Early Childhood Education Specialist
Job Summary
Job Description
World Relief Chicagoland Adult Education is seeking an Early Childhood Education Specialist to prepare children for elementary school by implementing curriculum aligned with Illinois State Readiness Measures. This role involves coordinating staff and volunteers, creating a nurturing and language-rich classroom, and connecting families to educational resources. The specialist will also be responsible for lesson planning, facilitating activities that enhance learning, ensuring classroom safety and cleanliness, and engaging children in conversation and play. Additionally, the position requires managing volunteers, training practicum students, and collaborating with the Early Childhood team and Adult Education staff. The role emphasizes a Christian foundation and involves spiritual leadership responsibilities.
Must have:
- Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field
- At least 2 years of relevant experience
- Mature and personal Christian faith
- Access to own transportation
Good to have:
- Bilingual fluency
- Previous early childhood program involvement
- Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills
- Ability to handle multiple tasks
- Strong organizing and coordinating skills
- Ability to work independently
- Microsoft Office proficiency
- Flexible and adaptable
- Experience working with volunteers
- Previous supervisory experience
Perks:
- Competitive benefits package
- Employee discount program
6 skills required
Job Details
Are you a person of compassion? An advocate for justice? Someone who stands up for the rights of the vulnerable and speaks out for the marginalized, the exploited and the forgotten? Do you believe in our calling as Christians to welcome the least of these and love our neighbor?
If you answered ‘yes’, to any of the above, World Relief, and millions of people around the world need you.
At this pivotal moment in time, we are rapidly expanding and growing our team to meet the increasing needs of our world. We are looking for people who want to use their gifts and talents to make a real and tangible difference in our world and the lives of the suffering.
If you’re looking for a purpose-driven career in which you can grow your talents, while also standing up for the rights of the vulnerable, we want you to join us today.
ORGANIZATION SUMMARY
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war-torn Europe. Since then, for 80 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to build a world where families thrive and communities flourish.
Today, organizational programming focuses on humanitarian and disaster response, community strengthening and resilience, and refugee & immigrant services and advocacy.
POSITION SUMMARY:
World Relief Chicagoland Adult Education serves adult students at every stage of their language learning journey, including career specific language classes, job readiness for first-time employed, leveled general English classes, and literacy and schooling support. For in-person classes in Lombard, IL, learners are invited to bring their children to participate in Early Childhood Learning while their parents are engaged in English language learning, with family literacy as a core goal of the program. The role of the Early Childhood Education Specialist is to prepare children to be successful in an elementary classroom environment by implementing curriculum that reflects the Illinois State Readiness Measures in developing a child’s knowledge, skills, and behaviors across learning domains. This position will coordinate paid, volunteer staff, and practicum students in creating and maintaining a nurturing, culturally sensitive, and English language-rich classroom, as well as playing a key role in connecting staff and volunteers to immigrant and refugee families so that the entire family can be served in reaching their educational and family literacy goals.
This is a limited-term position funded through a grant agreement until June 30, 2026, and contingent upon funding extension.
ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES:
- This role is responsible for supervising others and includes responsibilities consistent with supervising employees, including but not limited to monitoring daily work activities, tracking and approving timesheets including approving time off, monitoring performance including entering goals, progress check-ins, and weekly or bi-weekly check-ins, documenting performance concerns, entering staff promotions, transitions, and separations in HRIS within required time frame. Managers at World Relief are also considered spiritual leaders and are expected to lead staff in a manner consistent with our Christian values, including but not limited to praying with staff, leading devotionals, and fostering a Christian environment in interactions with staff throughout World Relief.
Coordination of Instruction
- Prepare multi-level daily lesson plans, utilizing the WR Early Childhood Curriculum
- Facilitate staff, practicum students, and volunteers in utilizing appropriate educational materials to enhance curriculum concepts
- Integrate fine and gross motor activities into the language rich learning environment •Develop social skills and interactions among the children
- Encourage English language development
Cleanliness and Safety
- Provide physical care for children considering developmental and safety concerns
- Prepare, serve, and clean-up snack
- Set up and clean all materials using appropriate storage
- Instruct children and their families in safety, nutrition, and hygiene Interaction with Children •Encourage development of age-appropriate play
- Create a learning environment that is welcoming, safe, nurturing, friendly and fun •Engage children in conversation
Volunteer Engagement & Practicum Training
- Manage and welcome volunteers in the classroom, and provide direction and specific tasks
- Train, delegate tasks, and grade practicum students on their work with the children and specified projects
- Ensure that the classroom is properly staffed with volunteers through
- 1) coordinating a replacement for an absent volunteer, and
- 2) communicating volunteer needs to the Adult Education Site Coordinator on a regular basis.
Communication and Teamwork
- Pursue good working relationships with the Early Childhood team, the Adult Education staff, and World Relief Chicagoland staff
- Report working hours and report children’s attendance
- Communicate with children’s parents to include them in the learning process
- Direct concerns regarding students or parents to Director of Children & Youth and the Student Support Manager in Adult Education
- Show flexibility and patience when interacting with children, parents, staff, adult learners, and volunteers
- Attend team, staff, and departmental meetings
- Cross-train with Children & Youth Department
- Perform other duties as requested by the Student Support Services Manager
JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- Mature and personal Christian faith
- Committed to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief
- Desire to serve and empower the Church to impact vulnerable communities
- Able to affirm and/or acknowledge World Reliefs Core Beliefs, Statement of Faith, Christian Identity and National Evangelicals For the Health of The Nation document
- Degree required in the field of Early Childhood Education, Family Studies & Human Development, Elementary Education, or related
- Access to own transportation to commute to/between educational and office sites
- At least 2 years of experience related to the duties and responsibilities specified
- Experience or interest in working with immigrant and refugee children
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bi-lingual strongly preferred. Fluency in other languages is a plus.
- Previous involvement with early childhood programs strongly preferred
- Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills
- Able to handle multiple tasks and keep deadlines
- Strong organizing and coordinating skills
- Ability to work independently
- Microsoft Office proficiency
- Flexible and adaptable
- Experience working with volunteers
- Previous supervisory experience preferred
World Relief offers a competitive benefits package and employee discount program for full-time and part-time employees.
World Relief is honored to be recognized with the Gold-level Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation for exceeding the core components of our well-being program including leadership and culture, program foundations and execution, and whole person health.
***
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.
For World Relief staff, strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief is essential, and Christian faith is a prerequisite for employment, based upon United States federal guidelines provided in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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