ROLES FOR RECES AT WEE WATCH
A role in childcare is a rewarding and noble profession and we value all our childcare workers! There are many roles for RECEs at Wee Watch, the most prevalent of which is the role of Home Visitor.
Each of our Licensed Childcare Agencies employs at least 1 RECE in the role of Home Visitor. Some of our agencies have up to 5 people in this role. Open positions are posted locally by Wee Watch agencies on Indeed but you can also contact the agency in your area for specific information on available roles and how to apply.
- Home Visitor (we currently have 75 people in this position across Ontario)
- Home Visitor Supervisor (we currently have 5 RECEs in this position)
- Capacity Builder (we currently have 3 people in this position) – screening and starting childcare providers
- Childcare Provider – (we currently have approximately 30 RECEs operating their own home daycare with Wee Watch, and 1300 total providers). View our Provider career page to understand all the benefits of doing this role
CURRENTLY HIRING
WHAT IS A HOME VISITOR?
The role of Home Visitor with a licensed childcare agency is a great opportunity to leverage your expertise! Click here for a sample job description. It is an essential role in the agency, ensuring that we deliver the quality of home childcare service Wee Watch is known for.
The role of Home Visitor has two components, the first is to ensure that home childcare providers that work with Wee watch are implementing all policies and regulations under the CCEYA appropriately in their homes. To do this, our Home Visitors go to each home where providers are delivering care each month to visit the providers (unannounced visits). During visits, you will have a checklist of items to observe and ensure compliance to. The other major component of the role is to provide coaching and support to the childcare providers. Some home providers are RECE themselves, but many are not, and this is where your expertise comes in. Home Visitors provide advice to providers on programming, child guidance, child development and more! In many agencies, the Home Visitor is also responsible for delivering training and professional development workshops for the providers on a range of topics to help them develop childcare skills.
WHY DO ECES BECOME HOME VISITORS?
There are many reasons that people choose a role as a Home Visitor:
- Leverage their ECE expertise – they assist providers with their development, can implement their understanding of regulatory requirements, they can support the development of children, they can share their expertise by delivering training
- Coach and Develop Others – many HVs say the most rewarding part of their job is that they are able to coach and develop others every day. They love sharing programming ideas, giving advice on child guidance and pedagogy
- Flexibility of the role – Home Visitors can impact many children (more than in a centre) as they are visiting children in up to 25 homes across the area that the agency operates. The job is typically flexible as the home visitor must vary the times of day that they visit homes. Many agencies employ Home Visitors to work from home for the admin part of the role, in some cases home visitors also work in the agency office.
Skills You Develop as a Home Visitor
- Pedagogical Leadership
- Communication and Interpersonal skills
- Coaching/mentoring skills
- Enhanced ECE knowledge through practice
- Time management / Organization
- Presentation and facilitation
- Conflict management
Qualifications for the Role
- Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE), current member of College of Early Childhood Educators
- 2 years of childcare experience
- First Aid certification and valid VSC
- Ability to travel within community (car for local travel)
- Flexibility of work hours may be required
- Experience or knowledge of Home Childcare Licensing requirements an asset
Why Our Home Visitors love their job:
“I enjoy working in a positive setting where everyone is striving to grow for the best of the organization and working all together as a team. Wee Watch is a community; supervisor, staff, Home Visitors and Providers, all working together with a common goal, providing safe, reliable, educational childcare for children and their families.” ~Christine
“I love working as a Home Visitor for Wee Watch! It is a really amazing way to grow as an Early Childhood Educator. I am able to work from home, go into the office, and visit with providers and children, experiencing the best of all worlds!” ~Amy
“Being a Home Visitor with Wee Watch is the perfect mix of using my ECE knowledge and my leadership skills to support, guide and inspire childcare providers. My work is so rewarding, especially when I see progress in both the provider and children’s confidence and enjoyment in the program.” ~Tara
“I became a Home Visitor with Wee Watch because I wanted a change after working in daycare centre for 10+ yrs and it was the best decision! I have grown professionally & personally. Being a Home Visitor allows you to experience various roles from supervisor, to mentor, teacher, to support and I still get to interact with children! This role is incredibly rewarding and Wee Watch as a company creates a true sense of community.” ~Pamela
WHY ECES choose a career as a licensed home child care provider
There are many reasons RECEs choose a career as a home childcare provider with a licensed agency
- Self-employed – providers are independent contractors, RECEs can start their own daycare business and benefit from tax incentives and other benefits of running their own business.
- Build their expertise – RECEs can leverage their educational background and put it into practice immediately with children of a range of ages (vs 1 age group in a classroom). Creating their own programming and schedule is rewarding.
- Control their work Environment – working from home has many benefits (no commuting, convenience, stay home with own children), as well providers decided what hours they work, the number of children in care (up to the ratio) and which families will be in their home (families are not ‘placed”). Controlling your own work environment is important to many people.
- Support – working with an agency has many benefits including the support they receive. At Wee Watch we provide many items that assist with the initial financial burden of opening and operating a home daycare, including childcare equipment like strollers, high chairs, gates, as well as insurance coverage and some start-up costs. Additionally, we provide our childcare programming, Wee Learn and Together Wee Can. We handle all the marketing to find children for your home and enroll the families as well as handle billing. Providers receive access to government grants and parents receive reduced cost daycare as part of CWELCC.