Status: Full-time Permanent
Location:
St. Catharines, Ontario
Open
Date: October 15, 2025
Who We Are
Niagara Children’s Centre is
recognized throughout the Niagara Region as the provider of rehabilitation and
support services to children and youth with physical, developmental and
communicative delays and disabilities.
Core services include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and
language services, augmentative and alternative communication, family services
and therapeutic recreation. Our family-centred programs aim at helping each
child achieve their own unique potential within their home, school and in the
community.
As an employee of the Centre,
you will be part of a community dedicated to creating a welcoming and
supportive environment for the children and youth we serve. We are a place where families are at the
heart of all we do. We continue to provide innovative ways of delivering high
quality services and strengthening our family-centred care philosophy. We want
to see “Niagara’s Children and Youth at Their Best!” Join a team that makes a
real difference in the lives of children and youth every day.
The Role
The Supervisor, Inclusion Quality
Coordinator (IQCs) plays a key leadership role
within the Inclusion Resource Support Model in
supporting both licensed centre-based childcare, and/or Early ON to implement
inclusive, high-quality practices and services that meet the diverse needs of
children and families in the Niagara Region. This role
supports the delivery of high-quality inclusive programs, services, and
supports to children with varying abilities and their families. The Supervisor
provides oversight, mentorship, and strategic direction to a team of Inclusion
Quality Coordinators, ensuring that there is more consistency in service
delivery and providing an environment more conducive to collaboration and
service enhancement.
Key Responsibilities:
Service Programming, Coordination and
Quality Improvement
-
Oversee and participate in the
implementation of the inclusion resource support model
- Ensure that inclusive practices are
embedded in early years settings and reflect the diverse needs of children
and families.
- Provide oversight of IQC’s
delivering the goals/objectives of tiered services:
- Tier 1 - Universal
programming - Continue building existing capacity in the sector while
providing responsive service delivery that supports the inclusion of all
children within licensed early learning programs.
- Tier 2 - Targeted
programming – Supporting children that have been referred or identified
as requiring additional supports, and based on observations, strategies
and resources are designed to support specific children within a group
and/or individually with Individual Support Plans including providing
supports to educators through a coaching approach.
- Tier 3 - Intensive
Supports – Providing services to an individual child within a group whose
needs surpass Service for All and Service for Some considerations, which
can involve team-based collaboration with the child’s support team led by
IQCs.
- Track improvement through various
methods such as; family satisfaction surveys, inclusion plan follow-ups,
regular and ongoing feedback from community agencies, and childcare educators
- Support and monitor quality
improvement initiatives and evidence-informed practices in collaboration
with childcare/EarlyON and community partners.
- Advocate and support the Quality and Capacity Framework that details
the conditions necessary for quality for the early years and childcare sector.
- Use this framework as the basis through which quality for Inclusion
Resource Services and the system can be understood, practiced and corresponding
professional learning opportunities are developed.
Collaboration and Community Engagement
- Build strong partnerships with Niagara
Region, licensed childcare providers, educators, CPPs, and community agencies
to support a coordinated and inclusive approach to early learning.
- Participate in regional
planning tables and working groups to support systems-level alignment and
innovation.
- Facilitate communication
between IQCs, educators, and the Region to ensure a cohesive service delivery
model.
- Liaise with Community
Pedagogical Partners (CPP), who are accountable for quality and capacity
building for the overall system.
Training and Capacity Building
- Work in collaboration with
Niagara Region and the other agency to develop joint professional learning
opportunities for IQCs
- Identify professional learning
needs of IQCs within the sector related to inclusion and support the
development and delivery of targeted training.
- Promote reflective practice,
coaching, and mentoring among IQCs to enhance inclusive, responsive
programming.
Program Administration and Reporting
- Ensure the maintenance of
accurate records, documentation, and data collection to meet program
accountability, direct time and funding requirements.
- Contribute to the development
of metrics that can highlight the use, access, escalations and impact of the
IRSM.
- Engage IQCs to understand, use
and leverage the data gathered
- Contribute to the development
of program policies, procedures, and evaluation tools.
- Prepare reports, updates, and
recommendations for internal and external stakeholders, including the Niagara
Region and management.
Team Leadership and Staff Supervision
- Supervise, support, and guide a
team of Inclusion Quality Coordinators in their daily responsibilities and
professional development.
- Conduct regular team meetings,
individual supervision, performance evaluations, and coaching to promote
continuous growth.
- In collaboration with the
capacity builder, create annual professional learning plans for IQCs that
address any gaps in knowledge, share promising practices, and evidence-based
research on quality, inclusion and DEI.
- Monitor the IQCs accountability
for inclusion, quality and capacity of the educators to ensure compliance with
the Quality and Capacity Framework.
- Monitor caseloads and service
requests to ensure timely, effective responses to the needs of childcare
programs and families.
- Ensure regular communication
with manager and report any risks, challenges, concerns immediately to
management.
