Are you a socially conscious, dedicated individual who is committed to building a better future for children, families, and their communities? If so, join us as we support early childhood education programs across the country to create positive outcomes for the children and families served.

Job Title: Education Manager

The Organization: Acelero Learning, South Carolina

Who We Are: Acelero, Inc. is a for-profit, mission-driven company that aims to improve school readiness for low-income children, by both directly operating Head Start programs and offering programmatic support to other Head Start grantees.

Established in 2001, Acelero, Inc. is made up of two divisions - Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning. Acelero Learning provides direct Head Start services to more than 5,000 children and families in four states (delegates) – New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Acelero Learning’s programs have been identified as a national exemplar, a model to the nation for early childhood education, and most significantly, has demonstrated best-in-class child outcomes gains, even during the pandemic.

Shine Early Learning (Shine), established in 2009, was created to scale the dissemination and utilization of Acelero Learning’s proven tools and approaches through partnerships to other Head Start programs nationally. In the past three years, Shine has further diversified its offerings through training, technical assistance, and consultation to publicly funded early childhood systems, including the launch of SPARK Learning Labs.

Our diverse employee workforce is made up of more than 1500 employees, comprising dedicated teachers, passionate family advocates, dynamic Center Directors and Coordinators, visionary senior leaders, and strategic executive leaders. Shine boasts partnerships across a wide expanse of states and territories throughout the country, ranging from Head Start grantees to comprehensive statewide systems. Together, we form a vibrant community committed to making a difference, fostering growth, and nurturing the potential in every child we serve.

The Current Landscape: At the forefront of educational innovation, Acelero Inc. is navigating a pivotal phase of strategic transformation, commenced in June 2021, with a clear vision to expand exponentially and dismantle inequities. Guided by the insights and leadership of a diverse and representative national Design Team, the company has meticulously crafted a new vision, mission, and core values, underpinned by a robust theory of change. This strategic evolution involves a deliberate restructuring of the organizational framework, positioning Acelero Inc. to achieve its objectives, and to surpass them significantly. Central to the company's ethos is an unwavering commitment to recognize and nurture every child's potential, ensuring no child is left behind due to systemic inequalities. Acelero Inc. is steadfast in its mission to empower families, fostering their ability to advocate effectively for their children and themselves. This period of transformative growth and commitment to equity presents a unique opportunity to contribute to Acelero Inc.'s journey towards shaping a more inclusive and empowering educational landscape.

The Purpose of the Role:

We are seeking an inspired and collaborative leader to join our Acelero Learning team as an Education Manager. In this role, you will employ a range of instructional, management, and assessment strategies that ensure educational excellence among teaching staff. The Education Manager will serve as both the education and operational lead for the center, providing guidance and support to his/her team to achieve School Readiness Goals for all children served, including those with disabilities and special needs

What You’ll Work On:

The Education Manager will provide teachers with training, coaching and monitoring to support them in successfully fulfilling all aspects of their role, including but not limited to effective practices in the following:
• CLASS™ Teacher-Child Interactions
• Learning Environments
• Curriculum
• Child Assessment
• Meeting All Children’s Needs
• Working with Families
• Professional Growth and Collaboration

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Ensure full implementation of all aspects of our Early Learning methodology and system of recordkeeping, reporting, and ongoing monitoring
• Facilitate professional learning communities with teaching staff to support curriculum planning and implementation as well as child assessment data analysis and application of data to individualized learning plans
• Ensure the completion of all required child screenings and assessments, including 45 and 90-day requirements for new children and quarterly progress assessments for all children
• Assist in the interviewing, on-boarding, coaching, supervising, and training of teaching staff
• Provide coverage for the classroom when needed
• Assist in the collaboration and coordination within education team and across service areas and initiatives, including ensuring full parent involvement in the program
• Participate in leadership activities and meetings as appropriate
• Recognize that your job description is service area specific and that a successful employee upholds the overall employment standards outlined in the Employee Handbook and specifically, but not limited to: confidentiality, child abuse reporting, attendance and dependability, appropriate dress, customer service and support to all families, prudent use of program resources, and promoting and maintaining safe environment for all children, families and staff
• Uphold the shared values of Acelero Learning and the Head Start program
• Serve as education lead for a Center; overseeing implementation of all aspects of education services; providing teachers with coaching, training, and monitoring using CLASS, the Teacher Success Rubric and other teaching performance tools
• Work with teachers to reliably implement, analyze and apply child assessment and learning outcome data; use data to implement individualized learning plans
• Coordinate with Family Services team to ensure full parent involvement in the program

About You (Requirements/Competencies)

• Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education OR Bachelor’s degree in related field with at least six (6) courses in early childhood education and experience teaching preschool aged children OR state awarded preschool teaching certification with experience teaching preschool aged children; Master’s degree preferred; Infant/Toddler education/training preferred for Early Head Start
• At least one year of managerial and/or coaching experience
• A passion for achieving positive child and family outcomes through high quality educational programs
• Experience managing an infant/toddler or preschool program
• Previous experience teaching in an early childhood setting
• Knowledge of health and safety licensing requirements
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, in a number of forums
• Ability to multi-task, work independently, efficiently organize and communicate effectively with off-site supervisors
• Experience with curriculum model (xxx) and assessment (xxx) preferred
• Reliability in CLASS and ECERS-R preferred
• Ability to obtain reliability in CLASS and/or ECERS-R within first year of employment and maintain reliability thereafter.
• Background in Special Education/inclusion preferred
• Previous experience with collaborations and community partnerships preferred

When/Where/How Much

Start Date: Fall 2024

Location/Travel: On-site at one of our South Carolina delegate locations. (Exact address to be provided at a later date)

Salary: $70,000 Annually

Please note that this hiring initiative is part of our strategic preparation for a potential new delegate in South Carolina. The continuation of the recruitment process is contingent upon the successful award of this grant. We commit to keeping final candidates informed of our progress and appreciate your interest in joining Acelero Learning.

It is expected that any hired employee for this potential new delegate be physically located in South Carolina. Tier relocation packages will be provided.

Why Acelero Learning or Shine Early Learning?
- Ability to make an impact in the lives of the children, families, and partners we serve
- Career growth and professional development opportunities
- Supportive working environment
- Average of 5 weeks of paid time off during 1st year of employment
- Comprehensive benefits, including 401K matching and 100% vesting program

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and healthy work place.