Childcare Provider

Childcare Provider Opportunity

Essie Justice Group (Essie) is building grassroots power to dismantle the US incarceration system, the most egregious creator of racial and gender injustice of our time. We are a loving and powerful community of women with incarcerated loved ones. Our community includes cisgender women, transgender women, formerly incarcerated women, gender nonconforming (GNC) people, elders, and young people.

After ten years of building an active membership across California and beyond, Essie is deepening its base-building and leadership development strategies with the 1 in 4 women with incarcerated loved ones to propel bold decarceration agendas across the nation. We seek to transform the criminal legal system and create a Black feminist future rooted in care, equity, community safety, and liberation.

As part of this vision, we are seeking compassionate, dependable, and values-aligned childcare providers to support our members by ensuring their children are cared for in safe, nurturing, and engaging environments during program sessions. This role is vital to reducing barriers to participation and allowing women to be fully present in their healing and advocacy journeys. Childcare providers are essential partners in our work to upend systems of control and confinement by making space for the leadership and self-determination of Black women and gender nonconforming people.

Beginning in March, we will launch six 9-week cohorts of women with incarcerated loved ones in Oakland. Each cohort will meet once a week in the evening, supported by a dedicated childcare team, so participants can engage fully in the program.

Qualifications:

• 2+ years of relevant experience working with youth or in childcare related fields.
• Enthusiasm for maintaining 1-on-1 relationships with young people of varying ages.
• Experience with setting up and facilitating stimulating environments for children and young people, including snack preparation.
• Ability to follow risk management protocol to ensure the physical and emotional safety and well-being of all childcare participants.
• Demonstrated ability and comfort facilitating age-appropriate group discussions about the justice system.
• Proficiency with tracking attendance and documenting daily childcare activities
• Must be able and willing to travel to all cohort sessions and any additional meetings as necessary.
• Must have your own phone and be willing to coordinate with the Childcare Coordinator should there be a need to miss a childcare session.
• Upon hire show proof of valid CPR/ First Aid certification
• Available to work in Oakland.

Qualities:

• A strong commitment to the mission, goals, and philosophy of Essie Justice Group.
• Deeply committed to fostering youth empowerment and self-efficacy.
• Ability to consistently and sustainably hold space for children, youth, and caregivers through difficult situations with compassion and empathy.
• Exceptional follow-through and commitment to creating high quality childcare environments.
• Anticipates needs of all children and other colleagues sharing the childcare space and takes initiative to address them.
• Outcome oriented, critical and creative thinker.
• Positive approach, can-do attitude, and a sense of humor.