THE MISSION AND ORGANIZATION

Agenda for Children's mission is to make Louisiana a state in which all children can thrive. Founded in 1984 as the state's first independent child advocacy organization, Agenda has also served as the largest state provider of childcare resource and referral services in southeast Louisiana since 1989. Since our inception, Agenda has worked to improve child well-being in Louisiana through three key strategies:

• advocating for better policies and programs to serve Louisiana's children throughout the legislative and regulatory processes;
• informing public discussions on children by monitoring the well-being of children at the state and parish levels through the KIDS COUNT project; and,
• improving the quality of early childhood education through “on the ground” work in the early care and education sector in Southeast Louisiana, specifically by training practitioners, helping program administrators strengthen their organizational capacity, increasing access for families, and building public and private support for the work.

A trusted resource for policymakers, advocates, researchers, media representatives, youth serving nonprofit organizations, and early childhood professionals, Agenda is helping leaders, organizations, partnerships, and systems – at the local and state level – assess, improve, and align their practices and policies. Improving life outcomes for children is the vision that drives Agenda's work.

The New Orleans Early Childhood Network (NOEEN) is an initiative of Agenda for Children and NOLA Public Schools that supports caregivers and families, and helps early learning centers improve the quality of their services. NOEEN is responsible for coordinating enrollment and serving as a point of contact between individual center programs and the Louisiana Department of Education for reporting purposes and coordinating funding requests. NOEEN also supports educators, conducting CLASS observations, coaching, and providing professional development training.

JOB OVERVIEW

Agenda for Children seeks reliable observers certified in the Teachstone CLASS tool to conduct classroom observations in early learning programs throughout Orleans Parish. We are currently looking for an observer who is certified in the Pre-K CLASS tool to conduct observations in Orleans Parish on a part-time basis.

CLASS is an assessment tool developed by Teachstone to measure the quality of teacher-child interactions. The CLASS assessments conducted by Agenda for Children observers are used by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) to rate the quality of publicly-funded early learning programs.

Compensation :

Observers are compensated at a fixed rate per observation as well as for meetings and required professional development tasks related to their CLASS certification. Compensation for observations is based on the age of the observation assigned due to the varying time commitments. The total compensation package includes:

• Pre-K observations are compensated at $225 per observation (maximum of five observations per week).
• Infant and Toddler observations are compensated at $200 per observation (maximum of five observations per week).
• Observers are additionally compensated for four required meetings per semester, time spent engaging in calibration exercises, and for any certification costs incurred.
• Potential gas/travel stipend.

Observer Availability:

• This is a seasonal, part-time opportunity.
  • The Fall semester of observations runs roughly from mid August to December.
  • The Spring semester of observations runs from the end of January to May.
• Observations are conducted in the morning, typically starting between 8-9:30 a.m. and lasting 2-3 hours.
• Following the observation the observer must complete documentation, data entry, and a brief follow-up report which takes on average 2-2.5 hours.
• An observer has the opportunity to observe a maximum of 5 times per week, Mondays through Fridays, and must be available to conduct a minimum of 8 observations per month.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The primary responsibilities for this position will include, but not be limited to the following:

Observation Completion (60%)

• Review and ensure the accuracy of the observer schedule
• Arrive promptly at the early learning center at the time indicated on the schedule
• Report to the Program Manager, Observations and Accountability any classroom, teacher, and/or early learning center updates as needed
• Complete all scheduled observations as assigned
• Follow observation protocol as written in order to ensure observations are completed with full fidelity to the tool and network protocol
• Complete comparative observation quality checks known as “double coding” with another certified observer intermittently throughout the semester

Documentation, Reporting, & Administration (30%)

• complete a score sheet and input the scores online using the appropriate system by the close no later than five (5) business days following the observation
• submit debrief forms using the appropriate system by the close no later than five (5) business days following the observation
• deliver all paper score sheets once monthly as requested by NOEEN
• submit and maintain accurate available observation dates
• submit accurate invoices according to schedule provided

Meetings & Professional Development (10%)

• attend four (4) meetings per semester designed in order to ensure quality and collaborate on program updates
• participate in required calibration exercises twice annually, once per observation period
• complete professional development as required/assigned by the Manager, Program Quality & Improvement

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION

• Possess a valid driver's license and reliable transportation
• Ability to obtain a Louisiana Child Care Criminal Background Check
• All Contracted CLASS Observers must be available to complete at least 10 CLASS observations each month.
• Observations will be conducted on-site at schools and centers throughout New Orleans following state protocol.
• Strong writing skills and attention to detail is required.
• Maintain a reliable standing in the Teachstone CLASS tool.
• Experience in early childhood and/or conducting assessments can be helpful, although it is not required for this position.

CLASS Tool Reliability:

• In order to conduct CLASS observations, interested parties must be or become a certified reliable CLASS observer by completing a multiple-day training on the tool (Infant, Toddler, or Pre-K-3), then passing an online certification test. Applicants who are not already certified can attend a training at their own cost, and, upon passing the reliability test and agreement to perform observations, will be reimbursed for their training cost.
• The Certified CLASS Observer must attain initial CLASS Observer certification through CLASS Observation Training and then re-certify annually through Teachstone. Agenda for Children will reimburse observers for the cost of the CLASS Observation Training upon successful completion of 10 CLASS Observations. Re-certification is also reimbursed through Agenda for Children annually on the Certified CLASS Observer's renewal date.
• Certified CLASS Observers have to calibrate through Teachstone prior to the start of each observation season to ensure that the observer is still in alignment with the tool.

CORE COMPETENCY REQUIREMENT MEASURES

Agenda for Children / New Orleans Early Education Network Competencies:

• Commitment
• Responsibility
• Quality
• Cross Cultural Responsiveness
• Can-do Positive Attitude

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

Participates in training required by the funding source and/or required by Agenda for Children, the Louisiana Department, or others as required.

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Agenda for Children is an Equal Opportunity employer and considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, gender, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, or disability