Contractor Statement of Work
Transformational Change in Rural Child Care
The Transformational Change in Rural Child Care Consultant will provide strategic leadership and execution for the initiative to redefine child care as a core economic driver and workforce strategy for thriving rural communities. This two-year, grant-funded independent contract will focus intensely on building a powerful public/private partnership model in conjunction with regional economic development leaders as part of an evolving capacity for sustainable communities in areas such as our region.
The Contractor will build upon the foundation of the Birth to Three Alliance (BT3) and the Stand Up for Child Care coalition, bringing new elements to the needed public/private partnership. The Contractor will be responsible for establishing a strong economic coalition, ensuring strategic alignment with existing early childhood initiatives, developing a replicable Adirondack Child Care Toolkit, exploring opportunities to pilot or launch novel child care approaches and advancing policy change by elevating rural voices at the state level.
Liaison and Coordination
The Contractor will operate independently but will coordinate with the following key individuals and organizations:
- Adirondack Community Foundation (ACF) BT3 Director: For strategic alignment and integration with existing early childhood initiatives and Stand Up for Child Care efforts.
- ACF VP of Grants and Programs: For project alignment and contract compliance.
- Warren County Economic Development Corporation (EDC): Bringing business in a newly structured way is critical, and the Contractor is expected to work very closely with the Warren County EDC as a convener for the region’s collective Economic Development organizations and businesses.
- Local Child Care Resource Centers including the Southern Adirondack Child Care Network, the Adirondack Community Action Program in Essex County and the Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country as well as others as identified.
- While the Contractor will manage their own schedule, they are expected to be available for key stakeholder meetings at the Warren County EDC as necessary, where space is available to foster collaboration and access regional relationships.
Deliverables and Milestones
1. Economic Coalition Building and Leadership
- Facilitate the establishment of a high-impact regional partnership, involving among others the Warren, Franklin, and Clinton County Economic Development Corporations (EDCs), and local and regional businesses to champion childcare as an essential economic and workforce driver.
- Expand the Stand Up for Child Care coalition's vision and membership, deliberately focusing on engaging business and workforce leaders to achieve the goal of 50 business and employer members by 2027.
- Develop and launch the Onboard Adirondacks initiative that centers affordable, quality childcare as its key workforce solution. Secure tangible commitments from regional businesses to advance childcare as a core workforce strategy.
- Manage the scheduling and facilitation of regular meetings of the EDC-led leadership team and the broader business coalition to sustain momentum and drive action on economic-focused childcare solutions including any opportunistic novel childcare pilots or initiatives consistent with the overall effort.
2. Strategic Alignment and Advocacy
- Work closely with the BT3 Director to ensure the new economic coalition's strategy is fully integrated with the foundational work of the Birth to Three Alliance (BT3).
- Coordinate strategic advocacy efforts to elevate business and economic leader's voices in state-level conversations, advocating for childcare solutions as essential to business and rural prosperity, working in partnership with the BT3 Director and lobbying firm.
- Provide expert input for the development of annual policy priorities for state-level decision-makers, emphasizing the economic case for rural childcare investment.
3. Toolkit Development and Dissemination
- Lead the development and production of the Adirondack Child Care Toolkit—a replicable set of practical resources (surveys, case studies, business plan templates) designed for other rural communities and economic development agencies.
- Manage the distribution of the Toolkit and track its adoption, aiming for five (5) or more communities to adopt one element in ongoing, new or pilot efforts that include child care (e.g., survey, opportunities map, or business plan template).
- Aggregate, compile, analyze and share both existing regional childcare data as well as new sources to support the coalition's economic arguments and resource development efforts.
Terms of Engagement
- Independent Status: The Contractor shall determine the method, details, and means of performing the services and shall provide their own equipment and materials.
- Compensation: Payment will be made monthly upon receipt of a professional invoice detailing progress toward deliverables. Total contract value not to exceed $70,000 per year; the scope of work is estimated to require approximately 20–30 hours per week.
Key Skills/Project Requirements
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Project management experience and acumen including tools, meeting organization, meeting facilitation, tracking and reporting
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Childcare or relevant community capacity portfolio and/or work experience
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Ability to work independently, engage leaders and participants at all levels
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Experience organizing and leading business and/or community forums and input channels
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Comfort and command of key tools such as Microsoft suite of applications (Word, PowerPoint, etc), emerging online presentation tools (such as Canva), project management templates and formats, email and similar applications (such as Constant Contact,) social media platforms and polling tools
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PC, phone and basic tools will be supplied by contractor while any specialized tools may be provided by project
Application Details
