Education Consultant

The Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is recruiting for an Education Consultant position.  The OEC is a unique state agency in Connecticut that helps families with young children achieve better life outcomes. A new state agency, OEC is called on in its enabling statute to be data-driven, human-centered, and result-focused.  We touch the lives of over 200,000 young children, parents, and caregivers annually through our integrated focus on early care and education programs and safety supports, our home visiting programs, and other critical early childhood services.  By scale of funding, OEC is one of the largest departments of Connecticut state government, deploying and leveraging approximately half a billion dollars each year in service of vulnerable families and communities.  Connecticut is a leader in the nation.  Whereas early childhood programming in most states is fragmented across multiple programs which families must navigate, only a handful of states have created agencies dedicated to integrating the supports families with young children require – and only Connecticut’s has  multigenerational (or 2Gen) mandate.  The majority of brain development occurs in early childhood, setting the stage for the rest of a lifetime.  Experiences that support or impair a child’s development during this time can have significant and long lasting impacts. New parents and caregivers need support to weather the challenges and costs of parenting and caring for young children.  OEC acts on the overwhelming evidence that intervention early in life is the most promising way to break the cycle of poverty.  Your work here will have an impact on the economic security, health, safety, and resilience of families with young children. You will help make childcare safer, more accessible and of higher quality; you will identify ways to engage and support families to improve child wellbeing and development and to help reduce risk of child abuse, neglect, and trauma; you will help families gain greater economic stability; you will support families with young children who have developmental delays. 

This position will play a critical role in the development of this new agency, showing that a family-centered, results-driven, data-smart approach to service delivery drives measurably better results for children.  This position will be joining a team responsible for the administration of child care funding for the state, totaling more than $250 million dollars annually.  Specific responsibilities of this position include: Active contract and grant management for programs such as School Readiness and Smart Start including monitoring program performance and working with programs to develop corrective action plans for program improvement; development of early care and education funding requirements and policies;  creation of program administration strategy, including the design of criteria for funding such as RFP creation and grantee selection; understanding enacted legislation on policies, regulations, and programs;  collaborating with other OEC program managers and stakeholders within and outside the agency; grant writing; and serving as a resource to families, programs and communities on issues related to early childhood education.  Occasional travel may be required.  This position is located at 450 Columbus Blvd., Hartford, CT.    

Applicants are required to submit a resume on the resume tab with their submission.  (Note: In order to upload documents you must ensure that your internet browser's 'pop-up' blocker is off.  Failure to do so may prevent you from being able to upload documentation and submit your application.) 

Questions about this recruitment and these required documents should be directed to the Office of Early Childhood human resources office:  Chris.Beloff@ct.gov or (860)713-6697.

In the Department of Education, plans and executes programs of extensive difficulty and scope for the improvement of education in the State; does related work as required.

Assists a Bureau Chief in supervising the broad educational programs and services offered by the State; develops and administers specific programs of major importance within the framework of policies outlined by the Bureau Chief; provides professional leadership and guidance to school authorities, professional organizations, students and various community groups and individuals; may assist in preparing and administering the allocated budget, and in directing the routine functioning of the bureau.

Thorough knowledge of the philosophy and methods of education with particular reference to the field concerned; teaching skill; considerable ability to deal effectively with others; considerable administrative ability; ability to prepare comprehensive written reports.

An earned advanced degree and eight (8) years of professional experience OR in lieu thereof an equivalent combination of experience and training as approved by the Board of Education.

The preferred knowledge, skills and abilities for this position include excellent writing and public speaking skills, including grant writing; experience managing programs or initiatives with budgets of over $10 million; experience understanding public policy and education research literature and translating to practice; successful track record of partnership development and  community engagement;  formal education in education, public policy, public administration, or economics; Spanish language proficiency is preferred but not required; experience developing public policy recommendations; experience in early care and education/child care program delivery, evaluation, or administration; knowledge of child development, early care and education best practices, racial equity strategies, 2-generational family outcomes, trauma prevention, developmental delays, dual language learning, and culturally appropriate policy-making practices; experience developing policies and procedures, monitoring, and providing technical assistance.

Must hold an appropriate certificate issued by State Board of Education.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.