About Children First
Children First, formerly Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), is a dynamic child advocacy organization focused on improving the lives of children by building support and momentum to improve local, state and/or federal policies that can promote racial and economic equity for children as they grow up in southeastern Pennsylvania. Our small staff is a group of highly motivated individuals who are passionate about improving the lives of children and youth. Through bipartisan advocacy, we have a record of winning scale level changes that do just that. To be successful at Children First you must enjoy collaborating and helping coworkers do their best and contribute to a respectful workplace that values a commitment to racial diversity, having fun, and making an impact.

Children First has 4 open positions:

Civic Engagement Coordinator

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Position Summary

The Civic Engagement Coordinator will train and support early childhood sector stakeholders so that they can support and pressure candidates for state elected offices to speak to the need for greater access to affordable high-quality child-care and Pre-K as they campaign. 

Key Duties

• Track candidate activity and support early learning stakeholders to engage with public and networking events orchestrated by the candidate, supporters of the candidates or those organized by civic and business organizations
• Manage and expand the Child Care Voter campaign, a grassroots civic engagement campaign, through communication and engagement with child care providers and parents using child care
• Plan, organize, and facilitate a series of candidate forums focused on childcare issues in targeted races during election season in collaboration with providers
• Craft and disseminate memos for other candidate forums that argue for issues of early learning to be included in their events
• Advise the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for Pa campaigns on campaign visibility materials and manage the dissemination of any items purchased to increase the visibility of the campaigns during the election seasons
• Work with communications contactors to draft flyers, commentaries and materials needed to persuade candidates and community stakeholders to be champions of early learning
• Attend local events organized to support candidate engagement and/or inform the Governing Committee members of the campaigns of these events
• Inventory useful information on profiles and networks of influence for candidates
• Track candidate statements on campaign issues and state funding for expansion of these services

Qualifications, Education, Experience & Skills

• A passion for supporting the engagement of early learning sectors, allied stakeholders, and parents as they engage in educating candidates and increasing the pressure on candidates to publicly state they will fight for more resources for affordable, high quality early learning services
• Experience working with state-elected officials either as legislative or executive branch staff or as an advocate with a positive track record of impact
• Knowledge of the processes that candidates use to run for state office and how to influence the election narrative
• Experience maintaining and motivating coalitions to achieve high-level goals
• Highly organized and able to multi-task, with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects at one time
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, positive and patient approach as a trainer and clear written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and with others
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Proficient with Word, Excel, SharePoint and Powerpoint, facility with Facebook, Twitter and lnstagram
• Valid PA Driver’s License with own transportation, ability to travel to communities across the region.
• Ability to participate in events and meetings outside of normal business hours
• Bachelor’s Degree

Other Duties

• Attend all Children First staff meetings and participate in special events as needed
• Assist when asked in Children First outreach events which may be during evening or weekend hours
• Attend all in person meetings of the two statewide campaigns (typically three times a year in Harrisburg)

Reports To: Executive Director

Salary: $80,000 plus benefits and generous paid time off

Apply: Resume and cover letter to info@childrenfirstpa.org

Health Policy Director

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Position Summary

Children First plays a leadership role in setting and advancing local and state policy priorities that improve children’s health, by advocating for policies that ensure every low income child qualifies for and enrolls in publicly supported health insurance, including immigrant children; end lead paint poisoning by getting lead out of homes and schools; and improve behavioral health services for Black, Hispanic, and low income children. The Health Policy Director builds and facilitates coalitions, manages outreach campaigns, briefs local, state and national policymakers, researches and writes reports and funding proposals.

Key Duties:

• Lead the development and implementation of advocacy strategies to advance state and local health policy priorities
• Craft compelling messaging documents including reports, briefs, commentaries, and fact sheets and regularly make public speeches/presentations to increase the public discourse to support the policy reforms
• Draft and present testimony to legislative bodies on health policy issues.
• Recruit and inform community leaders, parents and youth and engage them to build support for our policy priorities
• Create, expand, and lead broad-based coalitions focused on health policy goals
• Mobilize people in Children First’s health networks and parents/caregivers to shape health policy through public testimony, letter writing

Position Description:

• Regularly hold effective meetings with key policymakers regarding health priorities
• Monitor trends and collect and analyze data on health policy in order to identify unmet needs and persistent challenges, and establish priority issues
• Create and execute plans for writing reports and ensuring their dissemination and popularizing of their findings on social media and news platforms
• Work in partnership with the Development Team to craft proposals and reports that increase the resources supporting our education policy/advocacy efforts
• Supervise the health team in including the Behavioral Health Policy Coordinator and Health Advocacy Associate

Qualifications, Education, Experience & Skills:

• Knowledge of major children’s health policy issues
• Experience understanding and advancing legislative goals
• Advanced skills leading coalitions
• Ability to organize, mobilize and facilitate community engagement
• Proficiency in data analysis associated with health statistics, demographic analysis and related data-related research
• Advanced written and oral communication skills
• At least three years management experience with supervisory responsibilities
• Experience using social media tools to boost advocacy impact
• Strong desire to lead the health team with a spirit of collaboration and empowering a team to achieve big goals

Other Duties:

• Attend and present information at the Children First Board meetings and subcommittee meetings
• Assist when asked in Children First outreach events which may be during evening or weekend hours
• Attend and participate in staff meetings

