Early Childhood Educator Job in Toronto, Ontario

Position Title: Behaviour Guidance Resource Reports to: Director of Education The Organization The Foray Group works to enrich lives through investments that create long-term sustainable impact, deliver social benefits and that add value for all stakeholders. The Foray Group currently operates businesses, and holds investments, in the childcare and education, food, construction and real estate sectors in Canada and Africa. Our culture is one where we value trusted partnerships, enable growth and the ability to excel and be fully engaged, value integrity and focus on making an impact on our clients, customers, co-workers and communities. The Role A behavioral guidance resource assists individuals to eliminate or replace disruptive, harmful or negative behaviors with positive actions. The position is responsible for providing a range of behaviour management and early intervention, child focused services to promote the optimum functioning of the child, aged birth to 12, within all of our 9 childcare centres across the GTA. The position is responsible for working directly with children with extreme behaviours, including complex, developmental, social, emotional and behavioural needs to assess, develop and implement behaviour plans in collaboration with the child care centres and in partnership with child care staff and parents. This role also assumes accountability in ensuring that The Foray Group builds upon its 40 years of success in the child care industry by delivering quality licensed programs in accordance with the Child Care and Early Years Act, and its regulations, the Assessment for Quality Improvement tool for the City of Toronto, and the regulations and procedures of other legislative bodies and of The Foray Group. Success The position is responsible for working directly with children with extreme behaviours, including complex, developmental, social, emotional and behavioural needs. This role will require the development and implementation of custom behaviour modification plans in collaboration with the child (when applicable), Centre Director, teachers and parents of the centre. The successful candidate will also ensure the day to day operations of the centre are met, lead centre staff by example, and ensures high quality care for the children and families we serve. This person contributes to improved inspection results and the ability to enhance The Foray Groups reputation as a leader in the child care industry. Skills, Knowledge and Abilities A sound knowledge of child development, theoretical models and interventions in working with children with specialized needs and aggression and challenging behaviours and their parents, is required. In-depth theoretical and practical knowledge of the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis and education and learning. Excellent assessment skills Direct experience working with children with behavioural and/or social, developmental and emotional challenges and their parents. Must have good planning and organizational skills and demonstrated ability to achieve desired outcomes. Ability to consult with challenging parents while respecting their strengths and feelings. Ability to work independently with minimum supervision, within a teamwork approach; as well as an ability to understand and articulate childrens strengths and specialized needs verbally and in writing. Demonstrated initiative; coaching and supervision of student or others; and timely completion of tasks. Must have demonstrated commitment to continuous quality improvement and adaptation to change. The ability to exercise sound judgement, problem solving, and decision making skills with minimal supervision are essential. An ability to seek consultation appropriately is required. Contact with caregivers and parents as well as with external professionals of various disciplines (e.g. education, psychology, social work, psychiatry, medicine, etc.) is frequent and therefore requires professional judgement and discretion at a high level. Focuses on key priorities, and is able to juggle multiple tasks/projects Written communications are professionally done, well presented, checked for accuracy and thoroughness & thoughts/input organized Ability to develop and implement behaviour modification plans in collaboration with a child care consultant and in partnership with child care staff and parents Demonstrated knowledge of the Childcare Modernization Act, and CCEYA operating criteria checklist is an asset Ability to deescalate aggressive behaviours with children Alignment with The Foray Groups charter and values Can effectively cope with change and deal effectively with ambiguity Strong composure with the ability to remain cool under pressure Ability to direct and develop a performance of self and others to achieve results Excellent written and oral communication skills Tact, diplomacy and effective interpersonal skills Strong computer skills are required in Microsoft Word as needed for report writing. Mediation and conflict resolution skills with children, parents and staff Ability to network and find external resources to further support the needs of the children in our care Capability to think quickly on your feet (resourcefulness/problem solving) Ability to manage stress and work independently. Flexibility and vehicle needed as local travel is required. Skills completing behavioural assessments is an asset Education College diploma or University degree is an asset Minimum 2 years experience working with children with special needs, and helping children in crisis Previous experience as a Child and Youth Worker or Youth Justice Worker would be an asset Other Requirements Available to work within the hours of 7am -6pm Valid Drivers License and access to a vehicle daily Criminal reference check Vulnerable sector screening must be completed within 1 month of employment Medical certificate required as per CCEYA regulations Up to date Standard First Aid/CPR/AED Competencies 1. CHANGE MANAGEMENT: Embraces change to support and position the business for future success. 2. CUSTOMER FOCUS: Demonstrates a strong customer orientation to enhance business performance. 3. DECISION MAKING: Employs the right mix of analysis and experience to formulate sound judgments. 4. COMMUNICATION: Expresses information and ideas in a clear and compelling manner. 5. TEAM COLLABORATION: Actively builds highly cohesive and empowered teams. 6. RESULTS FOCUS: Ensures accountability and commitment to achieve business objectives. 7. GROWTH AND LEARNING: Develops self and others to increase professional knowledge and skills. Duties and Responsibilities Works directly with childcare staff, Child Care Consultant, children and parents and caregivers to provide behaviour management support. Provides behaviour management consultation, training, and support to staff of child care centres or home child care settings and families. Conducts observation, environmental assessments from behaviour perspective and designs classroom plans to promote positive behaviour. Conducts assessments of childs functioning and individual needs to develop an individualized behavioural program plan and strategies related to children for staff of child care centres. Implements individual behaviour management plans, including adaptations and teaching strategies as agreed upon in consultation with child care consultant, childcare staff and parents. Models for and coaches child care staff to develop their skills to work with specific children with social, emotional and/or behavioural challenges. Ensures all intake-related functions and behavioural program plans are completed. Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with child care centres to coordinate and integrate behaviour management services. Develops and maintains effective working relationships with child care centres, other related service providers and funders. Develops and maintains effective working relationships to help transition children from child care centres to the school system and to other related service providers. Provides written documentation of childs progress in relation to agreed behaviour plan. Maintains appropriate up-to-date records and other administrative requirements in accordance with Child care centre policies and recording guidelines. Ensures that confidential information is stored and released only in accordance with established policies and procedures. Adheres to all policies, procedures and practices. Ensures all incidents of a serious nature (e.g. suspected child abuse) are immediately reported in accordance with legislative/agency requirements. Ability to look at various different approaches when dealing with children with special needs, e.g. Holistic Intervention Awareness with how anger and crisis occurs and how to remedy the situation Recognizes when a child is in difficulty/crisis and assessing how to manage the situation Ability to use verbal and nonverbal cues and communication when dealing with children with special needs Create a process on how to calm children during conflict or high stress situations, and create a safe space and a debrief process Work closely with the Learning Strategies Team Performs other duties as assigned. If you are passionate about the values that The Foray Group represents, if you embrace the values of Integrity, Fully Engaged, Excel, Grow and making an Impact then this is the position for you. Please forward us your resume at [email protected] The Foray Group is committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment, where all individuals feel valued, respected and supported. Candidates requiring accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact the Human Resources Department.