Open Positions at TB5:

Thrive Birth to Five

VA Infant & Toddler Specialist Network – Central Office

Infant and Toddler Specialist Job Description

Position Title:       Infant and Toddler Specialist (ITS)

Department:           Access & Engagement

Reports To:            Senior Manager, Early Childhood Access and Engagement

Category:               Full-time: 37.5 hours per week

About Thrive Birth to Five:  Thrive Birth to Five (TB5) has been the early childhood systems building organization in the Richmond Region since 2007 and was designated Ready Region Central by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) in 2022. TB5’s regional community partners include diverse public and private organizations that work collectively to ensure all children are ready to succeed in school, work, and life. Partners include childcare entities, school systems, state and local government, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and local businesses. Our region includes the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex counties, as well as the cities of Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond. 

Purpose of the Position:

To increase school readiness by improving the quality of care and education as defined by VQB5 received by infants and toddlers (0-36 months) and to increase the competency of their teachers and directors to promote children’s early learning and development.

Education:           

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in infant and toddler or early childhood education, child development, human services, social work, or child related field required. Master’s degree preferred.

Experience:         

A minimum of two years of infant and toddler experience, with five years of experience preferred, or any combination of training and experience which provides the required skills, knowledge, and abilities. Demonstrated expertise in infant and toddler development, experience with child care or other early care settings.

Qualifications:

• Must possess a strong knowledge base in child growth and development, including planning and implementing developmentally appropriate early care and education for infants and toddlers.
• Must possess excellent planning, organizational, and time management skills, the ability to mentor and coach adult learners, the capacity to build collaborative partnerships, and provide services that are culturally competent and appropriate to the needs of the target audience.
• Must possess the capacity to plan and conduct training for adults.
• Must exercise independent judgment and initiative in working with partners, infant and toddler teachers, directors, families (ITBC only), and staff to carry out regional activities.
• Must be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate orally in person, virtually, by telephone, and in writing with partners, infant and toddler teachers, directors, and those from diverse populations.
• Must possess knowledge of center-based child care, home-based child care, and VQB5.
• Must possess the skills and ability to use equipment necessary to carry out job responsibilities (e.g. computer and training software).
• Must be able to travel throughout the region, including overnight travel as needed.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Suite, videoconferencing, teaching or webinar tools (e.g., Zoom, Canvas), virtual platforms (e.g., SharePoint, OneDrive).

Special Requirements:

Must have a valid driver’s license and insurance; dependable transportation; a   negative TB test; and a child protective services, criminal record, and sexual offenders’ registry check.

Physical Requirements:

Must be physically able to independently operate a vehicle and travel independently throughout the region, and statewide as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Administrative
  • Works with regional office supervisor to plan work scope and monitor timelines.
  • Uses Classroom Assessment Scoring System® (CLASS®) and curriculum data to plan and offer VA ITSN services.
  • Enter data into the VA ITSN database weekly.
  • Participates in meetings, including VA ITSN orientation, and all other trainings as required by position.
  • Consults with Network Quality Coordinator/ITBC Project Coordinator on a quarterly basis, at a minimum, to discuss caseload progress and site/classroom issues.
  • Completes training for Language Environment Analysis (LENA®), CLASS®, and CLASS Environment™ in addition to any other job-required training.
  • Maintains certifications and reliability.
  • Works with regional office supervisor to develop a plan for meeting individualized professional development goals.
  • Works with Training and Professional Development Coordinator to discuss ongoing individual TA needs.
  • Complies with VA ITSN Program Procedures Guide.

• Work with partners, infant and toddler teachers, families (ITBC only), and directors to provide services:
  
  • Coaching –improve the quality of interactions that infants and toddlers receive while in child care centers and home-based child care by providing individualized supports to VQB5 classrooms with the lowest CLASS score.
    • Support high quality care and education in infant and toddler classrooms in VQB5 through coaching.
    • Recruit and select only infant and toddler classrooms, directors, and new teachers with limited CLASS experience participating in VQB5 to receive intensive coaching services to improve the quality of teacher-child interactions and curriculum use.
    • Use guidance provided by VDOE to prioritize publicly funded VQB5 sites/classrooms and new teachers with limited CLASS experience that need support the most or (ITBC only) that have a specific referral for a child demonstrating need.
    • Collaborate on outreach and recruitment approaches with VDOE, Ready Regions, VECC, and other improvement partners who provide instructional coaching or have existing relationships with VQB5 sites.
    • ITBC only: Provide consultation on promoting the social emotional development of infants and toddlers for teachers, directors, and their families prioritizing those from VQB5 centers and home-based child care and/or a site with a specific referral for an infant or toddler demonstrating need.
    • Provide coaching services to a minimum of 26 infant and toddler classrooms/directors, to include home-based child care, with an estimated 475 hours.
    • Coordinate with Ready Regions to ensure VQB5 participating sites/classrooms have access to a VDOE-approved curriculum and/or supplemental materials.
    • Share the option of STREAMin3 curriculum in infant/toddler or home-based child care classrooms.
      
  • Training and Technical Assistance – increase the competencies of infant and toddler educators in VQB5 to improve the quality of teacher-child interactions and to support early learning and development of infants and toddlers as outlined in Virginia’s Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS), by providing training and technical assistance (TA).
    • Support the competencies of teachers and directors in centers and home-based child care by providing training and TA including peer-to-peer learning opportunities, on infant and toddler topics based on regional needs as indicated by VQB5 data with a focus on supporting new infant and toddler teachers in VQB5 sites.
    • Share the option of STREAMin3 curriculum in infant/toddler or home-based child care classrooms.
    • Provide training on topics that support teachers and directors with the promotion of the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of infants and toddlers aligned with ELDS, Infant and Toddler CLASS, and VDOE’s Early Childhood Curriculum Guidance, targeted to publicly funded sites participating in VQB5.
    • Conduct training that supports improved teacher-child interactions/CLASS scores, is aligned with ELDS, and supports implementation of concepts of high-quality curriculum or Virgnina-approved curriculum by participants.
    • Conduct a total of 90 training and TA hours with a minimum of 20 hours of training for infant/toddler teachers and directors and a minimum of 25 hours of TA for infant/toddler classrooms/sites.
    • Conduct training sessions at regional and cross regional institutes and state conferences for infant and toddler providers.
    • Collaborate on outreach and recruitment approaches to VQB5 sites in collaboration with Ready Regions and other community partners who provide training as appropriate.
    • Promote services and connect directors and teachers to other relevant services, education opportunities, events, and resources.

• Other
  • Perform other job-related duties as requested by supervisor.
  • Attend or conduct training in the evenings or during weekends, as needed.
  • Return all materials and equipment acquired with grant funds to Regional Office upon termination of employment.

Salary: $56,708-$64,106

The position is eligible for a competitive salary and benefits package, including health and dental insurance with generous employer contributions, employer paid short-term and long-term disability and life insurance. Accrued vacation up to 20 days per full year. Hybrid work is an option after a training period, up to two days per week.

Anticipated start date: June 22, 2026

To apply for this position:

Submit a cover letter and resume to hiring@thriveB5.org by June 10, 2026

Thrive Birth to Five is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: we are committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.