The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, was established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts. After passing a century, which it celebrated in 2019, it is now a global movement made up of 29 national member organizations which work in 120 countries.

ROLE PURPOSE:

The ECDE Teacher Education play specialist is a member of the USAID/LEGO Foundation supported Childhood development Project team. The project is implemented by Save the Children Ethiopia Office and local partners targeting crisis-affected pre-primary school age children in five regions of Ethiopia.

The ECDE Teacher Education Play Specialist will be involved in providing training on comprehensive ECDE play-based approach, MHPSS, and referral pathways to ECDE facilitators, local implementing partners and government staff. She/he provides training on Accelerated School Readiness (ASR) Curriculum to IDP sites ECDE facilitators. She/he provides coaching and mentoring support to local implementing partner (LIP) staff and school cluster supervisors on comprehensive ECDE play-based approach. S/he will be engaged in joint routine supportive monitoring and coaching of the implementation of the play-based approach at ECDE center and pre-primary school level.  Actively participate on facilitators and pre-primary teachers professional capacity strengthening resource development process to make sure that the ECDE training materials are gender transformative, disability inclusive and conflict sensitive. She/he leads the joint meetings of regional Universities ECDE center of Excellence, ECDE Teacher Education Colleges and ECDE Centers for sharing innovate approaches, ground level experiences and challenges and better coordination.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Senior ECDE Teacher Education Advisor

Staff reporting to this post: None 

Budget Responsibilities: None

Role Dimensions:

The ECDE Teacher Education Play Specialist will collaborate with ECDE TE collages for the integration of play-based approaches into ECDE Teacher Education program through consultative engagement and joint development supplementary guides of transforming training into play-based approach. The ECDE Teacher Education Play Specialist will collaborate with the project’s technology-based team to ensure the use of audio-taped ECDE lessons and print materials at ECDE centers. She/he support LIP staff to ensure ECDE facilitators hold interactive ECDE sessions at ECDE centers. She/he collaborate with ECDE Teacher Education Colleges to create work linkage with nearby target ECDE centers.  Ensure that LIP staff hold parental sessions to strengthen parents’ capacity and follow up the parents’ experience of implementing ELM at home sessions. She/he will adapt the monthly Teacher Learning Circle guide and monitor the documentation of progress and challenges of the monthly teachers learning circle sessions of the ECDE facilitators. She/he will follow up the provisions and documentation of coaching support by LIP and school cluster supervisors to ECDE facilitators and pre-school teachers. Ensure the target ECDE facilitators enroll and complete the diploma level ECDE Teacher Education course. Participate in the organization of the one month ECDE leadership training for women woreda education experts, and follow up the implementation of subsequent coaching and mentoring of ECDE facilitators by the education experts.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

A.  Technical Leadership:

• Involve in the development/adaptation of teachers guide on comprehensive play based ECDE approach, and ASR teachers guide
• Participate in the development of ECDEiE play-based supplementary materials for ECDE Teacher Education Colleges depicting conflict sensitivity, gender transformation and disability inclusion perspectives.
• Ensure coaching guide are properly used by LIP and school cluster supervisors and held the session with ECDE facilitators or O-class teachers
• Involve in the capacity build of training of LIP staff, government staff, and ECDE facilitators on comprehensive play based ECDE approach and Accelerated School Readiness curriculum.
• Ensure monthly teacher learning circle (TLC)/experience sharing sessions are held with ECDE facilitators or O-class teachers using teacher learning circle guide by LIP and government school cluster supervisors.
• Provide coaching and mentoring support to LIPs and school cluster supervisor on play based ECDE teacher training program.
• engage in joint routine supportive monitoring and coaching of the implementation of the play-based approach

