Early Childhood Special Educator

About the organization: Compass Family Services is a 100+ year old nonprofit working on the front lines of San Francisco's homeless crisis. We provide families experiencing or at risk of homelessness with comprehensive support to address immediate needs and ensure long-term success.

About the program: Compass Children's Center (CCC) is an early childhood education center with a curriculum tailored to meet the specific needs of children experiencing poverty and homelessness. The Center serves 70 children, ages 0-5, and their families each day, and addresses the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of the children, as well as the functioning and well-being of the families.

Compensation: $105,000 - $115,000 annually

Location: 144 Leavenworth St, San Francisco (Tenderloin neighborhood)

Schedule: Full time, Monday - Friday. Exact schedule will vary but candidates should be available to work between the hours of 7:45am and 5:30pm depending on the needs of the clients

Organizational Core Competencies: Accountable I Adaptable I Client-centered I Collaborative I Committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging I Resourceful

Role Description:
The Early Childhood Special Educator is responsible for creating inclusive classroom environments tailored to the unique learners in our care. As such the Special Educator will spend much of their time in the classrooms and working directly with children and parents. This role also involves direct service to children ages 0-5 in need of Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) or Early Intervention (EI) as outlined on their Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), as well as advocacy with relevant institutions including Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC) and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). This role also includes indirect services to children, families, and classrooms such as general advocacy, creating visuals, researching additional resources and services, supporting with care coordination, and meeting preparation.

In addition to collaborating with children's families, the Early Childhood Special Educator will meet regularly with classroom teachers to discuss individual children's goals as well as inclusion as a whole, carry a caseload of children with special education goals, and will spend significant time in the classroom, modeling for teachers and meeting with children. Classroom sizes and teacher:child ratios are both small to allow for intentional, individualized education experience for all learners.

This role is also part of Compass Children's Center Administrative Team and carries administrative responsibilities such as opening and closing the center, collecting paperwork, communicating with families, and supporting with additional administrative tasks.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Provide Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) and Early Intervention (EI) services to children with special education needs – anticipated caseload will be 10-15 children
• Attend all IEP and IFSP meetings
• Monitor, track, and document progress on IEP and IFSP goals
• Maintain and update all required documentation, including in Compass' Salesforce system
• Consult with general education teachers to create inclusive classroom environments
• Partner with family members, teachers, administrators, and other professionals to design holistic intervention plans
• Coordinate/advocate for children to get needed services/connect children to services with relevant institutions including Golden Gate Regional Center and the San Francisco Unified School District
• Facilitate or co-facilitate educational opportunities for parents related to special needs; participate in parent engagement opportunities, including weekly coffee hour/parent advisory meeting.
• Work closely with other CCC staff in completing timely referrals to Golden Gate Regional Center and the San Francisco Unified School District
• Stay up to date on developments in the field of special education
• Meet and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including Compass Behavioral Health Services, Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants, and other program consultants

Minimum Qualifications:

• Valid California Certified Special Education Credential
• Early Childhood Authorization or Early Childhood Special Education Authorization (ECSE)
• Demonstrated experience working with students with disabilities in a school setting
• Experience working with children and families that have experienced significant trauma
• Able to lift a child of 30 lbs.; set up and move furniture; and bend, squat, sit, kneel and stand in order to engage children at their level
• Health screening, TB and fingerprint clearance (Department of Justice, FBI, Child Abuse Index)
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging work
• Fluency in English

We'd especially encourage applicants who have:

• Master's Degree in Early Childhood Special Education or a related field
• Autism Certification
• Spanish Language Fluency
• At least 3 years of experience working directly with infants/preschool age children

Compensation and Benefits:

• Salary range: $105,000 - $115,000 annually. Exempt (salaried) role.
• Paid time off: 4 weeks of vacation in the first year, 5 in the second. Also paid holidays, sick time, time off for education, family leave.
• Insurance: health, dental and vision insurance are fully covered by Compass for employees and dependent children.
• Retirement: after one year of work, Compass contributes an amount equal to 5% of your salary into a retirement account; this vests during years 2-6.
• Membership in OPEIU/Local 29 union.

To Apply:

Please apply through our online application.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. We are an equal opportunity employer and actively seek to recruit a diverse workforce. Employees must embrace the idea that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging contribute to the success of our underserved communities, and therefore to shared prosperity in our city and region. Compass Family Services is committed to the continuous work of implementing specific actions that will disrupt systemic prejudice and improve equity across programs and departments, to become an example to partners who also believe in a culture of inclusion that leverages diversity.

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act and California civil rights law, Compass Family Services will provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or candidate with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship for the agency. Requests for reasonable accommodation apply to all aspects of the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please use the answer box for the final question of the job application to let us know.