Important Skills:

• Ability to work independently and with others
• Fast learner and fast writer
• Works well under pressure
• Detail oriented
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects
• Ability to collect, interpret and simplify data
• Very strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to travel to communities across the region – must have driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle
• Proficient in excel, word, google and social media platforms

Reports To: Executive Director

Salary: Between $100,000 and $110,000 depending on experience

Apply: Resume and cover letter to info@childrenfirstpa.org

Early Childhood Education Policy Associate

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Position Summary

Children First is looking to expand the early childhood education team by adding a special projects associate who will work closely with the ECE director and the rest of the ECE team on advocacy to increase access to and quality of early childhood education programs in Pennsylvania. The special projects associate will have the opportunity to work on projects that advance the racial equity agenda of the ECE team, which include but are not limited to working on a racial equity provider council, research projects, meetings with key legislators, and more. This is a great entry-level job for someone who is interested in learning more about policy and advocacy.

Key Duties:

• Organize the logistics of advocacy campaigns and research projects related to the ECE policy agenda.
• Conduct background research, including literature reviews to support the development of research products.
• Schedule meetings with key community stakeholders as well as state and congressional lawmakers.
• Facilitate communications, write up agendas and meeting minutes.
• Collect data and track measurable outcomes for grant reporting.
• Reach out to early childhood providers and parents to recruit for advocacy projects.
• Assist with the organizing of events, including but not limited to STAR move up and expansion ceremonies, kindergarten graduations, and other provider events.
• Assist in writing reports for funders and advocacy efforts.
• Attend weekly ECE team meetings with the ECE director.

Qualifications, Education, Experience & Skills:

• Strong commitment to racial justice and desire to create safe inclusive conversations on how to close racial equity gaps in early childhood education.
• A track record of successful and positive engagements with community members.
• Excellent communication and writing skills.
• Team player, able to coordinate, negotiate, manage, and work with coworkers of all levels.
• Strong verbal and written communications skills and a deep working knowledge of data analysis software applications and tools, such as Excel or a similar software.
• Program management skills including process management, data tracking and reporting.
• Minimum 1 years of experience working in a non-profit/advocacy/community service field, can be an unpaid internship experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in human services, social work, public policy, or relate field required.
• Ability to work occasional weekend or evening events.
• Willingness to travel throughout Southeast Pennsylvania and Harrisburg.

Reports To: Early Childhood Education Director

Salary: $45,000 

Apply: Resume and cover letter to info@childrenfirstpa.org.

Justice in Education Youth Leadership Program Coordinator

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Position Summary

We are seeking an outgoing and highly organized individual to join the K-12 team to engage high school youth enabling them to make the case for improving public education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  The Justice in Education Youth Leadership Coordinator will be supervised by the K-12 Policy Director and work closely with our County Coordinators to grow the base of education stakeholders throughout the region who support our public education funding campaign and educational equity initiatives.

Key Duties:

• Serve as the primary liaison with organizations that engage youth across the region including school-based and community-based organizations.
• Work with these organizations to identify ways to insert public education advocacy training content into their youth activities.
• Build personal relationships with the youth who want to be highly engaged and support efforts created by the K-12 team that give them pathways to engagement.
• Arrange for Children First and other experts to provide the training at time slots provided by the partner organizations.
• Schedule legislative/community organization meetings for the youth who choose to become advocacy leaders.
• Work with the K-12 team to create presentations/materials for training & related activities.
• Increase visibility of our work by engaging youth on social media that give voice to their experiences and hopes for public education.
• Maintain records with contact information for partner organizations and youth interested in the Justice In Education program.
• Assist in organizing K-12 policy-related events, such as rallies, press conferences, advocacy trainings, forums, report launch events, etc.

Other Duties as assigned by the K-12 Education Policy Director or K-12 County Coordinators:

• Stay abreast of the work of local and state partners/allies and national organizations involved in policy and advocacy in the K-12 area of work
• Assist when asked in Children First outreach events which may be during evening or weekend hours
• Attend and participate in staff and committee meetings and special events
• Attend all in person meetings of the statewide campaigns (typically three times a year in Harrisburg).

Qualifications, Education, Experience & Skills:

• A passion for working with youth and for building relationships with youth serving leaders.
• Experience working on a team as an advocate with a positive history of impact.
• Highly organized, able to multi-task and manage multiple projects
• Strong verbal communication skills, positive and clear written communication skills.
• Ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Docs.
• Active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Important additional skills:

• Comfort with making cold calls to engage new stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and with others
• Ability to learn new skills to support new initiatives
• Works well under pressure
• Detail oriented
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects
• Very strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to travel to communities across the region
  

Reports To: K12 Education Policy Director

Salary range: $50,000-$60,000 depending on experience, full benefits provided.

Apply: Resume and cover letter to info@childrenfirstpa.org.

Internships

Children First interns gain knowledge and experience in child advocacy and public policy. Interns participate in all aspects of our work including attending rallies, conducting research on children’s issues and creating materials to support our  mission of providing better lives and life chances for children in southeastern Pennsylvania.  At this time, we are only able to offer unpaid internships that are needed as part of college course requirements.  For more information, contact: info at childrenfirstpa.org

Children First is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring.