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Position Vacancy - Early Childhood Classroom Coach

Bank Street College is seeking Early Childhood Coaches to work with teachers and teaching assistants in preschool programs across New York City. Coaches will be part of a research project called Making Pre-K Count (MPC) that is designed to improve long-term outcomes for children living in poverty in four of New York City’s boroughs. The study is being conducted by MDRC, a leading social policy research organization, with funding provided by the Robin Hood Foundation.

Housed at Bank Street College, the focus of the early childhood professional development component is on strengthening math instructional quality in preschool classrooms, through:

  1. Implementing Building Blocks, a preschool curriculum that boosts early math skills using large and small group activities, hands-on center activities, and online computer software for children and teachers; and
  2. Ongoing, in-classroom coaching and mentoring for teachers and assistant teachers to support teacher implementation of Building Blocks.

Qualified individuals will have an unusual opportunity to be trained in state-of-the art curriculum and classroom management techniques, and to interact with other teaching professionals and researchers to strengthen preschool math instruction.

The start date for this school year position will be in July of 2013. There may be a possibility for some of these positions to be extended for a second school year.

Coach Responsibilities

  • Participate in extensive training sessions on Building Blocks and the coaching model
  • Work closely with lead and assistant teachers to implement Building Blocks
  • Maintain a caseload of classrooms and visit each classroom on a regular basis to observe and work with teachers
  • Help teachers use formative assessment data to guide teaching practice and promote children's math skill development
  • Perform data entry into a Management Information System developed and maintained by MDRC
  • Videotape teacher/child interactions and coach/teacher interactions
  • Participate in regularly scheduled individual and group supervision including review of classroom  and coaching videos
  • Perform related duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

  • Master's degree in relevant field of study (clinical or social work, early childhood education, educational leadership and administration, or related profession)
  • Knowledge of early childhood development, best classroom practices, and early math education
  • Supervisory experience
  • Experience providing adult education or training
  • Experience with and commitment to working with ethnically diverse children, families, and professionals in low-income, urban neighborhoods
  • Experience working in complex early childhood settings
  • Strong writing, presentation & communication skills

In addition, the following characteristics will be considered in reviewing candidates for this position:

  • Knowledge of the early childhood educational system and the New York City public school and/or Head Start center environment context
  • Ability to work effectively across multiple groups in a complex project (coaches, classroom teachers, preschool agencies, program developers, research team)
  • Ability to listen, respond to and manage diverse opinions/perspectives from lead and assistant teachers participating in the intervention
  • Ability to analyze assessment data collected on children and apply results to goal-setting and plans for individual classrooms
  • Interest in the research process and ability to adhere to research protocols
  • Strong organizational skills including time management, maintaining records of meetings with teachers, and submitting documents to project staff
  • Comfort and proficiency with technology including use of  computers, Internet, email, video/audio recorders, PDAs or smart phones
  • A schedule that can accommodate visits to classrooms and trainings at various times throughout the day/week, including evenings and weekends
  • Bilingual English/Spanish-speaker preferred

Other Requirements

  • Must be able to travel to pre-K programs in public schools, Head Start centers and other local agencies in neighborhoods across the city (Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx). Subway and bus fees associated with this travel will be covered by the project
  • Full-time availability is preferred