Job Title: Educator
Location: Mountainside (MTN)
Department Name: Early Intervention Grant
Req #: 0000263010
Status: Hourly
Shift: Day
Pay Range: $69.32 - $69.32 per hour
Pay Transparency:
The above reflects the anticipated hourly wage range for this position if hired to work in New Jersey.
The compensation offered to the candidate selected for the position will depend on several factors, including the candidate's educational background, skills and professional experience.
Early Intervention Educator – Children's Specialized Hospital, RWJBarnabas Health
At Children's Specialized Hospital, part of RWJBarnabas Health, Early Intervention Educators play a vital role in helping infants and toddlers with developmental delays build the skills they need to reach their fullest potential during the most critical years of development. As a member of our Early Intervention team, you will partner with families and interdisciplinary professionals to evaluate developmental needs, develop and implement Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs), and provide family-centered, evidence-based educational intervention in children's natural environments, including homes and childcare settings. You will empower parents and caregivers through coaching, education, and modeling of strategies that can be incorporated into everyday family routines. Joining Children's Specialized Hospital means becoming part of an organization committed to clinical excellence, collaboration, innovation, and professional growth while making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families throughout New Jersey. This position will provide services throughout Mercer County.
A typical day for an Early Intervention Educator may include:
- Conducting developmental screenings, comprehensive developmental evaluations, and ongoing assessments in children's natural environments to identify developmental strengths, needs, and functional outcomes.
- Developing, implementing, and updating Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) in collaboration with families, service coordinators, and interdisciplinary team members.
- Providing direct early intervention services to infants and toddlers with developmental delays in the areas of physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional, and adaptive development.
- Developing individualized treatment and intervention plans that address IFSP outcomes and incorporate measurable, functional, and developmentally appropriate strategies.
- Coaching parents and caregivers by modeling evidence-based intervention strategies that can be naturally incorporated into everyday routines and family activities.
- Supporting families in enhancing their ability to interact with and promote their child's development within daily routines and familiar environments.
- Collaborating with service coordinators, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, other Early Intervention Educators, and additional professionals to promote coordinated, family-centered services.
- Incorporating a variety of evidence-based intervention models, which may include ABA/Verbal Behavior strategies, based on the individual needs and IFSP outcomes of each child.
- Utilizing the New Jersey Birth to Three Early Learning Standards as a common framework for understanding and communicating developmentally appropriate expectations for infants and toddlers.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of intervention strategies and adapting activities and approaches based on child progress, family priorities, and outcomes.
- Participating in multidisciplinary discussions regarding child progress, challenges, transition planning, and discharge recommendations as children prepare for preschool or other community-based services.
- Serving as Team Leader, when appropriate, including developing individualized treatment plans and providing direction to CDAs and/or other Early Intervention Educators assigned to the child.
- Completing timely and accurate documentation, including developmental evaluations, session notes, progress reports, IFSP documentation, service records, billing documentation, and other required clinical records in accordance with Children's Specialized Hospital and New Jersey Early Intervention Program requirements.
- Maintaining accurate records of service time, frequency, required signatures, and other information necessary for billing and regulatory compliance.
- Maintaining ongoing communication with families, supervisors, and team members through email, telephone, text, and other communication platforms.
- Responding promptly to requests for information and communicating job-specific concerns while participating in the development of effective solutions.
- Seeking supervision and consultation regarding clinical performance and professional practice as needed.
- Participating in annual performance reviews, professional improvement plans, continuing education, in-service training, staff meetings, conference calls, and other professional development opportunities.
- Assisting in the education and training of colleagues, students, and interdisciplinary team members regarding Early Intervention philosophy and evidence-based intervention practices.
- Meeting departmental productivity and documentation expectations while delivering exceptional, family-centered services with professionalism, compassion, and clinical excellence.
- Traveling throughout assigned service areas to provide services in children's homes, childcare centers, and other natural environments.
This role might be for you if:
- You are passionate about helping infants and toddlers with developmental delays achieve meaningful developmental and functional outcomes.
- You enjoy coaching parents and caregivers and empowering families to support their child's development through everyday routines and activities.
- You believe families are essential partners in the Early Intervention process and value a strengths-based, family-centered approach.
- You thrive working independently in community-based settings while collaborating closely with an interdisciplinary team.
- You enjoy developing creative, evidence-based educational strategies that are individualized to each child's strengths, needs, and family priorities.
- You have a strong understanding of typical infant and toddler development and enjoy applying developmental knowledge to individualized intervention.
- You communicate effectively with families, service coordinators, educators, therapists, healthcare professionals, and community partners.
- You are organized, adaptable, and able to independently manage a flexible community-based caseload while meeting documentation and productivity requirements.
- You are comfortable providing services on the floor, within family routines, and in a variety of home and childcare environments.
- You are committed to professional growth, lifelong learning, and maintaining high standards of Early Intervention practice.
- You value compassion, collaboration, cultural sensitivity, confidentiality, and making a lasting difference during a child's earliest years of development.
To Be Considered:
To be considered for this opportunity, you must meet the following criteria:
- Education: Bachelor's degree or higher in Education, Early Childhood Education, Special Education, or a related field from an accredited institution. Teacher certification in an area other than Teacher of Students with Disabilities may be considered on an individual basis, particularly when accompanied by relevant preschool experience.
- Certification: Current Teacher of Students with Disabilities certification and/or other qualifications deemed acceptable under New Jersey Department of Health personnel standards for Early Intervention personnel.
- License: Valid New Jersey driver's license
- Experience: Minimum of two (2) years of teaching experience working with young children with disabilities. Candidates performing targeted developmental evaluations must have at least two (2) years of pediatric experience working with and evaluating children from birth through age five.
- Knowledge: Demonstrated knowledge of typical infant and toddler development, developmental delays and disabilities, early childhood education, family-centered Early Intervention practices, behavior management principles, developmental evaluation, IFSP development, evidence-based intervention strategies, caregiver coaching, and the New Jersey Birth to Three Early Learning Standards.
- Skills: Ability to conceptualize, interpret, and integrate early childhood educational and intervention techniques into family routines; develop measurable and functional outcomes; communicate effectively in oral and written formats; collaborate with interdisciplinary professionals; and adapt intervention strategies to meet individual child and family needs.
- Requirements: Valid New Jersey driver's license, reliable personal transportation, and required automobile insurance with the ability to travel throughout assigned service areas.
- Schedule: Ability to work a Per Diem schedule and travel daily to homes, childcare centers, and other natural environments throughout Mercer County.
