Early Childhood Education Specialist Apply now » Date:14 Feb 2025 Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone Company: Plan International The Organisation Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries. We won’t stop until we are all equal. SUMMARY OF THE POSITION EduPlay (EoF) Project interventions aim to contribute to the development for children between the ages of 3 to 5 by building the holistic Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) sector in Sierra Leone. This will be done through comprehensive participatory and inclusive consultations with relevant stakeholders, including project participants, to implement demand-driven early learning education, WASH, and nutrition interventions. The project development objectives will be achieved when the four interrelated outcomes outlined below are delivered. + Community-based ECD centres meet minimum standards + Increased access of 3-5-year-old children to community-based ECD + Improved structural quality in the ECD center’s + Improved process quality in ECD centres. Early Childhood Education Specialists play a crucial role in a child’s development by providing educational and developmental support during the early stages of a child’s life. The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Specialist will be responsible for developing and implementing an effective learning program for young children, evaluating its success, and providing mentorship to our team of educators. DIMENSION OF THE POSITION The job holder should have an in-depth knowledge of early childhood development, experience in teaching and a creative approach to designing learning programs for children. She/he should be able to provide a safe and stimulating environment for children to thrive and develop during the implementation of the EduPlay (EoF) Project in accordance with the project proposal in Falaba, Tonkolili, Kono, and Kailahun, together with the relevant project participants. The ECE Specialist reports to the Project Manager with a Dotted Line to the Education Programme Manager The EduPlay project will leverage Plan International’s extensive experience working with local communities in Sierra Leone for over 45 years in promoting children’s rights and equality for girls. Community engagement will be very critical, as always, as one of Plan’s greatest strengths, to which we credit the success of all our programming in Sierra Leone for several decades. The job holder is expected to have extensive experience working in rural contexts in Sierra Leone with sensitivity towards cultural norms and practices. The project will engage and collaborate with local communities in undertaking the following key activities: + Establishing ECD centres + Identifying parent engagement/social mobilization strategies + Defining rules and requirements for enrolment of children in ECD centres + Recruiting educators, assistants, and community engagement facilitators (CEFs). + Organizing ECD Centre Management Committees. + Monitoring of ECD centre activities and upkeep of infrastructure and equipment. ACCOUNTABILITY Duties and Responsibilities + + Develop and implement a curriculum that meets developmental needs of children + Use various learning materials and techniques to teach children basic skills such as number recognition, colour recognition, and letter recognition + Observe and assess children’s development and behaviour + Record and communicate children’s progress to parents and other staff members + Create a safe, fun, engaging, and nurturing positive learning environment + Guide and support children’s social and emotional development + Provide capacity building for teachers in supporting and managing children's affairs at the ECD centres + Facilitate Management of classroom activities and ensure the safety and health of children + Conduct parent-teacher conferences to discuss children’s progress and behaviour + Participate in professional development and continuing education opportunities + + Train and mentor teachers and other education staff + Support the assessment and documentation of children’s learning and development + Work collaboratively with other professionals to meet children’s educational needs + Keeping up to date with the latest trends and best practices in early childhood education + Pass background checks Location: Applicant will be based in one of these locations ( Falaba, Tonkolili, Kono, Kailahun District) Type of Role: Early Childhood Specialist X 1 position Reports to: Project Manager Grade: Level 16 Closing Date: 27th February 2025 Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for. We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas. We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion. Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in theInter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. (https://www.schr.info/the-misconduct-disclosure-scheme) In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures. Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.