Emergency Response - Early Childhood Development Program Assistant

The ECD Assistant Position is based in Armanaz or Hizreh they will provide ECD activities in community-based approaches in Idlib for children and male caregivers. The position requires professional communication and engagement skill with the communities, IRC programs, and partners. He will work in close coordination with the ECD team to ensure program activities are integrated with target communities.

The ECD Assistant will provide young children (0-8) with higher quality early learning environment in temporary settings by engaging them in tailored activities, specialized viewings, and modular games. The ECD Assistant also will support the provision of tailored sessions for male caregivers on their roles in supporting ECD through awareness raising messages and structured ECD sessions in different modalities.

The ECD Assistant will be part of a mobile team that will work in various displaced communities and will be responsible for providing ECD activities. S/He will also provide psychosocial first aid and referrals to needed services within communities in Northern Syria.

Key Responsibilities:

Coaching and Facilitation:

•  Facilitate an interactive ECD sessions and activities for children ages (0-8) years old.
•  Facilitate an interactive ECD sessions and activities for male caregivers.
•  Create space and stimulating learning environment through utilizing education, learning, and coaching materials throughout the lessons.
•  Facilitate increasing the awareness around ECD through dissemination of ECD bank of messages within the community.
•  Follow and implement the IRC ECD/Ahlan Simsim curricula and lessons accurately and any other ECD/ educational materials as needed.
•  Make sure that all information is gathered and shared with the relative staff on a timely manner.
•  Collect data as required and report accurate data reflecting the M&E guidance.
•  Carry out psychosocial first aid for persons who have experienced trauma, refer cases to existing services when needed.
•  Support with establishing formalized referral pathways within the communities of work to available services.
•  Raise awareness regarding the availability of ECD services.
•  Participate in capacity building trainings as directed by supervisor.
•  Participate in regular supervision meetings with supervisor.
•  Follow a pre-prepared schedule of activities in agreed communities.
•  Learn and improve activities based on feedback and M&E information.
•  Undertake other tasks as assigned by the IRC supervisor to enable and contribute to IRC’s programming.

Monitoring and Reporting:

•  Collect data as required by program and the M&E guidance.
•  Coordinate with the MEAL team to conduct key informant interviews and focus group discussions in order to periodically assess needs of children, women and girls in the community and validate the current curriculums.
•  Maintain complete, accurate, and confidential case files to document beneficiaries’ interactions and interventions using IRC tools.
•  Contribute to randomized selection of beneficiaries for M&E visits, support M&E assistant visits with beneficiaries.
•  Ensure daily reporting of attendance per activity and ensure that the collected data is accurate.
•  Contribute to weekly, monthly and quarterly reports as requested to provide information on activities conducted, topics discussed, challenges faced and success stories.

Coordination, Mobilization and Community engagement:

•  Provide introduction and awareness sessions on ECD program, ECDE, and Ahlan Simsim project to local community Leaders.
•  In close coordination with the direct supervisor, follow-up on commitments by leaders to facilitate the ECD sessions for children and Caregivers.
•  Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all relevant stakeholders including IRC staff from other programs, and local communities.
•  In close cooperation with the direct supervisor, mobilize and facilitate the engagement of local stakeholders during planning, implementation and finalizing the cycle of the ECD activities and Ahlan Simsim sessions.
•  Mobilize and facilitate active participation of children and their caregivers in the local communities in close coordination with the supervisor.
•  Work closely with the field managers and HAT staff in the field to coordinate the ECD sessions/visits.
•  Coordinate with IRC ECD staff based in Armanaz or Hizreh to ensure proper sessions and implementation in place.
•  Maintain effective coordination and communication with the IRC ECD staff based in Armanaz or Hizreh to provide support and detailed information for the program implementation.

Others:

•  Adhere to and act per the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures.
•  Other duties as assigned by the direct supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs