ECE Technical Assistance Specialist/ Instructional Coach 

Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

Job Overview: Early Childhood TA specialists assist an individual classroom, multiple classrooms and/or entire programs to start up, address corrective action requirements, and/or achieve higher program quality.  Through onsite observations, phone and email consultations, TA Specialists may mentor, coach or consult with program directors and/or individual teachers on their improvement goals.  From topic or project specific work such as the NC statewide Infant-Toddler Project or Healthy Social Behaviors Project to Leadership focused work with directors to quality improvement (QRIS/ERS) focused technical assistance, TA Specialists hone their skill set and tailor their relationship-based coaching to meet the needs of Early Childhood Educators and Program Administrators.2,3,9

Places of Possible Employment:  Smart Start Partnerships, Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, For Profit or Non Profit Early Childhood Programs as Instructional Coaches, Educational Coordinators or Child Development Specialists, Private Consulting Firms, the Early Childhood Sales Industry as Trainers or Onsite Product-Related Coaches

Minimum Education & Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in any field plus or including at least 18 credits of birth to five focused hours11 

Level 11 Early Educator Certification plus a Technical Assistance Endorsement is required for most public agencies and programs3 

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education1 (plus or including 18 birth to five focused hours)9,11 
  • Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education (plus or including 12 birth to five focused hours)9,11  

Recommended Previous Experience:

Early Childhood Educator II, III; Lead Teacher; Family Child Care Home Provider; Early Care and Education Center Director or Program Administrator 
Salary Range:  $30,560 – $73,6203

Professional Standards: In addition to the NAEYC’s Professional Standards and Competencies and the NAEYC Code of Ethics, the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education led the development of competencies for technical assistance (TA) practitioners.

The purpose of the competencies was to inform the development of two activities funded by the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant (RttT-ELC) under DCDEE auspices: an Endorsement that was added to the Early Educator Certification of TA practitioners and a CEU-bearing course on TA (Consultation, Coaching, and Mentoring).

In addition, TA Practitioners, employers and funders may choose to use the tool to support individual  practice, support training efforts, and/or inform individual professional development growth opportunities or needs.

Additional Resources:
NC TA/PD Endorsement and Early Educator Certification

 

National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

Early Childhood Training and Technical Assistance System

National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching & Learning

National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance

National Center on Parent, Family & Community Engagement
 
References
  1. Child Care Aware of America. (2018). Opportunities for family engagement through consumer education under ccdbg and ccdf. https://www.childcareaware.org/wp-content/uploads/2018 https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Portals/0/documents/pdf/P/Professional_Development_Framework-DCDEE.pdf 
  2. Child Care Services Association. (2012).Nine ways to support teachers in making a difference for young children. Retrieved from https://www.teachecnationalcenter.org/_documents/imd/TEACH_I%20Make%20Difference%202012/2012_ImakeDiff_9Supports.pdf 
  3. Child Care Services Association. (2018).Careers in early childhood a North Carolina directory, fifth edition. Retrieved from https://www.childcareservices.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/NC-ECE-Career-Directory_051419.pdf 
  4. Division of Child Development and Early Education.(N.d.). North Carolina Minimum Requirements for Teachers. Retrieved from https://uncw4.sharepoint.com/teams/NCICDP/Shared%20Documents/General/Career%20Project%20Resources/Minimum%20education%20in%20NC-%20FCC,%20Lead%20Teacher,%20Teacher,%20SA%20Group%20Leader,%20SA%20Program%20Coordinator.pdf 
  5. Power to the Profession. (2020).  Professional standards and competencies for early childhoodeducators. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/professional_standards_and_competencies_for_early_childhood_educators.pdf 
  6. Power to the Profession. (2020).Unifying framework for the early childhood education profession. Retrieved from http://powertotheprofession.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Power-to-Profession-Framework-03312020-web.pdf 
  7. 7.National Center for Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning. (2018).Education requirements for center-based assistant teachers. Staff qualifications:  Steps for programs to consider. https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/no-search/ed-reqs-preschool-assistant-teachers.pdf 
  8. National Center for Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning. (2018).Education requirements for center-based preschool teachers. Staff qualifications: Steps for programs to consider. Retrieved from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/no-search/ed-reqs-preschool-teachers.pdf 
  9. National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning. (2018).Education requirements for coaches. Staff qualifications: Steps for programs to consider. Retrieved from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/no-search/ed-reqs-coaches.pdf
  10. National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance. (2017). Designing family-friendly consumer education on child care. Retrieved from https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/public/designing_family_friendly_consumer_education_on_child_care.pdf 
  11. North Carolina Institute for Child Development Professionals. (2017).NC early care and education professional certification scale. Retrieved from https://ncicdp.org/documents/EEC_ECE_Scale.pdf 
  12. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, and Office of Child Care, by the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement. (2018). Parent, family and community engagement framework for early childhood systems. Retrieved from https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/public/pfce-framework_for_ec_systems_final_508.pdf 
  13. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement. (2018).Relationship-based competencies to support family engagement: A guide for early childhood professionals who work with families. Retrieved from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/no-search/rbc-sfe-guide-pro-work-with-families.pdf 

 

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