Job Description
Position: CDA Program Manager
Full-Time | Salary Range: $52,000-$58,000
Culture:
Trying Together’s mission is to support high-quality care and education for young children.
Trying Together is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that supports the work of early childhood by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the adults who interact with them. A fast-paced organization, Trying Together looks for dedicated and passionate staff who bring positivity to their work and a solution-oriented sensibility.
Trying Together encourages its team, partners, and communities to interact compassionately and honor the range of cultures, ideas, and identities that root each person. Young children develop and learn by example; this means that children whose early learning environments reflect just actions, equitable opportunities, diverse representation, and inclusive approaches experience healthier interactions and build relationships that enable them to thrive.
Trying Together is an equal-opportunity employer. Trying Together does not discriminate and encourages qualified candidates of any gender, race, class, sexual orientation, faith, disability, or age to apply. All candidates will be evaluated on a merit basis.
Purpose:
Trying Together offers a community-based Child Development Associate (CDA) credentialing program to support career growth in the early care and education field. A crucial piece of our workforce development offerings under the Institute for Early Childhood Career Pathways, the CDA guides early learning professionals in their work to build on their professional experience and expertise. The Program Manager oversees a team of Workforce Development Strategists to guide facilitation and implementation of the CDA program, and manages ongoing aspects of credentialing once students have completed required coursework. The CDA Program Manager is an active member of the Quality Initiatives Professional Learning Team, will report to the Director of Professional Learning, and should be available to work evenings and weekends to support early childhood educators.
Responsibilities:
- Commitment to racial equity and inclusion and a willingness to do the ongoing personal work to bring about a more just society by actively participating in professional growth opportunities.
- Actively work with peers to create a culture of belonging at Trying Together.
- Willingness to disrupt practices that do not honor children’s, families’, educators’, and colleagues’ humanity.
- Oversee the design, implementation, and management of the CDA program to meet accreditation standards and program objectives.
- Develop and update program curriculum, resources, and materials to align with early childhood education best practices and CDA Council guidelines.
- In collaboration with a team of Workforce Development Strategists and the Career Pathways Program staff, provide ongoing support and guidance to CDA candidates throughout the credentialing process, including application submission, portfolio development, and exam preparation.
- Facilitate training sessions, workshops, and courses related to early childhood education, classroom management, and child development theories, both within and outside of the CDA program, as needed.
- Supervise and lead a team of CDA instructors to ensure the effective delivery of the program.
- Support the CDA Team in maintaining accurate records of candidate progress, training hours, and credentialing milestones for audit and reporting purposes.
- Conduct program evaluations and implement continuous improvement strategies based on feedback and outcomes.
- With support from the Director of Professional Learning, manage program budgets, ensuring efficient allocation of resources to meet program goals.
- Maintain and manage program materials, facilities, and technology to support candidates' learning experiences.
- Track key program metrics, such as enrollment, completion rates, and credential attainment, to assess program success.
- Work collaboratively across departments within Trying Together to meet the mission and accomplish the work.
- Participate in initial and ongoing professional development for continuous learning and expanding one’s professional knowledge base.
- Consistently use the NeonCRM platform to build relationships with constituents, record data that measure project performance, and support continuous quality improvement in the organization's resources and services.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications/Skills:
- Bachelor's degree in Child Development, Early Childhood or related field, and five (5) years of related experience in early childhood education. A Master’s degree is preferred.
- Experience facilitating professional development, preferably to educators.
- Three (3) years of supervisory experience.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office suite and Google Workspace.
- Value the collaborative, reflective, and reciprocal nature of consultation.
- Approach educator career development with a growth mindset and believe all educators can improve, whatever the starting point.
- Use reflective practice strategies and skills.
- Be extremely organized.
- Be flexible.
- Be a creative problem solver.
- Have a keen eye for detail and the ability to multitask.
- Possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Ability to work both independently as well as part of a team.
- Ability to work some evenings and/or weekends.
Required Clearances:
- Clean Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance.
- Clean Act 34 PA State Police Clearance.
- Clean Act 73 Federal Criminal History Clearance.
- National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification.
- Valid Driver’s License and proof of insurance.
Required Training:
- Mandated Reporter Training (must be completed in the first month of placement).
- NeonCRM Training (required and recommended online courses must be completed in the first three months of placement).
- PQAS Professional Development Instructor Certification (must be obtained within the first year of employment for staff with a Bachelor’s Degree).
Benefits:
- Competitive compensation and benefits package.
- Appreciative inquiry and strengths-based review process.
Job Tags
Full time, Flexible hours, Weekend work, Afternoon shift,