Special Education Teacher JOB DESCRIPTION Starting Pay With Qualifying BA: $39.02/hourJob Summary: To serve as a member of the Multidisciplinary Team. To screen, assess, monitor, case manage, and provide individual specialized instruction to children ages birth through five years. To develop Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP's) and Individual Education Programs (IEP's) in coordination with parents and other team members. Travel will be required as needed to support your assigned caseload. While the current caseload includes Converse and Platte counties, it may extend to any of the four counties in our service area: Goshen, Platte, Niobrara, and Converse. A company vehicle will be provided for work-related travel.
Duties/Responsibilities: All duties will comply with all rules, regulations, and practices of the agency and its regulating authorities. WCFD standards, DFS licensing, NAEYC guidelines, Wyoming Division of Disabilities regulations, and WCFD policies. All employees will adhere to the mission, vision, values, policies, and procedures of WCFD.
- Coordinate referral/assessment process.
- Ensure that procedural safeguards are met and that advocacy information is provided to any family whose child will be screened, evaluated or provided services.
- Serve as a member of a multidisciplinary team as appropriate.
- Provides direct group and individual specialized instruction in a variety of settings and weather conditions to children including the classroom, private childcares and preschools and family homes.
- Implement an IFSP/IEP that promotes and supports a family's capacities and competencies to identify, obtain, coordinate, monitor and evaluate resources and services to meet its needs.
- Support families through the early years after learning that their child has developmental delays or disabilities.
- Assist families in navigating complex service systems to find necessary resources on behalf of their child.
- Build the capacity of families and empower them to access services upon leaving WCFD birth to 6.
- Provide direct and indirect instructional support to children in a positive environment.
- Employ special educational strategies and a variety of techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition and memory.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, as determined by the children's' individualized family service plans (IFSPs) and individualized education programs (IEPs), by employing techniques in an overall positive behavioral support system.
- Modify the general education curriculum for children with disabilities based upon a variety of instructional techniques and technologies.
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration and work time that provides children with opportunities to observe, question and investigate.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining an environment conducive to learning for all children.
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers and other professionals to develop individualized family service plans (IFSP) individualized education programs (IEP) designed to promote children's educational, physical and social/emotional development.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records and prepare reports on children and
- activities, as required by laws, district policies and administrative regulations.
- Assist in collection of data for providing appropriate classroom interventions.
- Assist in preparation of data for local, state, and federal reports.
- Participate in meetings with the program staff for the purpose of feedback, evaluation, modification and progress of the enrolled children of the program.
- Provide training to staff and parents on techniques and procedures to use with a specific disability as related to a child enrolled in the program or therapy only.
- Communicate effectively with staff, children and families.
- Recruit children and families for program enrollment in accordance with the guidelines established by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Head Start and WCFD.
- Perform other related duties as assigned by the Board or its designee.
- Able to perform the essential functions of the position, as defined in the job description, without presenting a danger to either self or others, with or without reasonable accommodations.
- Must have an employment physical and TB risk assessment prior to working with children.
- Must have AHA CPR and First Aid Training completed within 90 days, unless otherwise specified by the supervisor.
- Wyoming Child and Family Development, Inc. requires all prospective employees to participate in a Central Registry and criminal background check, including fingerprinting, upon hire and every 5 years.
- Must have a valid driver's license, safe driving record and liability insurance as required by Wyoming State Law. Driving records are reviewed annually.
- Wyoming Child and Family Development requires an initial statement of health from a licensed healthcare provider and a health status annual assessment.
Required Skills/Abilities: - Must be able to work well with adults and birth to five-year-old children with special needs and their family
- Reliable, organized, and detail oriented
- Must possess strong problem-solving skills
- Demonstrated ability to follow both written and verbal instructions accurately
- Excellent interpersonal skills are required to collaborate with individuals with diverse ranges of personalities, backgrounds, and knowledge bases
- Strong communication skills are essential to interact with staff, children, families, and the broader community.
- Must have effective stress management strategies and the ability to maintain composure in challenging situations.
- Flexibility is key; the ability to adapt to changing daily routines is required.
- Bilingual candidates are preferred.
Education and Experience: - A Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Special Education, Special Education, or a related field.
- Possess a Wyoming endorsement in Early Childhood Special Education or the ability to obtain provisional endorsement within WCFD established timeframe.
- Must be willing to attain additional training or certifications, which may be required by Wyoming Child and Family Development, Inc.
- WCFD will only accept college degrees from accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Physical Requirements: Reasonable accommodations can be made for persons with disabilities. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
- Must possess visual acuity and stamina to read technical material for extended periods of time.
- Be able to sit, stand or walk for long periods of time without fatigue or discomfort.
- Must be able to travel to site locations, meetings and trainings, both in and out of state.
- Must be willing to drive in a variety of weather conditions.
- Must be able to hear and process ordinary conversation and telephone conversation.
- Must be able to tolerate air-conditioned buildings and fluorescent lights.
- Must be able to climb stairs, stoop, kneel, crouch and/or reach, to retrieve materials and supplies from ground level to a height of at least 5 ft.
- Must have upper body strength to lift and carry the equivalent of 50 pounds.
- Must be able to assist a child to safety in case of an emergency.
- Must be able to work in a variety of temperatures, including hot and cold weather.
- Ability to travel across a multi-county region; work in homes, community settings, and office environments; maintain flexible scheduling to meet availability needs.
