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The Early Childhood Educator is an Early Childhood Care and Education position in the Capilano University Children’s Centre. The position is responsible for the care, education and well-being of children age 0-5. Early Childhood Educators work collaboratively with other educators, and with the Centre for Childhood Studies, to provide a nurturing, inclusive and rich early learning environment for young children. The position reports to the Manager of the Children’s Centre and to the Dean of the faculty of Education, Health and Human Development.

ECEs demonstrate sound ethical and professional practices, which reflect the ECEBC Code of Ethics and the BC Early Learning Framework. They are in dialogue with, and guided by, the Early Learning Frameworks focus on 1) well-being and belonging, 2) engagement with others, materials and the world, 3) communication and literacies, and 4) identities, social responsibility and diversity in daily classroom practice. ECEs and the Children’s Centre stand as allies with the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society, working in all ways to honour the Indigenous Early Learning and Care Framework in daily practice.

The Children’s Centre works in partnership with the Centre for Childhood Studies acting as an academic, living laboratory where educators, students, faculty, children and families are in collaborative, generative and reciprocal partnerships that inform curriculum and course development. Early Childhood Educators actively engage in the mentorship of ECCE students, bringing classroom theories into practice.

Job Description:

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF WORK

• Assists with organizing, and delivers the programs and operations of the Child Care Centre.
• Creates a nurturing, inclusive and rich early learning environment for children from infancy to 5 years old in dialogue with the Children’s Centre’s Pedagogical Commitments. Curates and maintains an aesthetic, organized, clean, safe and welcoming environment at the centre.
• Respects the diversity, beliefs, and cultural practices of all families and draws on their strength and knowledge.
• Works with external partners and Manager to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into play and programming.
• Supports a play based, family-centred early care and learning environment for children by providing a place for them to develop their potential through freedom to explore and engage in the world around them.
• Provides indoor and outdoor play experiences for children, balancing the needs for active/quiet play and group/individual play, furthering the early years’ framework emphasis on place-based knowledge and the pedagogy of the centre.  
• Guides children based on a strong attunement to children’s emotions, thoughts and intentions and offers opportunities for children to represent, communicate and revise their ideas, experiences and feelings.
• Engages in pedagogical narration as practice with a thorough understanding of the BC Early Learning Framework.  
• Makes children’s learning transparent through documentation that invites and involves families and the broader campus community into children’s inquires and learning.  
• Engages in continuous personal and professional growth with full engagement.  
• Under the guidance of the Manager, works in partnership with the Centre for Childhood Studies and engages in research and scholarly inquires with students, faculty, children and families.  
• Mentors and guides practicum students, answering questions about implementing theoretical frameworks into practice. Actively participates in student observation periods and completes a practicum evaluation.  
• Builds positive relationships with children’s family members. Welcomes new families, supports parents and children in orienting themselves to the practices and daily life/culture of the centre, provides updates and reports to family members as required.  
• Ensures all children are welcomed, valued and respected. Provides supports for families in navigating the intricacies of the early years and refers to the director or community services where appropriate.
• Navigates difficult and vulnerable situations alongside parents, recognizing the complexity of each individual family.  
• Advocates for children and families in the broader community.
• Develops care plans based on the individual child’s needs in continuous consultation with government and not-for-profit agencies like North Shore Supported Child Development and BC Centre for Ability.  
• Ensures the health, safety and well-being of the children in the care of the Centre following emergency procedures (monthly fire drills, earthquake preparedness, etc), securing potentially hazardous materials and following enhanced cleaning protocols according to established policies and procedures.
• Responds to illnesses and injuries, provides initial medical attention (including providing safety-oriented first aid care) and other emergencies. Administers specialised medical support such as feeding tubes, medications (antibiotics, insulin, epinephrine), attends to allergies and dietary restrictions as required and participates in additional training as required.
• Maintains records and logs for each child (consent forms, medication administration records) and documents daily attendance.  
• Documents and communicates reportable incidents to Vancouver Coastal Health.
• Maintains confidentiality and privacy of all information related to the centre, the children, their families and staff.
• Reports all suspected abuse or neglect.
• May be required to take training and act in the capacity of a floor warden as part of the University's Emergency Preparedness Plan (Fire, WHMIS, Earthquake).
• Performs all duties related to the requirements and qualifications of the position.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES AND SKILLS

• Understand and adhere to the Early Childhood Educators of BC Code of Ethics.  
• Strong knowledge of the BC Early Learning Framework and ability to implement it into practise.  
• Strong knowledge of Early Childhood Education principles and practices.
• Understand and adhere to the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, Provincial Child Care Licensing Regulations.  
• Understand and adhere to the Children’s Centre’s policies as outlined in the Policy and Procedures Manual.  
• Ability to make decisions that are ethical, responsible and always in the best interest of the children
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills as demonstrated through effective relationships with parents and other members of the childcare team.
• Ability to communicate skilfully and sensitively with children and families.
• Skilled at engaging in vulnerable, transparent, difficult conversations with families.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees, students and the general public.
• Ability to participate in innovative and creative early childhood practices, offering critical reflections on practise and self. Ability to understand and support the abilities and challenges of each child in the centre and practice an inclusive philosophy.  
• Considerable knowledge of Supported Child Development and their role/relationship with the Children’s Centre.
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse group of children and families. Recognize the importance that learning environments have for children and consider how these environments should honour gender, ability, family and culture, environmental sustainability and the rights of the child.
• Working knowledge of trauma-informed practice.  
• Ability to think about and engage with materials to create meaningful and relevant environments with young children
• Ability to maintain focus with constant interruptions.
• Ability to interrupt pedagogical and learning activities with children to respond to children’s needs.  
• Ability to adapt to changing circumstances and to handle emergencies skilfully.
• Ability to multitask and maintain attention to detail with constant interruption.  
• Ability to physically lift heavy objects (exceeding 10kg) within WCB guidelines.
• Skill in safety oriented first aid.

REQUIRED TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

• Completion of an Early Childhood Education diploma program (which includes the Early Childhood Education certificate, Special Needs Education license and/or Infant/Toddler Education license).
• One year of directly related experience in a child care centre (or other early year’s setting) within the last two years.  

REQUIRED LICENCES, CERTIFICATES AND REGISTRATIONS

• Current Early Childhood Educator Certificate (issued by the ECE Registry of BC).
• A valid safety oriented first-aid certificate. • Record of immunization per Ministry of Health guidelines.  
• In accordance with the BC Criminal Review Act, must provide a current, clear criminal record check. 

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