Health and
Safety
The Supervisor,
Inclusion Quality Coordinators will comply with the duties assigned to
Workers as per Section 28 of the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety
Act.
Accountability
and Freedom to Act:
The incumbent has
latitude for discretion within practices and procedures covered by precedents,
Centre policy and procedure manuals and supervisory review. It is also subject
to Centre policy, IRSM and other external program models.
Key
Relationships:
The Supervisor, Inclusion Quality
Coordinator is concerned with the effectiveness of all relationships that
affect the Centre. The following are
particularly significant to the position:
External
- Children with special needs,
their families and other caregivers
- Staff in various settings such
as; centre-based childcare and EarlyOn
- Niagara Region Children’s
Services
- Staff from supporting agencies
Internal
- Clinical managers and clinical
staff
Performance Factors:
In assessing the performance of an
incumbent in this position, the following factors will be utilized as
appropriate:
- Continuous quality improvement
– engaging in strategic planning, regular evaluations, business performance
measurement, and leadership and development to improve service delivery
- Oversight – care plan
decisions, service plans and service delivery meet established standards
- Case review and coaching –
regularly review cases with staff, providing strength-based feedback, guidance
and coaching to improve planning, service delivery, documentation and
intervention quality
- Collaborative decision-making –
oversight that promotes inclusive and culturally safe decision-making involving
the child, family and community where appropriate
- Documentation and
administrative accuracy - ensuring case documentation is timely, thorough, and
accurate to maintain quality control and accountability
- Relationships and engagement – building
relationships; the level of cooperation and collaboration with clients and
families, staff from other agencies, and other members of the team
- Inclusive
leadership and organizational culture - demonstrating values like accountability, inclusion, respect,
innovation, mentorship, and team collaboration
Qualifications:
- Registered Early Childhood
Educator (RECE) in good standing with the College of Early Childhood Educators
is required, and
- Diploma/Degree in Early
Childhood Education or related human services field (e.g., Child and Youth
Work, Developmental Services, Social Work, Resource Consultant).
Education
- Diploma/Degree in Early
Childhood Education or related human services field
(e.g., Child and Youth Work, Developmental Services, Social Work, Resource
Consultant).
- Registered Early Childhood
Educator (RECE) in good standing with the College
of Early Childhood Educators (CECE) is desirable.
Experience and Core Competencies
- Preferably 5 years of
experience, a minimum of 3 working in a childcare or EARLYON setting, working
with early childcare providers and childhood educators
- Supervisory or leadership role
experience is a strong asset – provision of guidance, direction, support to
other employees and the team
- Demonstrated knowledge of
inclusive education, special needs supports, child development, and early
learning frameworks.
- Evidence of continuing
professional development.
- Strong communication, coaching,
problem-solving and solution-focused, and conflict-resolution skills.
- Family- centred approach –
prioritizing families and their needs and preferences, recognizing them as the
experts in their own lives.
- Experience with equity,
diversity, and inclusion frameworks or trauma-informed care approaches.
Knowledge/Skills:
- Special needs knowledge across
domains: A strong understanding of the physical, developmental, behavioural,
emotional, and communication-related disabilities and inclusion strategies.
- Cultural sensitivity and
inclusive practices: It's essential to support diverse and culturally-informed
child care environments
- Conflict de-escalation and
discretion: Maintaining privacy, tact, and judgment in professional
interactions, particularly when dealing with sensitive family or health-related
information.
- Analytical thinking: Evaluating
program effectiveness, interpreting data, resolving compliance issues, and
adjusting service plans as needed.
- Leadership & mentoring: Coach
inclusion support staff, model best practices, and foster a supportive team
culture.
- Knowledge of Niagara’s early
years landscape, including community services and supports.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office
and case management or data systems.
Other:
- Valid Ontario Driver’s License
and access to a reliable vehicle for travel across the Niagara Region.
- A current criminal reference
check for vulnerable populations
- Bilingualism is a strong asset
- CPR certification
- Evidence of non-violent crisis
intervention training
Why Join Us?
- We provide a total rewards package that
supports your well-being and supports and encourages continuous professional
development and growth.
- Provide a competitive hiring range of $75,309
– $88,608 commensurate with experience, and a 37.5 hour work week.
- Participation in a Defined Benefit
Pension Plan (HOOPP) from day one of employment with us, we offer healthcare
and dental benefits, and access to the Employee and Family Assistance program.
Application Process
If you are inspired by the work of
Niagara Children’s Centre and would like to join our team, we want to hear from
you! To review the job description and pursue
this career opportunity, please visit our website at www.niagarachildrenscentre.com
We will be reviewing candidate
submissions as they are received and move forward with interviews. Early
submission is encouraged.
Niagara Children’s Centre is committed
to fair and accessible employment practices. Upon request, suitable
accommodation is available under the Accessibility
for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA) to applicants invited to an
interview.
We thank all those who apply but only
those selected for further consideration will be contacted. The selected
candidate will be required to participate in a Criminal Background Check.