Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Specialist

Under the direction of the Director of Early Childhood Services, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Specialist, (IDEA Specialist) will provide leadership towards the mission and vision of Harbor Regional Center while also providing information and support to individuals (up to age 22 receiving special educations services) as they navigate the public school system.  The IDEA Specialist will also provide enhanced case management support to staff and families navigating the transition process for children moving from the Early Start program (Part C of IDEA) to special education (Part B of IDEA).

Essential Duties

Develops collaborative partnerships with local school districts and other agencies to achieve effective and timely transitions for regional center children who are transitioning to preschool or kindergarten, other programs outside of regional center early start services, or individuals age 3 and up to 22 years;

Improves family engagement and supports during transition to educational services;

Serves as a liaison between Harbor Regional Center (HRC) and the local education agencies (LEA) within HRC’s catchment area;

Ensures LEAs are providing availability and making efforts to participate in transition conferences with families in a timely manner;

Oversees the quality of relationships between HRC and LEAs and ensures each party complies with the established memorandum of understanding (MOU);

Participates in the development and/or improvement of MOUs with local education agencies, head start programs, and other agencies;

Attends collaborative meetings with Head Start programs to identify ways to enhance enrollment of regional center clients;

Educates parents/caregivers on the transition process and provides support;

Conducts educational workshops for parents & caregivers for transition age clients including topics on Individual Education Plan (IEP) and advocacy supports (e.g., TASK, Learning Rights);

Takes the lead with coordinating transition/resource fair events for families;

Guides families on the process of making a self-referral to their local school district for special education assessments and conducts follow-up to ensure the referral was processed;

Solicits feedback from families on how to update and improve the transition process, training, and family satisfaction, and shares this feedback with the State Department of Education;

Provides training to service coordinators on best practices around transition planning;

Conducts case management trainings on timely referrals and documenting transition steps and plans in the Transition Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP);

Educates service coordinators on resources and options available to children exiting Part C services;

Identifies areas of training needs regarding special education law and transition process

Ensures that HRC meets Part C to Part B transition requirements;

Monitors transition conference scheduling and transition IFSPs for clients ages 30-33 months;

Assists with auditing records for transition aged clients;

Develops procedures and/or policies to improve HRC’s compliance with transition requirements

Minimum Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and abilities required to satisfactorily perform the essential duties and responsibilities.

• Flexible, reliable self-directed, team player with great interpersonal skills.
• Knowledgeable of Early Start statues and regulations, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Lanterman Act and other statues impacting the education of student with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills in management with the ability to motivate, mentor and coach staff, provider and local education agencies.
• Ability to work collaboratively across the organization within a team approach.
• Excellent written/verbal skills, particularly formulating recommendations for actions.
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills in working with individuals with developmental disabilities.
• Demonstrate knowledge and experience in the development of an Individual Education Plan (IEP).  Extensive understanding of parental rights in the IEP process.

Education & Experience

The ideal candidate will have a Master’s Degree in Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Public Health or related field.  Demonstrated abilities as a leader.  Experience managing teams, leading projects, providing educational support and opportunities to individuals receiving special education services.

Other Requirement:

Upon job offer acceptance, candidates will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations and booster if eligible.  A reasonable accommodation may be requested for an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement.

Salary Range: $71,968 – $80,101

Please submit cover letter and resume to:  HR@harborrc.org

Equal Opportunity Employer