Associate (Early Years), Enable Program

Pratham Education FoundationJob Opportunities, Program Roles

**About Pratham**:
Pratham was founded in 1995, to provide pre-school education to children in Mumbai slums. Over the last 27 years, Pratham has grown to be one of the largest non-profit organizations working to provide quality education to children and youth in over 20 states and union territories across the country, through a range of interventions.

**About the ENABLE Program**
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes the fundamental importance of universal foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN). But, children, especially those with special needs and disabilities, face significant barriers hindering their acquisition of foundational skills. In India, an estimated 7.8 million children and young individuals had disabilities in 2019. Alarmingly, a large proportion of them do not attend educational institutions, and 45% struggle to attain foundational literacy. ENABLE' or 'Equity in Accessing Numeracy And Basic Literacy Education', is a multi-pronged intervention to strengthen the quality of education for 3-9 year olds with disabilities. The 3 key objective of this program is to:
1. Strengthen Government's mainstream service delivery mechanism to ensure foundational learning outcomes for learners with disabilities (LwD)
2. Identify, address and overcome attitudinal barriers and stereotypes towards learners with disabilities in families and communities
3. Facilitate partnership between relevant government departments, civil society, private sector and communities in support for learners with disabilities

**Position Summary**:
**Key responsibilities**:
**Curriculum Development -**
- Collaborate with educators and curriculum specialists to create, adapt, and customize early childhood education materials for children with disabilities.
- Ensure materials are inclusive, engaging, and aligned with educational standards.
- Incorporate differentiated instruction strategies into curriculum materials to address diverse abilities and learning styles.
- Ensure curriculum content is accessible and adaptable to meet specific needs of each child through innovative integration of assistive technologies.

**Professional Development and Support -**
- Plan, develop, and deliver training programs, workshops, and professional development for early childhood educators.
- Provide hands-on support to teachers in creating inclusive learning environments.

**Research and Advocacy -**
- Maintain records and documentation of curriculum development, training sessions, and teacher support efforts.
- Regularly assess the effectiveness of curriculum materials and teacher training programs. Make necessary adjustments and enhancements based on evaluation results.
- Advocate for the rights and needs of children with disabilities and the promotion of inclusive education and gender diversity.
- Participate in conferences, workshops, and public events to share knowledge, promote inclusive education, and support the organization's and project's mission.

**Required Skills and Knowledge**:
**Skills**:

- The ability to tailor educational curriculum to meet the diverse needs of students.
- Skill in modifying instructional materials.
- The capacity to design and implement teaching strategies that cater to the individual needs of students.
- Expertise in creating a classroom environment that welcomes and accommodates students of all abilities, backgrounds, and identities.
- The ability to provide support and guidance to educators to enhance their classroom management, teaching methods, and their understanding of diverse learning needs.
- Proficiency in reaching out to families, communities, and stakeholders to create awareness, build support, and engage them in educational initiatives.
- The ability to perform desk review with latest research methodologies to develop innovative materials for children.
- The ability to collect and analyze data to deliver meaningful results.
- Communication and public relations skills.
- Ability to summarize complex information into concise forms (visual/written/verbal)

**Knowledge**:

- Understanding of educational standards and learning objectives.
- Knowledge of diverse learning styles and individual student needs.
- Knowledge of instructional design and pedagogical methods.
- Knowledge of assessment strategies for measuring student progress.
- Familiarity with inclusive teaching strategies and classroom management techniques.
- Research design and methodologies relevant to educational research.
- Research methods and data collection techniques.

**Required Qualifications**:

- Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Social Work, Social Sciences, and related fields. Master's degree is preferred.
- Minimum 2 to 3 years of work experience, preferably in curriculum development, inclusive education, and differentiated instruction.
- Strong understanding of gender-inclusive practices in education.
- Excellent communica