Social Emotional Specialist

At Easterseals of Chicagoland and Greater Rockford, we are committed to two – often interconnecting - pillars of work……early learning and disability. Through these pillars, we transform the lives of early learners and individuals of all abilities through access to expert educational, family, and community support. As an affiliate of America’s largest nonprofit healthcare organization, we have proudly served the communities and families of Chicagoland and Greater Rockford since 1936.

For more information about our organization, please visit us online at www.eastersealschicago.org.

The Social Emotional Specialist provides expertise, training, and consultation in social emotional and mental health services for Easterseals Early Learning programs, ensuring compliance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards and Illinois State Board of Education requirements. The Social Emotional Specialist supports staff, families, and children by offering mental health expertise, delivering training, and providing consultation throughout the program. Additionally, the SES develops and monitors systems for identifying children with suspected social emotional needs and establishes collaborative agreements with Local Education Agencies and Early Intervention programs to ensure timely evaluations and services. The Social Emotional Specialist works closely with all managers to facilitate the recruitment, enrollment, and inclusion of children with social emotional needs in the program, and supervises Play Therapist(s).

This position is headquartered at Easterseals Chicago Location at 1939 W 13th Street, Chicago, IL 60608.

MAJOR FUNCTIONS/ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Conduct individualized child observations as needed and provide comprehensive feedback, strategies, and resources to Child Service Coordinators (CSCs), staff, and families to support holistic child development.
• Support CSCs in developing, implementing, and monitoring individualized child and behavior plans, ensuring appropriate follow-through, documentation, and resource alignment.
• Develop and implement a data-driven, tiered system for social-emotional support across directly operated centers, home-based programs, and partner sites, including evaluating student needs and coordinating the allocation of mental health resources (e.g., Play Therapist, crisis intervention supports).
• Analyze child, family, and program-level data to inform social-emotional service planning and continuous program improvement.
• Lead training, coaching, and professional development for staff on social-emotional learning (SEL), behavioral management, trauma-informed care, and the Pyramid Model framework; provide Trauma-Informed learning groups for staff and families.
• Educate and partner with families to support children’s social-emotional development at home, including guidance related to trauma’s impact on development and crisis response supports.
• Collaborate with Regional Directors and CSCs to assess regional needs, ensure consistent mental health guidance across sites, and strategically deploy resources.
• Coordinate with community agencies to connect children and families to crisis counseling and ongoing supportive services as needed.
• Support the development and implementation of policies and procedures related to social-emotional services, crisis response, and family referrals.
• Participate in program monitoring systems to ensure active supervision and child safety at all times.
• Support enrollment and recruitment efforts to maintain full enrollment within Head Start/Early Head Start.
• Participate in regularly scheduled content-area and cross-functional meetings.
• Travel regularly to Easterseals and partner sites to provide on-site support.
• May provide administrative and/or clinical supervision to the Child and Family Therapist and/or Play Therapist, as needed, to meet licensure requirements and ensure alignment with program standards and service delivery expectations.

Education/Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or related field
• Preferred License: LCSW or LCPC
• Minimum License: LSW or LPC

Experience Required:

• 3-5 years of early childhood experience
• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience supporting the mental health and social-emotional development of young children in early childhood settings.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in Head Start/Early Head Start.
• Home visiting experience preferred.

Required Knowledge:

• Trauma-informed practices
• Early Childhood Development 
• Head Start Performance Standards.
• MS Office 365, Teams

Vehicle/Transportation Requirements:

• Valid driver’s license.
• Auto insurance.
• Reliable vehicle.

Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to demonstrate cultural competence and sensitivity while using reflective practices with a diverse population.
• Able to work well with all levels of the organization, partner sites, other agencies, and funding source personnel.
• Demonstrates the ability to conceptualize and articulate program outcomes.
• Well organized, highly detail-oriented, and accuracy-driven.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

ADA: Easterseals will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act of 1990. Unless exempted by the Americans with Disabilities Act, all persons hired for this position are required to possess the ability to perform the physical tasks necessary to treat clients, i.e., bending, floor-sitting, etc., as well as to have the ability to lift up to 50 pounds frequently.

#ELS123