Statement of Services Sought
1. Synopsis
The Child Care Council (Council) of Catonsville Presbyterian Church Family Child Care Center (CPCFCCC) seeks a consultant in the March-June time frame. This limited-term contractual position, to be compensated at $35 per hour w/o fringe benefits, will be responsible for providing technical assistance to the Child Care Council. The Child Care Council is the body overseeing the CPCFCCC.
The consultant will provide technical advice to Council regarding administrative and communications processes and procedures, student behavior policy and procedures, personnel matters, as well as overall safety policy and procedure. The consultant will obtain information through on-site visits, e-mails, telephone calls and access to CPCFCCC files and documents, and will prepare and present both statistical and narrative reports to Council.
Minimum qualifications for the consultant include a bachelor’s degree in education, educational administration or a closely related field. The consultant must have five (5) years’ professional teaching or administrative experience in or affiliated with, an early childhood education center such as a preschool or child care center. Experience as an early childhood education center assessment and improvement consultant is required. Experience leading an early childhood education center improvement or school readiness program is preferred.
The consultant must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities –
- Knowledge of trends, regulations, policies and issues affecting preschools and child care centers;
- Knowledge of curriculum development and instruction for early childhood learning;
- Knowledge of development and implementation of effective leadership;
- Skill in implementing, monitoring and evaluating education programs;
- Ability to make working, practical interpretations of applicable laws, regulations, and standards governing child care centers and preschools;
- Ability to organize and manage multiple tasks;
- Ability to work as a team member and establish and maintain positive and effective working relationships; and,
- Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
2. Background on CPCFCCC; reason for seeking consulting services
The mission of CPCFCCC (the Center), located at Catonsville Presbyterian Church, is to provide quality child care as a service to our community and to express the heritage of our Christian faith through curriculum as well as through day-by-day relationships between teachers and children. The Center is a mission of Catonsville Presbyterian Church.
The Center has provided quality child care for 30 years; currently serving 243 children, including pre-school (two through four year old) and before-and-after school programs (through fifth grade). The Center has a staff of 43. See this website for further details.
The Center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The Center initially earned this accreditation in 2004 and was re-accredited in 2009. Our program ID is #563486. The Center is licensed by the Maryland Office of Child Care, MSDE; program #03-15456.
Our vision is of a place where God’s creation of healthy youth and families can take place, where we live out Christian values, and where children are nurtured in the story of God’s love in the midst of meaningful learning experiences. During the formative years of children’s lives, it is important to provide them with an environment that encourages learning and self-discipline.
The environment should support a child’s growth toward physical strength, emotional health, intellectual curiosity, and awareness of spirituality.
Early childhood is a time when children grow as whole persons, unique and individual. Children should be encouraged to discover themselves, their skills and talents, their rights and limits in a Christian environment.
In an atmosphere of understanding, children become independent and confident. Children grow in happy and trustful relations with others and develop a sense of responsibility. The purpose of the center is to facilitate a child’s:
- Development to the best of his/her individual abilities;
- Growth in understanding and appreciation of God;
- Growth in appreciation of themselves as members of the Christian community.
The Center seeks to provide opportunities for each child to:
- Play and work in a small group with peers;
- Express feelings, make decisions, and follow his/her interests;
- Develop reasoning and thinking skills by interacting with a wide range of materials and a variety of people;
- Develop the language skills of listening, speaking, writing and reading, which build and strengthen a strong foundation for school learning;
- Develop an age-appropriate sense of wonder for the natural world;
- Plan and carry out activities involving creative materials, drama, music, and indoor and outdoor play equipment;
- Experiment with continually developing physical skills; Distinguish between right and wrong through meaningful experiences;
- Respect the rights of others.
The Center has a staff of 43, with the following characteristics:
- Average tenure – 6 years
- Education – 25% of the classroom staff members have a BA. An additional 36% of the classroom staff have an AA or are actively pursuing a BA. All staff meet or exceed, annual continuing education requirements.
- Age Range: 18 – 70
- Ethnicity: All-American incorporating diverse backgrounds (Ethiopian, Russian, British)
- Gender: 99% Female; 1% Male The Center and its director are overseen by the child care council.
The Center wishes to assess itself in a number of areas in the March-June 2013 time frame, in its drive for continuous improvement in the areas of communications, administration and operations in preparation for the next school year. Having operated without an assistant director for the past two school years, it now seeks to redefine the role and function of an assistant director and to move toward hiring an assistant director for the ’13-’14 school year. The council seeks a qualified consultant to advise and assist it in all of these areas.
3. Services sought
The scope of work for the consultant will include interviewing the center director, administrative staff and teachers to aid in creating communication processes and standards, as well as, broadly, the development of various job descriptions, standard operating procedures, assessments, templates, and ideas for the ’13-’14 school year. Further details, including organization of the work and hours allowed for each phase, will be found in the Statement of Work, which is incorporated herein by reference.
4. Compensation and working relationship
The consultant will not be a regular employee of the Center and will receive pay at the rate of $35 for each hour worked, but no fringe benefits. The relationship and the work will be governed by the Statement of Work, as well as by a contract by and between the consultant and the Catonsville Presbyterian Church.
5. Expressions of interest
Reply to Director, CPCFCCC, 1400 Frederick Road Catonsville 21228 no later than 2/22/13 with CV, statement of qualifications and availability to provide services sought.
