Early Childhood Special Education Apprentice

CPCD•Colorado Springs, CO

10h•Onsite

About The Position

This position is set to begin August 17th and is scheduled for 40 hours a week, running with the program year from August to May, offering summers off. The role provides early childhood special education intervention services to children with IEPs (Individualized Education Programs). It involves consultation with classroom teachers on special education adaptations and strategies to ensure successful integration of children with special needs. The position also includes providing training to staff and attending IEP meetings as a CPCD representative. CPCD is committed to the comprehensive early childhood development model, which is at the basis of its successful Head Start and Early Head Start programs. CPCD serves just under 1,200 prenatal through five-year-old at-risk, low-income and special needs children and their families, operating classrooms in six school districts throughout El Paso County.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education or Inclusive Early Childhood Education.
Enrolled in a Master's Degree Program for Early Childhood Special Education.
Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Licensure with endorsement in ECSE or be enrolled in a Master’s Program and have a TEE for Early Childhood Special Education.
Knowledge of the principles and practices of special education, inclusive early childhood development special education programs.
Possesses the ability to work with diverse families, community groups, and staff.
Possesses the ability to coordinate and handle multiple priorities.
Completion of annual child abuse and standard precautions training, and maintains as required.
Successful completion of a pre-employment physical examination, TB test, drug test (including marijuana), and background check in accordance with the Office of Head Start Performance Standards and Childcare Licensing. (Physical examination and TB test thereafter as required).
Must have access to reliable transportation and if using a personal vehicle must maintain minimum liability insurance as determined by the State of Colorado.

Responsibilities

Provides screenings for children as appropriate, to determine child’s need for referral.
Participates in annual IEP meetings for the purpose of providing information and updating goals.
Director Designee for IEPs, including analyzing compliance for federal laws.
Serve as case manager for IEP reports and provide oversight to all services a student receives per the IEP.
Provide differentiated instruction in inclusive classrooms and family daycare settings.
Document in data collection system for students who have qualified for a disability per IDEA guidelines (e.g., Developmental Delay, Autism, Down Syndrome, & speech or behavioral disorders). Maintains records of children on caseload, treatment provided, dates of service and meetings attended, hours spent each week per child on therapy services, objectives worked on during each session, and contacts made by the therapist with parents and CPCD staff.
Serve as a content expert for annual organization-wide training on topics including, but not limited to, understanding the signs of specific disabilities, screening students for IEP services, implementing IEP accommodations, differentiating curriculum, and best practices to promote inclusion to 200+ educators.
Partner with supervisors and behavioral health consultants to create class-wide improvement plans with supplemental behavior management systems aligned with state learning standards/expectations.
Support or conduct evaluations with assessment materials provided by the district.
Partner with classroom supervisors to provide feedback on best practices in the classroom and develop supplemental training/coaching plans for general education teachers.
Involves parents in planning and implementing therapy services by contacting parents by telephone, in writing, or in person. Maintains communication and documentation with parents, staff and agency contacts. Provides parents with a schedule of times when the therapist will be working with the child. Contributes to a quarterly newsletter and/or home programming activities to facilitate carryover into the home.
Provides parent/staff training and participates in CPCD staff meetings or work groups
Other duties as assigned by the Director of Specialized Services.

Benefits

Paid vacation time
Paid sick time
Paid holidays/Breaks
Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Flexible spending accounts
Aflac supplemental insurance
Voluntary life insurance
Basic Life insurance
Long Term Disability insurance
AD&D insurance
401(k) program
Profit-sharing
Tuition Assistance ($4,000 per year for Early Childhood Education Associates/Bachelor’s Degrees; $2,500 per year for other degrees related to employment at CPCD) after 60 days of employment
Employee Assistance Program (6 FREE sessions with a counselor or therapist per year)
Full well-being program
2 hours of paid time per month for wellness activities