Child Care Specialist I

Job Announcement

This position requires extensive field work and reports to the Pennino Building in Fairfax, Virginia. Responsible for permitting family child care providers in a designated area of the county, enrolling providers in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program, and monitoring providers' participation. Conducts outreach activities and provides professional development in the business of child care, nutrition, emergency preparedness and programming. Provides one-on-one training and group workshops for providers and also refers them to other professional development resources. Responsible for ongoing recruitment and retention of providers to be permitted and to participate in the USDA food program. Investigates problems that are reported and assists providers with resolutions. Participates in planning, developing and monitoring program standards and implementing the Fairfax County Child Care Ordinance. Works on special projects. Duties are performed under the supervision of the Child Care Specialist III, in the Community Education and Provider Services division.

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)

• Assists providers with improving the quality of their child care environments by providing them with information on child development and child care issues;
  
• Provides training and technical assistance to family day care providers and day care centers;
  
• Monitors education screening and assessments of children;
  
• Conducts research and gathers data for the development of training and program materials;
  
• Recruits new family day care providers to meet child care needs throughout the county;
  
• Conducts outreach activities and holds informational sessions with potential providers and center staff;
  
• Approves family day care homes applying for permits and conducts home health safety visits;
  
• Coordinates home inspections with staff from various state and county agencies;
  
• Assesses homes for participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and /or the Child Care Assistance Program;
  
• Provides orientation sessions for program participation;
  
• Educates parents on types of available care and assists with placements in family day care;
  
• Prepares monthly reports for assigned geographic area;
  
• Participates in gathering information and writing grant proposals;
  
• Writes articles for newsletters and other publications and produces flyers and brochures on a variety of child care topics;
  
• Investigates complaints and makes recommendations regarding the disposition;
  
• Assists with special programs that foster Office for Children programs;
  
• May supervise paraprofessional and administrative support staff.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

( The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

• Knowledge of the basic principles, concepts, and methodology of assigned area of accountability;
  
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;
  
• Ability to keep current on the latest theories of early childhood development and education;
  
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education and experience and training equivalent to the following:
(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, psychology, social work, or a closely related field; plus one year of experience in school age and/ or early child development programs.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check, Child Protective Services Registry check, and a driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer. TB screening at time of employment and every two years thereafter.

All newly hired employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (two weeks after the last required dose) as a condition of employment or obtain approval of a medical or religious exemption prior to their start date. Proof of an exemption or vaccination status will be required during the pre-employment onboarding process. New employees who obtain an exemption from the vaccine mandate for medical or sincerely held religious beliefs may be subject to a weekly testing requirement. Vaccinated employees and employees with a medical or religious exemption will complete the attestation online on their first day of employment or shortly thereafter.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Graduation from an accredited College or University with a bachelors degree in one of the following disciplines: Child and Family Studies; Early Childhood Development; Early Childhood Education; Human Services; Nutrition; Psychology; Social Work
  
• Experience working with family child care programs.
• Two (2) years of professional experience in child care administration, early childhood development programs or nutrition programs.
• Two (2) years of experience managing a caseload.
• Excellent oral and writing skills.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Work is generally sedentary in nature. However, incumbent may be required to do some walking, standing, bending, and carrying items up to 25 pounds. Ability to operate keyboard-driven equipment. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing. Sufficiently mobile to attend meetings at various locations and make presentations to county staff and community. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel Interview and may include a practical exercise.

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 39.8% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact 703-324-4900 for assistance. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov. EEO/AA/TTY.