TEACHER ASSIGNED VACANCY CIRCULAR NO 6  EARLY CHILDHOOD INCLUSION SPECIALIST   2025  2026

(SUBJECT TO BUDGET AVAILABILITY)

POSITION:       

Early Childhood Inclusion Specialist

Teacher Assigned A – Central Based (Various Early Childhood Education Borough Offices)

Travel to Early Childhood Programs Citywide in District Schools and Early Education Centers

(FOR INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CANDIDATES)

(ONE YEAR POSITION)

ELIGIBILITY:

Position Summary:

The Mayor and Chancellor are committed to building a unified Birth-Five system so that all families, including those with children with disabilities, have access to high-quality, inclusive early childhood programs. New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) has made it a priority to serve more preschool students with disabilities in inclusive settings, and Early Childhood Programs require support to ensure they are equipped to serve all children successfully. The Division of Early Childhood Education is implementing a new borough-based team of Administrators and Specialists who will support programs to serve all children in inclusive settings, and in particular, will assist programs in implementing inclusion and pre-referral strategies. 

The Early Childhood Inclusion Specialist will collaborate with the Early Childhood Inclusion Manager in support of the development and implementation of program-based professional learning and coaching for early childhood programs. The Early Childhood Inclusion Coordinator will also serve as a key collaborator with the Inclusion Support Team, the Learning and Partnerships team and other DECE teams, and program-based staff to support programs to become more inclusive, welcoming of students with disabilities, and ready to provide all students with the supports they need to thrive in inclusive settings. Performs related work.  

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Minimum

• Minimum of three (3) years of satisfactory (or Advance rating equivalent), full time experience as appointed, licensed teacher and/or staff developer/teacher trainer of early childhood grades. Five (5) years or more is preferred.  
• Permanent/Professional New York State Certification 

Eligible certification:

• Students with Disabilities (Birth – Grade 2)
• Permanent Special Education Certification (pre-K - grade 12)

PREFERRED:

• Demonstrated commitment to serving preschool students with disabilities
• Demonstrated commitment to and advocacy for inclusive education for children with and without disabilities 
• Extensive experience in the preschool special education instruction, laws, policies and regulations 
• Demonstrated understanding of developmentally appropriate standards-based curriculum and instruction, based on New York State Preschool Learning Standards (NYSPLS) and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) 
• Demonstrated understanding and knowledge of how to create emotionally responsive classrooms   
• Demonstrated knowledge of best practices in early childhood (birth to grade three) curriculum and assessment models
• Additional Bilingual certification 
• Proven ability to collaborate with, mentor, and coach classroom staff and school leadership, including teachers, assistant teachers, paraprofessionals, directors, and principals
• Proven expertise in planning and delivering professional development, in-person and virtually
• Commitment to continuous professional development to reflect a disposition to lifelong learning
• Self-starter with strong interpersonal skills and a keen attention to detail
• Demonstrated orientation to achieving results and building collaborative relationships with colleagues on and across teams
• Demonstrated ability to use data to set goals and develop strategies to achieve those goals
• Proven ability to be flexible in response to program needs
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in writing and verbally in a timely manner with diverse audiences, including school-based staff and central administrators
• Demonstrated ability to have conversations about areas of strength and areas for growth; to be solutions-oriented, positive, reflective, and straightforward; with teachers, school leaders, colleagues, and supervisors 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Provides direct support to early childhood programs to implement pre-referral and inclusion strategies, including through differentiated training and coaching
• Works collaboratively with teaching teams to set goals for implementing pre-referral and inclusion strategies and strategically plan to reach those goals
• Builds and supports relationships with program leaders to set goals for implementing pre-referral and inclusion strategies and strategically plan to reach those goals
• Support teaching teams and program leaders in achieving goals. This may include, but is not limited to:
  • Conducting team meetings with early childhood staff to plan for inclusive instruction based on NYSPLS and ELOF standards
  • Work with leaders and teaching teams to adapt curriculum for children with disabilities, including NYCPS-provided curricula
  • Supporting the ongoing assessment of students through the use of authentic assessment systems to inform instructional practice
  • Assisting in the implementation of successful transition and continuity experiences for children, their families and staff as children move to subsequent grades
  • Providing ongoing professional development to support the implementation of early childhood programs and assessments, including screening and progress monitoring 
  • Assisting teachers with embedding assessments into daily instructional activities focused on student outcomes and program quality
  • Facilitating workshops, courses, and study groups for early childhood education (birth to grade three) staff
  • Collaborating with teachers and school leaders to provide coaching and support to implement pre-referral and inclusion strategies 
• Use data to inform coaching strategies in collaboration with colleagues - collect, input, and analyze data using technology provided by DECE
• Tracks progress of caseload of programs regarding inclusion of students with disabilities, develops individualized interventions for programs
• Implements structures and processes for case management when programs need intensive intervention in supporting students, in coordination with other teams that also provide case management support
• Supports program staff in troubleshooting challenging cases by providing resources, modeling strategies in classrooms, developing improvement plans, and liaising with other teams who can provide support
• Support program staff to communicate with families about the special education process
• Collaborates with broader Inclusion Supports team to ensure consistent model of support for programs across the City
• Collaborates with colleagues across DECE and NYCPS site support teams to facilitate a cohesive approach to DECE site support
• Reads, evaluates and conducts site visits associated with solicitation/contracting related to DECE initiatives
• Conducts site visits with NYCPS colleagues and external partners as necessary to support overall initiative to promote implementation of pre-referral and inclusion strategies 
• Plans and facilitates professional development sessions in collaboration with other early childhood colleagues, including onsite, citywide, and virtual sessions
• Actively participates in DECE citywide professional learning  
• Actively participates in team, borough, and district specific structures and initiatives (e.g. team meetings, cohort meetings)

HOURS:                    

As per UFT Collective Bargaining Agreement: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday

WORK YEAR:  

School year plus five additional days during winter, spring, or summer vacation period.  Position commences September

2025.

SALARY:                  

As per UFT Collective Bargaining Agreement

APPLICATION:

Candidates please send cover letter, resume, and copy of license(s) to the following email address prior to the posting deadline of MAY 23^th, 2025, to:

DECEJobs@schools.nyc.gov