Developmental Specialist

About The Role

The Developmental Specialist position is responsible for providing direct services of developmental support to children and teaching staff as well as caregivers and their children within Kidango’s infant toddler/preschool early care and learning settings. The specialist provides consultation and training to empower and build the capacity of staff and/ or families to cultivate positive and inclusive environments, support the development of all children in the classroom, and work effectively, responsively and collaboratively with children, and families of children, with developmental concerns and individual developmental differences. The specialist’s role includes screenings, evaluations, consultation, planning individual programs, strengthening parent and staff effectiveness in their interactions with children with developmental differences, and building strong school/home alliances.

What You’ll Be Doing 

• Provide direct support/ early intervention services to children referred from Local Regional Centers (between the ages of 3 mo. to 3 years) in a natural inclusive based classroom environment.
• Work closely with Early Childhood Classroom Educators to provide inclusive based programming for children with special needs in the scope of a mainstream classroom environment.
• Collaborate with preschool classroom teachers, school psychologists, learning disabilities specialists, speech/hearing specialists, and school social workers to provide an integrated plan for developing the capacities of their students.
• Works to meet child and family goals and needs in coordination with other agencies (Local School Districts, RCEB, SARC, California Children’s Services, etc.), organizations and the medical community.
• Set learning goals for children, assess their progress, and record their evaluations.
• Update parents on the progress of their child and provide activities designed to supplement their classroom activities.
• Administer required screenings, assessments, and family support services in accordance with Regional
• Center mandates and internal Kidango infant/toddler screening and assessment requirements.
• Conduct and maintain required screenings, assessments, and family support services for dually enrolled
• Early Head Start and EIS children.
• Provide Local Regional Centers with written assessments and reports as required.
• Assist students and make accommodations as needed to participate in classroom curriculum
• Assist in developing schedules and accommodations, program planning, data collection and maintenance of records
• Assist in preparation of materials
• Take part in weekly reflective supervision sessions and weekly team meetings.
• Attends and participates in outside meetings related to caseload (IFSP, transition meetings, IEP meetings).
• Participates in relevant/appropriate meetings (i.e. EIS meetings, EIS training, discipline meetings, classroom meetings).
• Communicates with children, families and other staff in respectful and culturally sensitive manner
• Maintains confidentiality of children, families and employees of Kidango.
• Works as member of agency team by promoting the mission and philosophy of Kidango.
• Organizes time and equipment/supplies effectively.
• Represents Kidango at community and professional functions as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.
• Provide direct support/ early intervention services to children referred from Local Regional Centers (between the ages of 3 mo. to 3 years) in a natural inclusive based classroom environment.
• Work closely with Early Childhood Classroom Educators to provide inclusive based programming for children with special needs in the scope of a mainstream classroom environment.
• Collaborate with preschool classroom teachers, school psychologists, learning disabilities specialists, speech/hearing specialists, and school social workers to provide an integrated plan for developing the capacities of their students.
• Works to meet child and family goals and needs in coordination with other agencies (Local School Districts,
• RCEB, SARC, California Children’s Services, etc.), organizations and the medical community.
• Set learning goals for children, assess their progress, and record their evaluations.
• Update parents on the progress of their child and provide activities designed to supplement their classroom activities.
• Administer required screenings, assessments, and family support services in accordance with Regional
• Center mandates and internal Kidango infant/toddler screening and assessment requirements.
• Conduct and maintain required screenings, assessments, and family support services for dually enrolled
• Early Head Start and EIS children.
• Provide Local Regional Centers with written assessments and reports as required.
• Assist students and make accommodations as needed to participate in classroom curriculum
• Assist in developing schedules and accommodations, program planning, data collection and maintenance of records
• Assist in preparation of materials
• Take part in weekly reflective supervision sessions and weekly team meetings.
• Attends and participates in outside meetings related to caseload (IFSP, transition meetings, IEP meetings).
• Participates in relevant/appropriate meetings (i.e. EIS meetings, EIS training, discipline meetings, classroom meetings).
• Communicates with children, families and other staff in respectful and culturally sensitive manner
• Maintains confidentiality of children, families and employees of Kidango.
• Works as member of agency team by promoting the mission and philosophy of Kidango.
• Organizes time and equipment/supplies effectively.
• Represents Kidango at community and professional functions as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.

 Preferred qualifications

• BA in child development, infant/toddler mental health/early childhood special education
• Valid, un-expired Associate Teacher Permit from the CTC (Commission on Teacher Credentialing)
• 3 Infant/Toddler Units
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred
• Knowledge and direct experience working with children with identified special needs and learning differences in inclusive based - natural environments
• Experience working with children with identified special needs and their families in a home based-setting
• Strong knowledge of theory and practice of child development, early intervention, and infant/toddler mental health services.
• Direct experience administering early intervention support services to children between the ages of 0-5 with identified disabilities in center based and home based settings
• Experience working with families from diverse racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds
• Knowledge and direct experience with curriculum development and curriculum adaptation for children with learning differences
• Experience working with children on the autism spectrum
• Knowledge of ABA practices (Applied Behavior Analysis)
• Relationship- based and family systems based knowledge and applied practice
• Experience administering developmental screenings such as the Ages and Stages (ASQ) Questioner and
  the Ages and Stages Social Emotional Development (ASQ/SE)
• Experience administering early childhood development and linguistic assessments such as the Battelle Early Learning Profile, the HELP (Hawaii Early Learning Profile), and the Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale.
• Child observation, documentation and qualitative note taking abilities
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment
• Associate Teacher permit required