Early Childhood Education/Child Find Coordinator

Position Available: Child Find Coordinator/Team Lead/ECSE Itinerant
Locations: Sopris Elementary School and Riverview School (Dependent on District needs)
Position Type: Full-time (1 FTE)

Position Start Date: August, 2025

The Roaring Fork School District is seeking a highly qualified Child Find Coordinator/Team Lead/ECSE Itinerant to join our team for the 2025-2026 school year and beyond.

The Child Find Coordinator/Team Lead/ECSE Itinerant plays a pivotal role in identifying, supporting, and coordinating services for children ages birth to five with developmental delays or disabilities. This position is responsible for leading the Child Find process, partnering with community agencies, district personnel, and families to ensure effective identification and service coordination. The successful candidate will possess a strong background in early childhood special education, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to foster collaborative relationships with families, community stakeholders, and educational teams. The role also requires a deep commitment to family-centered practices and inclusivity, particularly for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Reports to Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Supervising Manager.

Position Requirements
A Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education or a related field.
Experience working with young children, particularly in an early childhood special education setting, is preferred.
Possession of, or enrollment in, a program to obtain an appropriate Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) endorsement.
Must hold or be eligible to obtain a valid Colorado Teaching License with an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) or Special Education endorsement.
A valid Colorado Driver’s License and the ability to travel between multiple sites.

Core Competencies and Skills
Understanding of typical child development and conditions associated with developmental delays.
Experience working with children ages birth to five, including knowledge of early childhood developmental trajectories.
Competence in family systems, diverse cultures, and multilingual environments.
Strong understanding of federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to early childhood special education.
Familiarity with assessment tools, curriculum development, and the screening/evaluation process for young children.
Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to lead teams, provide coaching, and drive collaborative efforts.
Strong verbal and written communication skills in both English and Spanish (preferred).
Ability to adapt and tailor instructional strategies to meet the individual needs of children.
Proficiency in using technology for data collection, monitoring, and reporting (e.g., Google Suite, TS GOLD, etc.).
Ability to build and maintain positive relationships with families, community members, and educational staff.

Position Duties and Responsibilities
Child Find Coordination: Lead and sustain an interagency child identification process by developing and maintaining strong relationships with local community organizations, service providers, and stakeholders. A key responsibility is developing and implementing a comprehensive marketing plan to raise awareness about child identification services, ensuring that families and communities are well-informed about available resources. The position also includes creating and refining community referral procedures to streamline the identification process for children in need of early intervention services, as well as establishing and managing a proactive, ongoing community screening process for children ages birth to five. In addition, the role requires conducting and overseeing screenings in alignment with the “Screening and Evaluation Guidelines, Birth-5 Years,” while coordinating services and connecting families with appropriate community resources. Promoting active family engagement throughout the child identification and service delivery process is essential, ensuring families are informed about their child’s progress and the support services available. Finally, the position involves maintaining Child Find databases (Part C and Part B), ensuring alignment with Colorado Child Identification Effectiveness Indicators, and overseeing data collection, analysis, and continuous process improvement.

Team Lead & Program Coordination: This role involves close collaboration with the ECE Instructional Facilitator to manage Bridgecare data and ensure accurate reporting through the Universal Preschool (UPK) program. The position also requires working with the Colorado Department of Education (CDEC) to facilitate the placement of students with IEPs into the RFSD Early Childhood Education programs, ensuring that classroom placements are appropriate for each child’s needs. Additionally, the role includes assisting the ECSE Supervising Manager with performance evaluations for ECSE team members and providing guidance on best practices for service delivery, ensuring high-quality support and services for students.

Direct Service & IEP Development: Participate in the development of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for students, including setting appropriate goals, objectives, and transition plans, while collaborating with classroom teachers, therapists, and specialists to ensure that IEPs are tailored to each child’s unique needs. Provide specialized, individualized instruction to children as outlined in their IEPs, ensuring that all activities are developmentally appropriate and support meaningful progress in key areas of development. Co-plan, co-teach, and model best practices for classroom staff to facilitate effective differentiation and support for children with special needs. Ongoing progress monitoring is essential, utilizing tools such as TS GOLD, and maintaining clear and accurate records to track student achievement and communicate progress to families and team members. The role also requires maintaining a safe, structured, and nurturing classroom environment, applying positive discipline techniques, and supporting classroom staff in managing student behavior. Lastly, collaborate with instructional staff to adapt the district’s Creative Curriculum and assessment tools to ensure they meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities.

Child Find Program Support: Assist the Child Find team in conducting screenings and evaluations for children ages birth to five, ensuring that assessments are comprehensive and incorporate input from families as well as professionals such as speech therapists and school nurses. Support the management and maintenance of databases for Part C and Part B child identification processes, ensuring that referral, screening, and evaluation procedures are aligned and efficiently executed. The position also includes analyzing data using effectiveness indicators to evaluate the success of the child identification process and utilizing this data to inform decision-making and adjust strategies for improved outcomes.

Professional Development & Collaboration: This role involves providing training, coaching, and ongoing support to classroom staff, paraprofessionals, and other team members to ensure they possess the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively meet the needs of children with special needs. Collaboration with Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Special Education (SPED) teams is also critical to implementing district-wide strategic plans and initiatives, ensuring alignment of services across all early childhood programs. Additionally, the position requires active participation in regional and state meetings related to early childhood education, Child Find, and special education services, with opportunities to share insights and best practices with other professionals.

Compensation
$65,100 – $101,220; Based on education and years of accountable experience. Certified Salary Schedule B + 27 additional days of work
Working Calendar: 212 working day Contract

Benefits
Full district-paid health benefits, including vision, dental, and dependent coverage
Paid leave
Enrollment in the Colorado PERA pension plan with district contribution
TSA options
Access to Employee Assistance and Wellness Programs

Working Conditions
The position requires frequent travel between multiple school sites. The physical demands of the role include prolonged periods of sitting, standing, and walking, as well as occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds. Assistance may be necessary for lifting items over 50 pounds. The work environment typically has a moderate noise level, and the role may involve occasional physical assistance with tasks such as positioning or moving children.

About Roaring Fork School District
With 13 schools and 5,600 students, the Roaring Fork School District is located in the culturally vibrant and naturally stunning Roaring Fork Valley serving the communities of Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, and Basalt. The Roaring Fork Schools believe that teachers are our most important asset, and our teachers enjoy a true teacher voice in decision-making; clear and collaborative leadership; small class sizes; a highly competitive and progressive salary schedule; access to our affordable housing program; and a culture of self-care and well-being. We believe diversity is a strength, and our staff makes a real difference for our students who come from different ethnicities, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds.

The Roaring Fork School District is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.