Program Officer, Early Care and Education
About The Position
The Program Officer, Early Care and Education, designs, implements, and expands the Sonoma County Child Care Childhood Facilities Fund, which supports high-quality early learning environments across Sonoma County. The role manages facility improvement grants, provides technical assistance to childcare providers, and collaborates with public and private partners to improve the supply and quality of early childhood education facilities. The Program Officer administers grants for licensed childcare centers, family childcare homes, and other child-serving spaces; supports providers with facility planning and compliance; contributes to data, evaluation, and reporting; and works with local government departments and other stakeholders. This role is suited to an organized, collaborative, mission-driven professional focused on improving outcomes for children and families.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Early Care and Education, Architecture, Planning, Operations, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, or a related field.
- At least 2–3 years of experience in Early Care and Education (ECE), California child care licensing, and government funding regulations.
- Strong organization and project management skills.
- Ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities.
- Training and business technical assistance experience for childcare providers or small businesses.
- Knowledge of, or willingness to learn about, planning and building codes for childcare and community facilities.
- Understanding of facilities construction, management, project planning, and cost estimation.
- Strong collaboration skills with diverse stakeholders in public and private sectors.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Willingness to travel throughout California for site visits and occasional evening or weekend work.
- Proficiency in cloud-based systems and databases.
Nice To Haves
- Bilingual Spanish skills; bilingual communication is preferred.
- Salesforce experience.
Responsibilities
- Administer a portfolio of facility improvement grants for licensed childcare centers, family childcare homes, and other child-serving spaces.
- Manage the grant lifecycle, including application intake, due diligence, contracting, disbursement, and closeout.
- Review grant applications for compliance, feasibility, readiness, and alignment with program goals.
- Maintain tracking systems for pipeline activity, award status, project timelines, and budgets.
- Conduct virtual and in-person site visits to assess facility needs, document progress, and ensure compliance with milestones.
- Draft grant recommendations, presentations, and summary reports for internal review committees and funding partners.
- Support communications and outreach to ensure equitable distribution of grant opportunities.
- Provide individualized technical assistance on facility topics such as repairs, space planning, health and safety, regulatory compliance, and business planning.
- Help providers navigate building codes, Community Care Licensing regulations, and zoning issues in collaboration with public agencies.
- Develop and lead trainings or workshops on facility best practices, physical environments for young children, business readiness, and maintenance planning.
- Create and distribute resource guides, tip sheets, and planning tools for early childhood programs.
- Support data collection and evaluation by tracking program outcomes and contributing to reporting and program learning.
- Prepare reports and success stories for funders, internal leadership, and external stakeholders.
- Identify process improvements, propose enhancements to internal systems, and participate in cross-team learning sessions.
- Partner with local government departments, including Community Care Licensing and Fire, Building, and Planning Departments, as well as affordable housing developers and licensing bodies.
- Support the overall mission and work of the Early Care and Education team as needed.
- Travel throughout California for site visits and occasionally work evenings or weekends.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
