CLSD Birth-to-Five Literacy Coach

The Position:

Multicultural Career Intern Program (MCIP) is seeking two passionate and motivated professionals to serve as a Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) Program Birth-to-Five Literacy Coaches.

The CLSD Birth-to-Five Literacy Coaches will provide sustained, job-embedded professional support to educators across the six facilities participating in the MCIP-Barbara Chambers CLSD partnership. The coaches will help educators translate the comprehensive Birth-to-Five literacy plan, structured literacy professional development, high-quality instructional materials, child-development knowledge, and GOLD-aligned information into intentional, consistent, and developmentally appropriate classroom practice.

The Literacy Coaches will operate as peer professionals of equal standing. There is no Lead Literacy Coach position, and no Literacy Coach will hold permanent supervisory authority over another coach. Each coach will carry an assigned educator and site caseload and will be individually accountable for the quality, timeliness, documentation, and professional integrity of their coaching work.

The coaches will receive joint technical direction from the Literacy Plan Development and Practice Based Coaching Consultant who will guide practice-based coaching methodology, coaching-system fidelity, documentation expectations, coach development, and plan-to-practice alignment. Our Structured Literacy and Professional Development vendor. will guide structured literacy content, instructional accuracy, professional development transfer, modeling, and content-specific educator support. CLSD Program Manager will coordinate schedules, site access, assignments, operational requirements, and grant deliverables.

This is not a traditional supervisory role, classroom-assistant assignment, or one-time professional development function. It is a specialized educator-development position focused on strengthening adult practice through collaborative goal-setting, observation, modeling, reflection, feedback, action planning, and follow-up.

Coach Operating Model

The coaches will function as one coordinated professional team while maintaining individual responsibility for their assigned caseloads. Site and educator assignments will be based on the number of educators requiring support, developmental age bands, educator readiness, site implementation status, coaching intensity, professional development priorities, staff turnover, travel efficiency, and available implementation evidence.Assignments may be revised during the grant period as needs change. A coach will support more than one facility, and no coach will be treated as permanently belonging to one site unless operational need requires such an arrangement. The model is designed to place coaching capacity close to educators and classrooms without creating an unnecessary supervisory layer among the four coaches.

The Organization

Since 1981, through its innovative school-based programs and services, MCIP has championed the hopes and aspirations of a generation of young people of color from historically and systematically marginalized communities, including immigrants, on their paths to college and thriving careers. MCIP dares to reimagine and commit time, talent and treasure to a more just society that values every child and, through a network of committed donors and strategic partners, strives to create life-affirming opportunities that help young people and their families, allowing our students to thrive and achieve their full potential. This year, MCIP will reach more than 2,000 “at-promise” students and families throughout the District of Columbia.

MAJOR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

A.Establish Collaborative Coaching Partnerships

B.Conduct Complete Practice-Based Coaching Cycles

C.Support Structured Literacy Implementation

D.Differentiate Birth-to-Three and Three-to-Five Practice

E.Provide Modeling, Demonstration, and Guided Practice

F.Reinforce Professional Development

G.Participate in Calibration and Peer Learning

H.Use GOLD-Aligned and Other Information Responsibly

I.Coordinate With Site Leadership and Program Monitoring

J.Support Family Literacy Alignment

K.Maintain Documentation and Escalate Risks

L.Contribute to Continuous Improvement and Sustainability

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in early childhood education, child development, literacy, curriculum andinstruction, elementary education, special education, or a related field;
• At least three years of successful experience in early childhood education, literacy instruction,educator support, or a closely related setting;
• Strong knowledge of early language and literacy development;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with adult learners;
• Experience observing instruction and providing constructive feedback;
• Ability to establish trusting and respectful professional relationships;
• Strong verbal, written, organizational, and documentation skills;
• Ability to manage multiple educators, schedules, and site responsibilities;
• Ability to work across organizational, cultural, and professional contexts;
• Ability to travel regularly among assigned facilities;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriate professional boundaries;
• Ability to satisfy applicable background checks, clearances, and site-access requirements.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in early childhood education, literacy, coaching, curriculum and instruction,instructional leadership, or a related field;
• Formal training in practice-based coaching, instructional coaching, or a comparable adult-learningmodel;
• Familiarity with structured literacy and evidence-based early literacy instruction;
• Experience in infant and toddler settings;
• Experience in preschool or pre-K settings;
• Familiarity with GOLD or a comparable early childhood assessment system;
• Experience supporting multilingual learners;
• Experience supporting children with disabilities and developmental delays;
• Experience facilitating professional learning or communities of practice;
• Experience working across multiple early childhood facilities;
• Experience in grant-funded education initiatives;
• Bilingual or multilingual proficiency.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Instructional credibility;
• Adult-learning skill;
• Reflective listening;
• Nonjudgmental feedback;
• Cultural humility;
• Developmental knowledge;
• Structured literacy knowledge;
• Professional curiosity;
• Reliability and follow-through;
• Strong organization;
• Adaptability;
• Collaborative problem-solving;
• Data literacy;
• Ethical judgment;
• Confidentiality;
• Diplomacy;
• Growth orientation;
• Commitment to equitable outcomes for children and families.

Bilingual - English and Spanish.