Provide specialized behavioral, social-emotional, and developmental support to young children, teachers, and families across multiple early learning sites. Collaborate with BCBAs and classroom staff to implement intervention plans and provide professional development on positive behavior supports.
Requirements summary
Requires at least 3 years of experience working with young children and a degree in Early Childhood Education, Psychology, or a related field. Candidates must be willing to obtain RBT certification and pass comprehensive background screenings.
Grace Place puts faith into action, providing pathways out of poverty by educating children and families.
Position Summary
The Early Learning Support Specialist provides specialized behavioral, social-emotional, and developmental support to young children, teachers, and families within the Grace Place early learning environment. Reporting to Early Childhood Education Manager and under the licensed supervision of the BCBA/STAR Director, this role supports children enrolled at the Grace Place campus, Family Literacy Expansion sites, and the Grace Place Early Learning Center at Naples Park Elementary. Through early identification, individualized intervention, developmental support, family engagement, and teacher collaboration, the Early Learning Support Specialist helps ensure children are prepared for success in school and beyond.
This position is intentionally distinct from a traditional behavior technician role. While behavioral principles are applied, the scope of the work extends to the whole child supporting communication, social-emotional growth, school readiness, and positive classroom participation. The long-term success of this model depends on consistency, effective communication, and relationship-building.
Essential
Duties and Responsibilities
Child and Classroom Support :
Provide behavioral, developmental, and social-emotional support services across multiple Grace Place early learning locations, including the main Grace Place campus, Family Literacy Expansion sites, and the Grace Place Early Learning Center at Naples Park Elementary.
Conduct classroom observations to identify children who may benefit from early intervention, additional support, or referral to community resources.
Support children's language and communication development, peer interactions, emotional regulation, coping strategies, and classroom participation.
Benefits
Dental Insurance
Paid Holidays
Paid Time Off
Vision Insurance
Group Life Insurance
Medical Insurance
Professional Development
Short-term Disability
Long-term Disability
401(k) with Employer Match
Assist children experiencing transitions, shyness, anxiety, withdrawal, toilet training challenges, or early academic learning difficulties.
Implement behavior support strategies, intervention plans, and skill-building activities as directed by the supervising BCBA.
Collect accurate data on child progress, behavior, attendance at sessions, and intervention implementation; maintain organized records.
Teacher and Staff Collaboration
Collaborate regularly with classroom teachers and administrators to share observations, coordinate support strategies, and promote consistency across the classroom environment.
Provide coaching, modeling, and consultation to teachers on behavioral and social-emotional support strategies within natural classroom routines.
Participate in team meetings, supervision sessions, and planning discussions to support program quality and continuity.
Plan, facilitate, and deliver professional development and coaching for teachers and program staff on classroom management, positive behavior supports, social-emotional development, trauma-informed practices, and Conscious Discipline strategies.
Support the implementation and fidelity of Conscious Discipline practices across Grace Place early learning programs through training, modeling, observation, feedback, and ongoing coaching.
Family Engagement
Build trusting relationships with parents and caregivers; communicate regularly regarding child progress, goals, and strategies for support at home.
Collaborate with families during intervention planning and, when appropriate, coordinate with community providers involved in a child's care.
Screening, Assessment Support, and Early Intervention
Assist with developmental and behavioral screenings under the guidance and direction of the supervising BCBA.
Support early identification of developmental concerns and facilitate referrals to appropriate resources as directed.
Participate in early intervention planning discussions as a contributing team member under BCBA oversight.
Program Expansion and Multi-Site Support
Support the development and implementation of systems, procedures, and early intervention practices as Grace Place expands early childhood programming.
Travel between program locations as needed to conduct observations, provide direct services, support screenings, coach staff, and participate in family meetings.
Scope of Practice and Clinical Oversight
Provide all direct services under the clinical supervision of the STAR Program BCBA; follow established supervision agreements and program protocols.
Refrain from independently making clinical decisions regarding diagnoses, educational placement, eligibility determinations, behavior intervention plans, or treatment recommendations These remain within the BCBA's scope.
Bring questions, concerns, and unique situations to the supervising BCBA/STAR Director for guidance and collaborative decision-making.
Maintain the integrity of the Early Learning Support Specialist role by dedicating time to observations, relationship-building, intervention, family communication, data collection, and supervision, not routine classroom coverage, or unrelated staffing needs.
Qualifications
Education :
Bachelor’s degree or higher in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Psychology, Special Education, or a related field, preferred.
Associate's degree or equivalent experience working with young children with developmental delays will be considered.
Experience
Minimum of 3 years prior experience working with young children, ideally including children with developmental delays, behavioral needs, or social-emotional challenges, required.
Experience in early learning, childcare, or school-based setting preferred.
Internal candidates with an established working relationship within Grace Place are strongly preferred.
Certifications and Training
Must be willing and able to complete the 40-hour BACB-approved RBT coursework and meet eligibility requirements for the RBT certification examination.
Must participate in the two-year RBT recertification cycle, including 12 hours of professional development per recertification period if certification is required.
Must maintain all required training through the NCF/STAR learning platform as directed.
Supervision provided through this role is specific to Grace Place and is not transferable to another employer or agency.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
English proficiency required; bilingual preferred.
Basic proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word required; additional technology and database skills preferred.
Current first aid and CPR certificates.
Willing to submit to Fingerprinting and Background Checks.
Meet required DCF training courses, including the completion of necessary continuing education units (CEUs).
Compliance with Good Moral Character as described by DCF.
Commitment to supporting the leadership culture of the organization.
Additional Information
As members of the Grace Place team, we all value and support the Grace Place Vision, Mission, and Organizational Core Values.
Position Type and Expected Working Hours
Fulltime
Anticipated working hours of approximately 7:30 am-5:30pm Monday through Friday, including evenings and weekends as needed. Physical Demands & Work Environment
This position requires the employee to be physically present and actively engaged in an early childhood classroom environment to ensure the safety, supervision, care, and developmental support of children ages in accordance with DCF regulations and Grace Place safety protocols.
Essential physical requirements of this role include:
Maintain active visual and auditory supervision of children at all times in accordance with DCF regulations and Grace Place procedures.
Although this is a leadership and administrative role, the Manager must be able and prepared to step into a classroom at any time to maintain required staffing ratios, ensure child safety, or support classroom operations when needed.
Frequently lift, carry, or hold children weighing between 10 and 40 pounds.
Occasionally lift or assist with weight exceeding 40 pounds.
Sit on the floor or low chairs, stand, walk, bend, squat, kneel, reach (overhead, at, and below shoulder level), twist, and move quickly between areas of the classroom and playground throughout the workday.
Supervise and interact with children indoors and outdoors for extended periods in varied weather conditions.
Move at a pace sufficient to ensure child safety across classrooms, common spaces, and outdoor areas, including uneven surfaces.
Use hands and fingers to grasp, handle small objects, assist children with fine motor activities, and perform daily classroom tasks.
Clearly see and distinguish children, objects, and written materials at both close and far distances sufficient to maintain supervision and deliver instruction.
Hear and distinguish voices and sounds sufficient to maintain supervision, communicate with children and staff, and respond to alarms or emergency situations.
Communicate clearly through spoken word to children, families, and staff.
The Manager may be required to temporarily assume full classroom supervision responsibilities and perform all physical duties of a classroom teacher when operational needs require.
Remain physically active and mentally alert for extended periods of time to respond immediately to the needs of children and any unexpected situations or emergencies.
Operate a motor vehicle to travel between Grace Place locations, attend meetings, trainings, or off-site obligations, and transport materials as needed. When driving is required as part of job duties, the employee must maintain a valid driver’s license, acceptable driving record, and active automobile insurance.
Reasonable accommodations will be considered in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to enable qualified individuals to perform these essential functions.
Work Environment
Position requires working in numerous locations which include varied temperature, noise level, and other factors that may affect a person’s working conditions while performing the job.
Benefits
At Grace Place, we are committed to supporting the well-being, stability, and growth of our team. We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to care for our employees both personally and professionally. Medical Insurance: Grace Place covers approximately 90% of employee health premiums. Medical Eligibility: Begins on the first of the month following 30 days of employment Dental & Vision Insurance: Available to eligible employees Employer-Paid Benefits: Long-term disability (LTD), short-term disability (STD), and group life insurance Retirement (401(k)): Eligible after 90 days of employment, with employer matching contributions (Up to 4% Company Match) Professional Development: Opportunities to support continued learning and career growth Paid Time Off: 15 days of PTO in the first year Holidays & Closures: 15 days of paid holidays and campus closure days Background Screening Requirement All applicants must successfully complete required State and National background screening as a condition of employment prior to beginning work at Grace Place for Children and Families. Screening is conducted in accordance with applicable Florida law, including Chapter 435, Florida Statutes, and, when applicable, Chapter 408, Florida Statutes.
Background screening includes fingerprinting for FDLE and FBI criminal history checks and review through the Florida Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse. Employment is contingent upon receipt, review, and approval of screening results. Clearinghouse
It is the policy of Grace Place to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants on the basis of experience, training, education, and ability to do the available work without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. This policy relates to all phases of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, employment, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, reduction of workforce and termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, selection for training, the use of all facilities, and participation in all company-sponsored employee activities. Provisions in applicable laws providing for bona fide occupational qualifications, business necessity or age limitations will be adhered to by the company where appropriate.
Employees and applicants shall not be subjected to harassment, intimidation or any type of retaliation because they have (1) filed a complaint; (2) assisted or participated in an investigation, compliance review, hearing or any other activity related to the administration of any federal, state or local law requiring equal employment opportunity; (3) opposed any act or practice made unlawful by any federal, state or local law requiring equal opportunity; or (4) exercised any other legal right protected by federal, state or local law requiring equal opportunity.
The above-mentioned policies shall be periodically brought to the attention of supervisors and shall be appropriately administered. It is the responsibility of each supervisor of the company to ensure affirmative implementation of these policies to avoid any discrimination in employment. All employees are expected to recognize these policies and cooperate with their implementation. Violation of these policies could be considered a disciplinary offense.
Market context
Florida early learning support roles stay competitive
In Florida, Early Learning Support Specialist roles are often tied to steady demand in childcare, preschool, and early intervention settings. Competition tends to focus on candidates with hands-on experience with young children, a relevant degree, and readiness to complete RBT certification and background screening. Review the AI-summarized requirements and benefits here to save research time, then confirm your experience aligns before applying.
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