability, assuring appropriate intervention and services are offered, and evaluating comprehensive programs for children with disabilities and their families. In addition, the Access & Inclusion Specialist interfaces with SPARK Montana Technical Assistants to provide specialized support to meet individual program needs.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Provides Technical Assistance services to tribal child care programs; follows Shine’s protocols and Montana’s requirements to ensure consistent regional/statewide quality and access to services
Facilitates and hosts virtual and in-person learning opportunities, as needed and assigned
Develops and facilitates small group learning environments, including peer-to-peer opportunities and one-on-one mentoring
Supports tribal teacher strengths, and areas of growth including teacher and child interactions, classroom instruction, and classroom management
Recommends revisions and updates to the Program Growth Tool based on relevant research and known best practices. The Program Growth Tool is SPARK Montana’s program-level, rubric-based assessment tool composed of 50 quality items that offer a scope and sequence to Montana’s early childhood education and care program leaders for program improvement
Makes recommendations based on research and best practices in access and inclusion, then collaborates on the development and maintenance of content relevant to benchmarks on the Program Growth Tool’s quality continuum. Content includes but is not limited to in-person, live webinar, on demand, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities and resources.
Provides professional development to SPARK Montana’s Technical Assistants to support their knowledge and expertise
Engages in a community of practice with other subject matter experts on the Content Development Team to innovate content delivery methods and collaborate in content creation
Participates in assigned meetings, events, training, and cross-functional teams as needed and assigned.

Job Specifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to carry out each essential duty in a satisfactory manner. The job specifications listed are representative of the education and experience, the physical requirements, as well as the knowledge, skill and/or ability (KSAs) that are generally necessary for the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Job Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Adult Education, Special Education, Access and Inclusion Leadership or a related field; Master’s degree preferred
5+ years’ experience in the early childhood field, including experience in teacher coaching, supervision, and providing technical assistance
2+ years’ experience authoring early childhood related content, developing, and facilitating professional development content in various formats
Previous experience supervising/coaching in an early childhood setting
Special Education Certification/Licensure preferred
Physical exam and background checks are required for this position.
Travel required locally or long-distance, but mostly within Montana, up to 40% of the time for work related meetings and functions
Montana residency required
Must have a valid driver’s license and/or reliable transportation

Application Closing Date : January 6, 2025

When/Where/How Much:

Start Date: Winter 2025

Location/Travel: Remote in Montana

Salary: Up to $55,000

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including:

Medical, Dental and Vision insurance

HSA/FSA Accounts

Life/AD&D Benefits

Disability Benefits

401k with matching

PTO

Wellness Programs

Additional voluntary benefits at no cost to you!

INTERESTED AND READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEPS?

For more insights about our organization we encourage you to review our FAQs.

To access the FAQ, please click on the link

Email Talent Acquisition partner : aisling@shineearly.com

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and healthy workplace.

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Access and Inclusion Specialist