Early Years Analyst

Early Years Analyst

**Job Number**:2461

**Job Type**: Full-Time
**Location**: 20 Weber St E - 20 Weber
**Job Category**: Health Care and Social Assistance
**Number of Positions**:1
**Department**: Children's Services
**Division**: Community Services
**Hours of Work**: 35
**Union**: CUPE 1883
**Grade**: CUPE 1883 Grade 014
**Salary Range**: $43.61 - $49.41

**About Us**

The Region of Waterloo is a thriving, diverse community committed to fostering opportunities for current and future generations. Home to over 674,000 residents and expected to grow to nearly one million by 2051. Guided by our 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, “Growing with Care,” we focus on equity, inclusion, and sustainability. Our mission is to provide essential services that enhance the quality of life for all residents, while our core values emphasize caring for people and the land we share. Join us and be part of a team dedicated to making a meaningful difference in our community.

Dish with One Spoon Wampum:

- Waterloo Region is part of the Dish with One Spoon wampum, a treaty guiding our commitment to:

- Recognizing our shared humanity and land
- Taking only what we need
- Leaving some for others
- Keeping the dish clean
- This agreement underpins our vision, mission, and core values, and reinforces our dedication to meaningful reconciliation and equity.

**The Role**
- Conducts quality and compliance assessments and provides advice, guidance, and direction to early learning and child care operators (ELCC) to support quality program delivery and compliance with service agreements, including quality initiatives program requirements. Works with programs and educators to develop plans and supports/resources for continuous quality improvements. Identifies trends and gaps in data at a system level and makes recommendations to improve program effectiveness and delivery.**Duties/Responsibilities**
- Provides information, education, and guidance to ELCC operators and educators on the quality initiatives program and service agreement requirements (e.g., child care centres, before/after school programs, camps, home child care agencies, EarlyON). Ensures operators understand and comply with policies, regulations, legislation, and other requirements.
- Conducts on-site quality assurance assessments. Reviews and documents operational practices and processes against program and service agreement requirements. Observes/assesses child-educator relationships/interactions using assessment tools. Shares results, including areas of strength and areas for growth/improvement, with providers.
- Facilitates plans to support areas for growth and improvement. Connects providers with resources and community partners (e.g., professional resource centre, special needs resourcing) to develop work plans and receive hands-on mentoring/coaching (e.g., educator capacity building/training, policy development). Provides feedback on annual quality goals and work plans, and assesses and documents outcomes.
- Leads/participates on teams made up of community and internal partners to gather input and determine action plans to support programs moving forward in their quality journey. Identifies and assesses barriers, and develops and implements intervention strategies, in consultation with management, as required.
- Monitors compliance with service agreements and related operational requirements, including legislation and regulations. Reviews status of licensed programs in the Child Care Licensing System, and follows up on complaints from the public.
- Communicates non-compliance and low operating standards as potential violations to the Ministry of Education and/or Children’s Services management and initiates corrective measures and continuous improvements.
- Maintains program documentation, including communication log. Posts results online (e.g., OneList, website).
- Maintains and monitors data at a program level related to compliance in collaboration with management and peers. Identifies trends and gaps in data at a system level and makes recommendations to improve program effectiveness and delivery.
- Assists in the development and maintenance of program resources, tools, policies, and procedures.
- Contributes to/applies a framework of continuous quality improvement in early learning and child care environments that supports quality outcomes as well as equity, diversity, and inclusion for all children.
- Performs related duties as assigned.

**Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities**
- Knowledge of child care and early years principles and practices; methods/approaches that contribute to quality outcomes and continuous quality improvement; program administration; adult education; capacity building; data tracking and analysis; and evaluation, acquired through a 4-year degree in a related field (e.g., Early Learning Development, Child and Youth Studies), plus 2 years of directly related experience, or a 2-year diploma in Early Childhood Education plus 6 years of directly related e