Early ON Program Lead Facilitator

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto; Toronto; On-site; CAD 45,000 - 74,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & dental

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Employee assistance

Retirement plan

Paid vacation

Job summary

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto is seeking a dedicated team member to independently plan and deliver inclusive EarlyON programs that support children's development and family engagement. You will weave Indigenous teachings, storytelling, and cultural activities into emergent programming, guiding by community protocols and frameworks.

You will offer play-based learning and literacy activities to strengthen child development, family connections, and transitions to school.

Qualifications

• Diploma in Child and Youth Work or ECE; relevant credentials.
• Current Vulnerable Sector Screening and ability to obtain renewal.
• Up-to-date immunizations.
• Experience facilitating programs in residential settings.
• Infant/Child CPR and Standard First Aid certification.
• Strong Indigenous cultural knowledge and integration of teachings.
• Crisis intervention and supportive counselling skills.
• Strong administrative, organizational and communication skills including data entry.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Experience budgeting and completing funder reports.
• Commitment to NCFST mission and values.
• Availability for GTA travel and evening/weekend work.

Responsibilities

• Independently planning and delivering inclusive EarlyON programs responsive to children's development.
• Integrating Indigenous teachings, storytelling, and cultural activities into programming.
• Offer play-based learning and literacy activities supporting child development.
• Plan age-appropriate group activities, family learning and community outings.
• Plan and facilitate on-the-land programming and outdoor exploration with Indigenous framing.
• Promote physical, social, emotional, and intellectual well-being in all activities.
• Conduct outreach to connect families with EarlyON programs and supports.
• Provide culturally responsive counselling and referrals within agency protocols.
• Maintain accurate participant records, attendance, and development observations.
• Collaborate to plan monthly community events with families and partners.
• Build positive relationships with children, families and colleagues.
• Manage program setup, cleanup and materials for safe EarlyON spaces.
• Coordinate calendars, registrations, data entry, supplies and safety records.
• Ensure legislated health and safety standards are maintained.
• Develop partnerships with Indigenous organizations and community agencies.
• Travel to GTA sites and deliver evening/weekend programming.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Counselling

Administrative skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Budget management

Community outreach

Independent work

Education

Child and Youth Work / Early Childhood Education Diploma or equivalent

Job description

Hours: 35hrs/wk.

Range: $45,291-$73,869

Location: 30 College St., Toronto ; travel to Early ON program sites and community locations throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) required

Position: Perm FT Union-BU

You’ll Love It At Native Child:

• Competitive Benefits Package, tailored to meet your needs, including health and dental coverage, life, short- and long-term disability insurance.
• Access to Employee and Family Assistance Program.
• A Retirement and Savings Plan that provides you with the opportunity to build and add value to your savings.
• Learning and Development opportunities to fuel your professional growth.
• Maternity leave top-up
• Generous Paid Vacation and Days-off
• A Culturally rounded environment celebrating our roots

Position Summary:

• Independently planning and delivering inclusive EarlyON programs that respond to children’s developmental needs and families’ interests, while coordinating with the team on program goals and schedules.
• Incorporating Indigenous teachings, storytelling and cultural activities into emergent programming, guided by Indigenous frameworks and community protocols
• Offering play-based learning and literacy activities that support child development, family connections and school transitions.
• Planning age-appropriate group activities, family learning and community outings based on participants’ interests and needs.
• Planning and facilitating on-the-land programming, nature-focused learning and outdoor exploration that encourage curiosity, connection to the land and respect for the natural world, incorporating Indigenous teachings and seasonal activities in ways that honour community protocols and children’s developmental needs.
• Promoting physical, social, emotional and intellectual well-being in all activities.
• Conducting outreach to connect families with EarlyON programs, reduce barriers to participation and provide information about children’s routines, development and relevant community supports.
• Providing culturally responsive supportive counselling, crisis intervention and referrals within role scope and agency protocols
• Maintaining accurate, timely and confidential participant records, attendance, statistics, reports and child development observations.
• Working with the team to plan and support monthly community events, including family outreach, activity preparation, event setup and follow-up with families and partners.
• Building positive relationships with children, families and colleagues.
• Managing program setup, cleanup and materials to maintain safe, welcoming EarlyON spaces.
• Managing calendars, registrations, correspondence, data entry, supplies and required safety and sanitization records.
• Ensuring that the legislated health and safety standards are maintained at all times.
• Building and sustaining partnerships with Indigenous organizations, early years services and community agencies through regular communication, shared programming and coordinated referrals; representing NCFST in the Toronto Early Years Network.
• Travelling to assigned sites across the GTA, accepting reassignment as needed, and delivering evening and weekend programming.

What we are looking for:

• Child and Youth Work / Early Childhood Education Diploma or equivalent.
• Current Vulnerable Sector Screening - Police Reference Check and a willingness to obtain a new one upon hire.
• Up to date immunizations.
• Experience with facilitating program in residential settings
• Current Infant/Child CPR and Standard First Aid Certificate.
• Strong Indigenous cultural knowledge and ability to integrate First Nations, Inuit and Métis teachings into programming while respecting distinct traditions and protocols.
• Required crisis intervention and supportive counselling skills, including de-escalation, sound judgement, professional boundaries and appropriate referrals.
• Strong administrative, organizational and communication skills, including accurate data entry, scheduling, confidential record keeping and timely reporting.
• Strong ability to work independently with minimal supervision, take initiative, manage priorities and seek guidance when needed.
• Experience managing budgets and completing funder reports
• Commitment to applying NCFST’s mission and values in practice, service and relationships.
• Knowledge of workplace health and safety practices and employee responsibilities under current legislation.
• Strong teamwork, outreach and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage families, establish community connections and sustain collaborative partnerships within and beyond the agency.
• Required availability for GTA travel and evening and weekend work.
• Ability to work effectively with all levels of staff, to maintain effective communication and working relationships, demonstrating strong interpersonal skills, tact, sensitivity and build strong internal relationships.

Our Commitment:

• In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Native Child will provide accommodations throughout the recruitment and selection process to applicants with disabilities as required. If you require accommodation during the interview process, please contact Human Resources at [e-mail].
• We thank all applicants for showing an interest in this position. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Come join our team - and help create a difference in the community

Closing Date: Nov 11, 2026.

Use of AI:

NCFST may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with certain aspects of the hiring process, such as screening and assessments. These tools support our team but do not replace human judgment. We are committed to using AI responsibly, fairly, and in compliance with applicable employment and anti-discrimination laws. We regularly review these tools to help prevent bias or discrimination.