Job Description

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING SPECIALIST (SELS) 

EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS 

AGENCY OVERVIEW 

Founded in 1889, the Felton Institute is the oldest nonsectarian, nonprofit social-services provider in the City and County of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Rooted in equity, our mission is to transform the quality of life and promote social justice to accelerate community-led change. Our vision is to drive positive and sustainable community-led change where all have equitable access to innovative, high-quality, evidence-informed services. 

DIVISION DESCRIPTION  The Children, Youth, Family, and Transitional Age Youth Services Division (CYFTAY) offers an array of services to low-income and underserved clients with multiple challenges and abilities: Infants, toddlers, and preschool children, including those with special needs. Youth: including transitional age youth, pregnant| parenting teens and youth in the foster care system. Families: including low-income, immigrant, monolingual, and homeless populations. The CYFTAY division offers multidisciplinary programs including Early Care and Education, Early Intervention| Inclusion, Family Support, Mental Health Services, Health, Nutrition, Wellness, and Parenting Education Programming.  

ECE PROGRAM(S) DESCRIPTION  Felton Institute has been providing comprehensive early care and education services in San Francisco since 1971. Felton now has ECE programs in SF’s Mission, Bayview, and Visitation Valley neighborhoods; and offers a school-readiness program for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers (2 weeks to 6 years old).  Felton’s ECE programs include 4 infant, 7 toddler, and 11 preschool classrooms, which serve approximately 400 children, full-day/ year-round. Felton’s ECE programming offers comprehensive, two generation, holistic, wrap-around services to families with young children (0-5 years old). These multicultural, educational classrooms provide a nurturing, developmentally challenging, and inclusive environment for very young children of low/moderate-income families. We are committed to inclusive, positive environments that build on children’s positive self-esteem and self-image. Our newest ECE program and the first co-located on-site with affordable housing, the Solmar Learning Center is located in the Mission neighborhood and serves 42 preschool children ages birth-6 years old. The program is open year-round, Monday-Friday 7:30 am-5:30 pm. 

THE OPPORTUNITY 

Over the past two years, Felton has established the use of the Kimochis Curriculum in our Preschool classrooms to support the social-emotional learning needs of young children. This position will serve as a member of the newly formed Preschool Inclusion Team designed to support Felton’s ECE preschool classrooms.  We are looking to enhance the SEL experiences of children by bringing on an (SELS) who can hold the implementation of this work. We are seeking an individual who is enthusiastic, talented and has experience working with multicultural communities. The position requires a minimum of two (3-5) years of experience focusing on the social-emotional skills of young children, knowledge of child development, and the ability to bridge and build relationships. Someone experienced with the Kimochis Social Emotional Curriculum is strongly desired.  

BRIEF JOB DESCRIPTION 

The Social Emotional Learning Specialist (SELS) is a new role being created in the ECE programs to respond to the emotional and social needs of young children post COVID-19 pandemic. The (SELS) promotes the social emotional wellness of children and staff through programming that supports a positive culture and climate, coordinates universal social emotional instruction, and provides evidence-based targeted supports across all classrooms, with a particular focus on preschool classrooms. The (SELS) supports children across the continuum with Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). The (SELS) will lead the planning, continuous improvement, and implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Social & Emotional Learning (MTSS-SEL) to support our ECE programs in the development of positive school climate, SEL integration into core instruction, prosocial behavior support, social and emotional skills development, and behavioral interventions processes.  

The (SELS) will work to support the process by which children develop fundamental emotional and social competencies and experiences. The (SELS) will work to build and deepen a positive school climate and culture by training on how to understand and manage emotions, set, and achieve positive goals, feel, and show empathy for others, establish, and maintain positive relationships. This position will report to the Early Intervention and Inclusion Director/ Preschool Inclusion Supervisor and will work closely within a multidisciplinary team to offer professional learning, coaching, and modeling to assigned preschools, including Family Developmental Center (FDC) and Martin Luther King Center (MLK) and as needed offer universal SEL resources across all ECE programs. 

It is the responsibility of the (SELS) to ensure the Kimochis Social Emotional Curriculum is fully integrated into the learning experiences of all Felton Preschoolers by engaging in the following practices: 

This may include, but is not limited to, one-on-one support, group work, small group instruction, classroom and teacher support, modeling and coaching, and collaborative problem solving with both prevention and intervention models.   The effective implementation of Felton’s ECE programs social emotional learning vision.    

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

• Minimum of five (3-5) years of relevant professional experience, including the following, is required:  
• Working in early childhood (early learning) education program  
• Experience developing and facilitating professional learning 
• Expertise in practices in SEL supports 
• Experience providing coaching and technical assistance to peer and non-peer audiences 
• Experience planning, implementing, and progress-monitoring projects 
• Background in early childhood (early learning) education strongly preferred 
• Experience in a classroom teaching position, and/or working in or with an urban education system with a focus on social, emotional, and behavioral supports strongly preferred 
• Familiarity with SEL strategies (i.e. SEL curricula/programs, Tier II/III Interventions, Behavioral Health Teams, etc. is preferred. 
• Deep knowledge of evidence-based and promising equity-focused, trauma-engaged practices for developing children’s social and emotional competencies, building relationships between preschool stakeholders, and increasing family engagement. 
• Strong communication skills (speaking - including presentations - listening, and writing) 
• Demonstrated aptitude with utilizing data to inform programmatic decisions - candidates should be prepared to develop skills relating to translating data to inform preschool based decisions 
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups, including external partners, to ensure the entire system operates in the most effective manner possible to support preschool children, staff, and families. 
• A strengths-based lens to recognize and address historical inequities using families/educators as experts, partners, and conveners; 
• Knowledge of child & adolescent growth and development, youth development and leadership principals 
• Knowledge and familiarity with multi-cultural populations, especially African-American, Latino and Asian community 
• Committed to culturally informed practice and a multicultural learning environment 
• Open to learning and implementing Evidenced Based Practices 
• Ability to carry out community assignments including those connected to the school sites 
• Ability to tell when something is wrong or likely to go wrong and to problem solve effectively 
• Ability to be a team player with a welcoming attitude 
• Bilingual in Spanish preferred 
• Education, certification, and licenses  
• BA in related field such as special education, early childhood or psychology required  
• Master's degree in Social Work/Psychology/Counseling preferred

REQUIREMENTS 

Ability to lift 25 – 40 pounds as needed every day; this includes children and equipment  Ability to bend, stoop, sit on floor, lower, and raise self from floor during classroom activities, and to use both hands to grasp securely on a consistent basis. Can move quickly when responding to an emergency  Must pass Department of Justice Fingerprint screening   Fingerprinting Clearance DOJ/FBI & Clearance Child Abuse Index  Current Immunizations (TB, Influenza, MMR, Pertussis) and Physical Health Screening (every 2 years thereafter)  Provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination +Booster  Current CPR & First Aid Certificate (every 2 years thereafter)  

Company Description

Agency Overview Founded in 1889, Felton Institute (formerly Family Service Agency of San Francisco) has a 131-year history of innovation in services for vulner­able children, families, and adults. Felton’s mission is to respond to human needs with cutting edge social services and treatment that combine the best social science research with cultural sensitivity, a deep respect for the consumer, and a commitment to social justice. With over 40 programs in 11 languages at sites throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding counties, our comprehensive array of services reaches across all racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic lines. At the heart of our work is the belief that individuals and families in crisis must have access to services and resources to help them build on their inherent strengths and develop self-sufficiency. Felton offers a dynamic, challenging, and supportive work environment where staff is encouraged to increase their skills and enter new domains.