Early Childhood Grant Specialist (EXECUTIVE II)

State of Illinois•Springfield, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) is seeking an Executive II to serve as a Early Childhood Grant Specialist. This position will provide technical assistance to program administrators within the agency to promote the Preschool for All initiative within the state of Illinois. The Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) was signed into law in June of 2024 with the focus of making early childhood education and care services simpler, better and fairer for families with young children across the state. During fiscal years FY25 and FY26, IDEC will be working through transitioning data, programs and services from three state agencies – the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), – to IDEC in order to be fully operational by July 2026. Illinois strives to be the best state in the nation to raise a family with young children and IDEC is committed to continue putting children and families center while reducing complexities and finding efficiencies in the system and advancing equity.

Requirements

Requires knowledge, skill and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college, preferably with coursework in business or public administration.
Requires two (2) years of responsible administrative experience in a public or business organization.
Requires two (2) years of professional experience working in the field of early childhood.
Requires two (2) years of professional experience working with early childhood block grant programs within the past 5 years (2021-2026).

Nice To Haves

Two (2) years of professional experience working in the field of early childhood.
Two (2) years of professional experience working with early childhood block grant programs within the past 5 years (2021-2026).
Two (2) years of professional experience working with programs related to Preschool for All or a similar initiative.
Two (2) years of professional experience providing technical assistance and guidance to program staff regarding the execution and administration of grant programs.
Two (2) years of experience reviewing and making recommendations regarding grant applications and amendments.

Responsibilities

Serves as the Early Childhood Grant Specialist for the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC).
Reviews, negotiates and recommends disposition of project/grant applications and contractual agreements related to the aforementioned early childhood grant (including early childhood block grants (ECBG)) programs.
Assists in the planning and implementation of technical assistance and professional development on early childhood topics and initiatives.
Participates in the development/completion of reports and surveys for early childhood grant programs and other initiatives being driven by IDEC.
Participates in internal and external committee meetings regarding early childhood care and education initiatives.
Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.