Tribal Early Learning Fund Specialist (MA3) - Statewide

Job Title: Tribal Early Learning Fund Specialist (MA3)
Location: Statewide/Olympia, WA - This is a project limited duration position/remote optional. Some in-person meetings. The expected duration of this project appointment is the date of hire through June 30th, 2025
Closes: Wednesday, April 10th, 2024
Salary: $4,723 - $6,349 Monthly

We are looking for a Tribal Early Learning Fund Specialist (TELF) for our Office of Tribal Relations to support tribal children in early learning programs including but not limited to ECEAP, childcare, Head Start, Early Head Start, and Home Visiting programs.

Click here to learn more about DCYF.  

  The Opportunity: 
The TELF Specialist will coordinate this funding for the 2024-2025 biennium for Tribal early learning grants to provide culturally appropriate early learning opportunities for Tribal children. This position will facilitate the competitive grant process including the development for scoring rubric, providing technical assistance and facilitating discussions for the Tribal Early Learning Funds (TELF) that will provide resources to ensure programs can best serve tribal children in an inclusive, culturally appropriate manner. The TELF Specialist is responsible for partnering and collaborating with the twenty-nine federally recognized tribes in Washington state, and other tribally affiliated and urban Indian populations to best serve tribal needs and early learning.

Grants are administered by the DCYF Office of Tribal Relations and awarded for purposes including but not limited to culturally appropriate mental health supports for addressing historical trauma, incorporating indigenous foods, culturally-responsive books and materials, staff professional development, curriculum adaptations and supplements, tribal language education, elders and storytelling in classrooms, traditional music and arts instruction, and transportation to facilitate tribal child participation in early childhood education.

About the Office of Tribal Relations:
The DCYF Office of Tribal Relations coordinates, monitors, and assesses DCYF’s relationships with tribes and Recognized American Indian Organizations (RAIOs), working to enhance and improve government-to-government relationships. The DCYF Office of Tribal Relations’ goal is to assist the collective needs of Tribal Governments and RAIOs to assure quality and comprehensive program service delivery in the areas of child welfare, early learning and juvenile rehabilitation. The Office of Tribal Relations provides strategic expert consultation, evaluation, assessment, training and technical assistance to DCYF, and to our tribal, federal and community partners to bring about system and service improvement.
 
Some of what you will get to do:
 

• Facilitate the competitive grant process, develop grant scoring rubric, and develop requests for grant applications for Tribal Learning Grants.
• Collaborate with the Indian Policy Early Learning (IPEL) Committee to develop early learning grant opportunities, criteria and technical assistance for Tribal Nations, Recognized American Indian Organizations (RAIOs) and other tribally affiliated and urban Indian populations, and any other centers with large numbers of tribal children to best serve the needs of tribal children in early learning.
• Maintain familiarity with the needs of tribal children at Tribal Nations, RAIOs, and other tribally affiliated and urban Indian populations.
• Facilitate collaboration between tribal communities and DCYF to build trust, enhance understanding and improve the quality of funding opportunities.
• Assist with the development of legislative decision packages that inform agency budget requests. This includes collecting and analyzing accompanying data that support funding requests.
• Facilitate regular and consistent meetings with the Tribal TELF workgroup.
• Strengthen DCYF and partners' understanding of American Indian/Alaskan Native culture and identify resources for children’s connection with their family, Tribe(s), community(ies), and culture.
• Assist and support in planning, preparation and delivery of the annual Indigenous Children, Youth and Families (ICYF) Conference.
• Attend Office of Tribal Relations team and staff meetings.

Required Qualifications:
 

• Equivalent education and applicable experience totaling seven years.

OR

 

• A Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, law, public health, health administration, or a related field AND three years of experience conducting research and analyzing policies, laws, rules, or regulations or in early learning/early childhood programs as an educator, family services, social services or a professional employee with a Tribe or RAIO.

OR

 

• A Master’s degree in business administration, public administration, law, public health, health administration, or a related field AND 1 year of experience conducting research and analyzing policies, laws, rules, or regulations or in early learning/early childhood programs as an educator, family services, social services or a professional employee with a Tribe or RAIO.

In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following:

• Two years of government experience in project management.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with tribal communities and governments.
• Demonstrated understanding of the unique cultural, historical, and educational needs of tribal communities through previous work projects, current work or current tribal references.
• Demonstrated ability to research, form, build and sustain relationships with tribal governments following government-to-government sovereignty protocols.
• Demonstrated commitment and effectiveness in culturally relevant institutional change and promoting culturally and linguistically responsive skills and practices.
• Demonstrated ability to be action-oriented with a work style focused on results, excellent judgment, and the ability to see the “big picture”.
• Demonstrated strong public service and customer-focus ethic.
• Demonstrated exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to understand and appropriately respond to tribal partners, customers, employees, and management issues and concerns.
• Demonstrated ability to address concerns and needs of the Agency’s customers, including tribal governments, tribal early learning programs, public, state and federal agencies, legislators and the Governor.
• Demonstrated familiarity with state and federal early learning programs, including The State Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, the Child Care and Development Fund, Head Start, Early Head Start and Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting program.

How do I apply? 
In addition to completing the online application, applicants must attach the following documents to their profile in order to be considered for this position:

• Letter of interest describing how you meet the specific qualifications for this position
• Current resume detailing experience and education
• Copy of College Transcripts

Supplemental Information:
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is committed to Washington’s children and youth growing up safe, healthy, and thriving. We invite all candidates to join us in our mission to create a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve.  If you are excited about this role but you believe that your education and/or experience might not align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting, we encourage you to apply anyway.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability.

Incumbent must hold a valid unrestricted (other than corrective lenses) driver's license.

This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE).  For more information: https://wfse.org/
 
If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment or if you would like to request an accommodation throughout the application/interview process, contact Veronica Jones (Talent Acquisition Specialist) at veronica.jones@dcyf.wa.gov. If you're experiencing technical difficulties creating, accessing or completing your application, call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or email support@neogov.com.   

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 902-2276 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (800) 833-6388.
 
 
2024-03834