Preschool Intervention and Referral Specialist (PIRS) - School Social Worker/School Psychologist

Program: Early Childhood Program

Position: Preschool Intervention & Referral Specialist (PIRS)

School Social Worker

School Psychologist

Requirements: At least a Master's Degree from an accredited program New Jersey Certification

-Three to five years experience with preschool education preferred;

-Preferred applicant fluent (oral and written) Spanish and/or Arabic;

-Certification preferred in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA); and

-Background experience in children mental health a plus (preferably ages 0-8)

PIRS Responsibilities and Roles

-Support classroom teachers by providing strategies for children who are exhibiting difficulty in the classroom as indicated through the screening process or the observations.

-Provide written strategies, modeling strategies in the classroom when appropriate,

-Provide professional development and provide consultation to classroom staff, parents, and administrators.

-Work collaboratively with Preschool Instructional Coaches (PIC) and other stakeholders for ongoing support of the students.

-Provide ongoing professional development and support on the implementation of the Pyramid Model for administrators, teacher assistants, PICs, and teachers.

-Support teachers in documenting children's social/emotional development using their performance-based assessment system.

-Coordinate data from the screening tool and follow-up as needed for each student.

-Facilitate the transition of all students with a support plan to other programs as necessary (i.e. Kindergarten).

-Follow the Request for Assistant (RFA) process to develop, implement, and monitor a support plan for students referred for assistance. Document ongoing support.

-Evaluate the progress of the student and, if necessary, facilitate a written referral to the school district Child Study Team as set forth in N.J.A.C. 6A:14.

-Provide professional development on the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT).

-Conduct classroom observations using the TPOT and provide teachers with feedback

-Utilize TPOT data to inform Professional development, classroom support, and coaching

-Reflect on your own professional development needs, attend workshops, read research articles, consult with others, etc.

-Other assigned tasks as needed

Salary: As Per Contractual Agreement

Location: Various Pre-K Sites

Starting Date: To Be Determined