B. Ensuring Programme Quality (Design & Implementation):

• Represent SC in the assigned region and oversee the implementation of USAID/LEGO foundation overall activity implementation, in the region. Attend regional meetings and workshops related with CDA activities and Liaise with Implementing partner and stakeholders.
• Involve in the technical scoping and sequencing of cascading training on comprehensive play based approach for ECDE facilitators,, LIP and government staff.
• Participate in the organization and running of cascading trainings in a way that develop knowledge and skills on play-based ECDE approaches.
•  Participate in a workshop to develop supplementary materials to help ECDE Teacher Education college instructors make courses  gender transformative, disability inclusive and conflict sensitivity
• Work with school cluster supervisors and LIP staff to ensure that monthly teacher learning circles are held to develop specific skills on play based ECDE approaches
•  Participate and run regular linkage forums among the regional Universities ECDE center of excellence, ECDE Teacher Education Colleges and pre-primary schools result in experience exchange and learning. Besides, monitor that lessons from the regular sessions are integrated into the monthly coaching and mentoring sessions for ECDE facilitators’ specific skills development on play based ECDE approach.
• Involve in the development of criteria for the selection of ECDE facilitators which are selected to be sponsored for diploma level ECDE course in the regional colleges and support LIP in the selection process,
• Participate in the selection process of ECDE facilitators and follow up their enrollment, regular attendance and complete the ECDE Diploma teacher Education program successfully.
•  Contribute inputs for the development of TOR on Leadership Training for district level female ECDE experts for one month, and lead the process of the technical institution selection, training of the experts and ensure completion of all enrolled Worda female ECDE experts.
• In collaboration with LIP, monitor leadership coaching and mentoring support to female ECDE facilitators by the woreda female education expert.
• Contribute inputs to the preparation of case stories, project lessons and technical briefs on ECDE facilitators technical skills improvement, challenges and success on implementing comprehensive play-based ECDE approaches, ECDE facilitators professional level upgrading and female leadership training and subsequent coaching of female ECDE facilitators.
• Participate in  SCI-Education sector community of practice on lessons and evidences of ECDE TE training, Cascading training, TLC session and coaching and mentoring practices to ECDE facilitators
• Facilitate and participate in joint field visits to project sites on how coaching and mentoring of ECDE facilitators by implementing partners are supporting ECDE facilitators to make ECDE learning sessions play based.
• Participate on emergency data collection on conflict sensitivity, gender and disability.
• Prepare and submit USAID/LEGO foundation overall monthly and quarterly program implementation report to the national office.
• Supports partners in the preparation of CDA monthly reports.
• Do other related tasks as assigned by supervisor.

C.  Networking & External Engagement:

• Work with regional, zonal, district ECDEiE actors (INGOs, NGOs, CBOs and UN agencies) on ECDE facilitator/pre-primary school teachers’ competency improvement in conflict and crisis affected regions.
• Participate on regional ECDE technical working groups and district level ECDEiE learning forums
• Participate on strengthening CBOs and CSOs support to volunteer ECDE facilitators on the delivery of comprehensive ECDE play-based sessions at ECDE centers.
• Coordinate with technical colleagues from across Save the Children-Education, Child Protection and livelihood teams at a field level for sharing project evidences and learning.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds their team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in accordance with the context, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares Save the Children’s vision, and engages and motivates others future orientated, thinks strategically and on a national and global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
• The post holder must commit to work in an international agency that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion and fights racism, gender inequality and discrimination in all forms; and to model positive behaviours that demonstrate a commitment to equality and respect to all colleagues, partners and communities.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

• BA/Bed  degree in Early childhood Care and Education, EiE, Teacher Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Psychology or related field
• Training in ECDE Teacher Education program, teacher training strategies, program, training in play-based approaches/methodologies

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• At least 7 years’ experience of leading the design and implementation of Teacher Education Program and at least 1 years’ experience in ECDE Teacher Education program.
• Exposure in ECDE Teacher Education Strategies, preparation of ECDE teacher education course and ECDE play-based approach in TE program.
• Understanding of ECDE policy framework and education sector in Ethiopia
• Awareness of regional education cluster, regional ECDE forums or ECDE Technical working group.
• Familiarity with teacher education program,  and ECDE teacher education monitoring and evaluation tools,
• Experience in developing project activity action plan
• Experience in mobilizing community to create conducive environment for ECDE services at community level
• Experience in creating collaboration with teacher education colleges, District Education Office, ECDE centers.
• Able to use digital software for data collection and analysis such as KOBO TOOL BOX.
• Experience on integrating gender equality and inclusion in ECDE or education projects.
• Experience of in developing school/learning center disaster reduction preparedness plan
• Experience in facilitating training in play-based ECDE approach, PSS, SEL, conflict sensitivity, disability inclusion, gender transformative approach, and in coaching and mentoring
• Good report writing skills.
• Good communication/ English language skills

Key COMPETENCIES Technical competencies:

• Ensures all children’s access to quality education
• Ensures all children’s wellbeing
• Supports all children’s learning and development

Generic Competencies

• Being the Voice of Children: Promotes evidence-based policy and public engagement that includes the voices of children and their communities
• Advancing Equality & Inclusion: Displays a commitment to ensuring everything we do considers the most deprived and marginalized children
• Building & Strengthening Partnerships: Promotes working with diverse partners as critical to delivery
• Child Rights: Promotes the rights of children in own work and in work with colleagues     and peers