Child Development Specialist

 
The Child Development Specialist I supervises children in a child development center or play care program; and/or performs services in the care and instruction of children in a child development center or play care program and ensures their well-being in accordance with State regulations. Under direct supervision, incumbents perform within a well-defined framework of policies and procedures. Incumbents may assist in specific childcare and developmental activities and other higher level duties. As education and experience are gained, greater independence of action is exercised and less detailed supervision is received.

Examples of Knowledge and Abilities

Knowledge of

• Childhood development theories and practices
• Program policies, procedures, and guidelines related to assigned operations and activities
• Principles of care and supervision of young children

Ability to

• Understand and carry out instructions in both oral and written form
• Understand, speak, read, and write English at a level sufficient for successful job performance
• Report information and data completely and accurately
• Interact effectively and positively with diverse and multi-cultural individuals including young children

Employment Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Twelve post-secondary semester or equivalent quarter units of early childhood education or child development, completed with passing grades at a college or university, and one year of paid or volunteer experience with young children in a children's center or in a comparable group learning environment.

OR
Six post-secondary semester or equivalent quarter units of early childhood education or child development, completed with passing grades at a college or university.

Note: Completion of six additional post-secondary semester or equivalent quarter units of early childhood education or child development within one year of hire date, completed with passing grades at a college or university.

Note: Failure to complete the additional units within one year of hire date may be cause for release from probation in accordance with Civil Service Commission Rules.

AND
One year of paid or volunteer experience with young children in a children's center or in a comparable group learning environment.

See Special Requirements.

Note: The word "experience" referenced in the minimum qualifications means full-time paid experience unless the minimum qualification states that volunteer experience is acceptable.  Part-time paid experience may be accumulated and pro-rated to meet the total experience requirements.

Note: If the minimum qualifications include an educational or certificate/license requirement, applicants must submit proof of requirements with the application. Failure to submit proof of requirements may result in disqualification from the examination. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. For guidelines on submitting acceptable proof of educational requirements, please click here (Download PDF reader) or speak to someone in our office before the cut-off date listed in this notice.

Special Requirements

Completed units shall include courses that cover the general areas of child growth and development, or human growth and development; child, family and community, or child and family; and program/curriculum.

Background/Criminal History: Candidates will be fingerprinted for purposes of search of local, state, and national fingerprint files to disclose any criminal record.

Driver's License: A valid California Driver's License, Class C is required as staff transports children on field trips. County vehicles are used for field trips. Failure to maintain the appropriate valid California Driver's License required constitutes cause for termination from the class in accordance with Civil Service Rule 11.4

Minimum Age Requirement: Candidates must be 18 years of age.

Physical Characteristics: With or without the use of aids; sufficient vision to read printed material; sufficient hearing to hear normal and telephone conversation; ability to speak in an understandable voice with sufficient volume to be heard in normal conversation; sufficient manual dexterity to write, use telephone or business machines; sufficient physical strength and mobility to drive a car, walk and run with students, and lift, restrain, and control children weighing up to 45 pounds.

Probationary Period

The probationary period for this classification is twelve (12) months.

Application and Testing Information

APPLICATION

Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. All applicants must complete and submit an online County of Sacramento employment application by 5:00 PM on the posted cut-off date. Click here to apply.

County of Sacramento
Department of Personnel Services
Employment Services Division
700 H Street, Room 4667
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone (916) 874-5593; 7-1-1 California Relay Service
Inter-Office Mail Code: 09-4667
www.SacCountyJobs.net

• Employment applications and all documentation requested in this announcement must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• Your application should highlight all relevant education, training, and experience, and clearly indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for the position as of the cut-off date.
• Application information must be current, concise and related to the requirements in this job announcement. You may only apply for this recruitment once. Duplicate and incomplete applications will be disqualified.
• A resume may be included with your application, however it will not substitute for the information requested on the application.

 
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE

Applicants are required to provide a full and complete response to each supplemental question. The Supplemental Questionnaire is located in the tab marked "Supplemental Questions". Please be descriptive in your response.

Note: Responses of "See Resume" or "See Application", or copy and paste of work experience are not qualifying responses and will not be considered.

• Supplemental Questionnaires must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date. Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• The supplemental questions are designed to elicit specific information regarding a candidate's experience, education, and training. Responses should be consistent with the information on your application and are subject to verification.
• Please provide place of employment, pertinent dates, and concise, descriptive and detailed information for each question.
• If a job included responsibilities applicable to several questions, separate the different functions of the job to answer all the questions completely.
• Resumes or referral to the application or other questionnaire responses will not be accepted in lieu of completing each question.
• If you have no experience, write "no experience" for the appropriate question.
• For many individuals, it is more efficient to develop responses to the supplemental questions in a word processing document and then paste them into the final document to be submitted. Changes or corrections to your Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be made once your application packet has been submitted.
• If the Supplemental Questionnaire is used in the Formula Rate or Credentials Screening Panel exam, failure to complete all of the questions or incomplete responses will result in a lower score. While scoring the Supplemental Questionnaire, the candidate's application and/or attachments will not be reviewed, therefore, a candidate's responses to the questions should be accurate, thorough, detailed, and complete.

 
FORMULA RATE EXAMINATION (Weighted 100%)

All candidates meeting the minimum qualifications by the cut-off date will have their Supplemental Questionnaire scored in the Formula Rate Examination.

This examination will evaluate the relevance, level, recency, progression and quality of candidate's education, training and experience. The candidate's application or other materials will not be included in this examination. Therefore, the candidate's responses to the supplemental questionnaire should be thorough, detailed and complete. The score from the Formula Rate Examination will determine the ranking on the eligible/employment list for this job.

All candidates competing in the testing process will receive written notice of their examination results by email. Notices can also be accessed in their governmentjobs.com inbox. Applicants achieving a passing score will be placed on the eligible list in rank order. The rank is determined by the test score attained from the examination.
 
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Click here (Download PDF reader) for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

For information regarding County jobs:

• www.saccountyjobs.net
• Call (916) 874-5627 and you will be provided with a recorded message, accessible 24 hours a day.