Consultant Posting
Project: Understanding the Early Years
Contract Position: GIS Mapping & Social Research
Contract Duration: 320 hours, Dec 4, 2006 to March 30, 2007
Contract Fee: $ 8,000, plus direct expenses reimbursement
Contractor: Community Social Planning Council
Understanding the Early Years Project
The Understanding the Early Years project is a federally funded research and community capacity building initiative being undertaken by PLAY (Partnership in Learning and Advocacy for Young Children: www.playvictoria.org), focused on gathering, interpreting and sharing meaningful information and resources that can positively affect the early years in local communities.
The project is gathering quantitative and qualitative information from many sources to learn more about our region’s children six and under, their parents and the early childhood assets available to them in their communities. Sources of information include: the Early Development Instrument (EDI), the Parent Interview and Direct Assessment of Children Survey (PIDACS), census data, a PLAY developed inventory of healthy early childhood assets, PLAY reports, as well as our own local qualitative research and maps.
PLAY’s local research and data provides opportunities for community dialogue, action planning and collaboration. Using the research and tools available through this project, we are working to engage a wider cross-section of the community to create a region and local neighbourhoods that positively enhance the well being and development of young children. We are developing tools and generating data that will be useful to municipal, regional, provincial and federal governments to foster healthy communities, and that will be beneficial to local organizations who serve young children and families.
The legal sponsor of the project is the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria, a registered charity in BC’s Capital region www.communitycouncil.ca. Other key actors instrumental to the project are: the four school districts in our region, academic institutions, local early childhood development committees and the members of the Understanding the Early Years Research Task Group.
The project currently requires the immediate support of a part time research assistant to assist the project with GIS mapping and social research. The assistant will be provided with direction and support from the UEY coordinator and the UEY Research Task Group.
Deliverables
The research consultant will provide support to the UEY project in the following capacities:
- Creation of tools and maps from various data sources such as census data, EDI data, the early childhood asset inventory and other possible sources of data meaningful to project goals and needs.
- Work with the UEY coordinator and the UEY Research Committee to implement local qualitative research and mapping initiatives.
- Assist with preparations for the Community Mapping Report
- Provide expertise with statistical analysis
- Support decision making on obtaining other sources of data and necessary software and hardware for data analysis and creation of maps and tools.
- Assist the UEY coordinator where required to write reports and communication materials to disseminate research
- Attend organizational and committee meetings as required.
- Assist with finalizing the early childhood asset inventory
- Work with the UEY coordinator to create community early years profiles
- Consult with municipalities and other partners to determine interest in sharing data and to ensure that our data is formatted to upload into other applications.
- Finalize a template for PLAY maps (including colour schemes etc.)
- Support other UEY activities when required.
Selection Criteria
- A graduate or masters degree with specialization in social research and GIS mapping
- Has at least two years of experience conducting research involving mapping and statistical analysis
- Experience using Arcview 8, Excel, Access and SPSS
- Ability to communicate research information to diverse audiences (i.e. parents, teachers, the community at large) orally, written and in graphic form.
- A specialisation in the social sciences is desirable, and familiarity with the field of early childhood or very interested in the area is beneficial but not required. The specialization may also be obtained through an acceptable combination of education, training and experience.
- Has a flexible work schedule to accommodate 20 to 25 hours a week.
- Available to start beginning of December 2006.
- Enjoys working collaboratively
- Knowledgeable and upholds ethical research practices and protocols within community and academic environments.
- Involvement in community based research is an asset.
Terms
This is a part time contract consisting of 320 hours of work to be completed over four months (December 4, 2006 to March 30, 2007). The consultant should be able to provide between 20 to 25 hours per week (with exception over the seasonal holidays at the end of December). There is a strong possibility that the position will be extended beyond March 2007.
Remuneration is based on an hourly rate of $25.00 per hour, for a total of $8,000.
The research assistant will be required to have their own computer and office space. Access to a computer with all mapping software and necessary project files will be shared between the consultant and the UEY coordinator, as well as a colour printer.
Submission Process
Your expression of interest will include:
- your resume,
- a letter (2 page maxiumum) demonstrating your interest in the position and relevent research and experience that is related to the position
- names and contact information of three references who testify to your experience.
Email your application to: stephanie@playvictoria.org AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Kindly mark the subject of the email: UEY Researcher Position.
Applicants selected for an interview will be notified by phone.