Position Overview

Family Place is seeking a dedicated, energetic Family Support Practitioner and Doula to guide community-driven parent engagement, perinatal initiatives, and multi-generational family support across our centre. Grounded in the Standards of Practice for Family Support, relational early development frameworks, Reggio Emilia pedagogical principles, and participant-centred service delivery, this dual-focus role walks alongside expectant caregivers, babies, and young families throughout pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and early childhood.

This paid position harmonizes relational family support and direct, evidence-based doula services with intentional program coordination. The practitioner coordinates workshops, provides tailored navigational support, and ensures seamless delivery of community offerings, empowering participants and cultivating mutual resilience. We believe in continuous professional investment and will fully sponsor certified Doula training through an accredited institution for the hired practitioner if not already certified.

Core Spheres of Practice and Responsibilities

Perinatal Support and Direct Doula Practice

- Deliver responsive, evidence-based perinatal navigation and compassionate doula support, walking alongside expectant and newly parenting families through prenatal planning, physiological labor education, labor and birth support, lactation, infant feeding, and postpartum adjustment.
- Offer accessible guidance on perinatal health and medical terminology to participants and team members to demystify clinical information and foster informed decision-making.
- Collaborate respectfully with community healthcare providers to bridge clinical and community-based services, facilitating complementary care while maintaining rigorous participant confidentiality.

Parent-Child Relational Environments and Early Pedagogy
- Facilitate welcoming, drop-in parent-child environments and structured peer circles that build caregiver capacity, mitigate isolation, and strengthen early attachment.
- Design intentional play invitations, emergent learning environments, and responsive provocations rooted in Reggio Emilia principles that honour infant and toddler competence while modeling attuned adult-child interactions.
- Facilitate parent education series and reflective group discussions on early childhood milestones, emotional regulation, and positive parenting practices.
- Provide nourishing hospitality and light meal offerings within a community kitchen environment to foster a dignifying, kitchen-table atmosphere during program gatherings.

Program Coordination and Operational Administration
- Coordinate, schedule, and facilitate educational workshops, peer support groups,



and community outreach events focused on perinatal wellness and early family life.
- Manage end-to-end program logistics, including participant registration, space preparation, and resource distribution, ensuring consistent operational workflow.
- Support the visionary design and co-creation of new initiatives aimed at broadening community access, family engagement, and network equity.
- Maintain thorough, objective documentation of family interactions, program attendance, and relational progress using dignified and confidential record-keeping practices.

Candidate Qualifications and Relational Strengths

Education and Experience

- Post-secondary credential in Family Studies, Social Work, Nursing, Midwifery, Childbirth Education, Child and Youth Care, Health Promotion, Public Health, Early Childhood Education, or a related human service discipline; Bachelor's degree preferred.
- Demonstrated experience in family support practice, adult group facilitation, community program delivery, perinatal support, or community-based parent navigation (minimum 1 year related experience preferred; 3 years applicable experience preferred).
- Certification or documented background as a Childbirth Educator, Postpartum Educator, Doula, or ECE/ECA/ECI is an asset (formal Doula certification will be fully funded if required).
- Paid doula training will be provided through Doula Canada should the candidate not already have doula training.

Knowledge and Skills
- Grounded understanding of family support principles, infant mental health, parent-child relational attunement, family systems theory, and physiological birth processes.
- Proven organizational and project management capability, with the aptitude to coordinate multiple community programs simultaneously with precision.
- Strong familiarity with Prince Edward Island healthcare pathways, community resources, and family referral networks.
- Refined interpersonal communication, reflective active listening, and the ability to articulate complex information clearly across diverse family constellations.
- Capacity to navigate complex family dynamics with clear professional boundaries, empathetic neutrality, and collaborative inquiry.
- Current resident of Prince Edward Island (required).
- Professional fluency in English (required).

Core Relational Attributes

- Unconditional positive regard, approaching every adult and child with authentic warmth, curiosity,



and deep respect for their inherent capability.
- Eagerness to expand professional practice through sponsored credentials, team-oriented peer mentorship, and ongoing pedagogical reflection.
- High collaborative agility, functioning seamlessly within an interdisciplinary community team while maintaining confident autonomy in daily facilitation.
- Dependable, punctual, flexible, and grounded work ethic centred on participant dignity and community voice.

Mandatory Clearances and Operational Standards

- Explicit Vulnerable Sector Criminal Record Check completed prior to commencement (organizational verification letter issued upon offer).
- Standard First Aid and CPR (Level C or Infant/Child) certification, or commitment to obtain immediately upon hire (fees covered by the organization).
- Provincial Food Safety certification (Food Handler Certificate), or commitment to complete during onboarding (fees covered by the organization).
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) certificate (completed during onboarding, fees covered by the organization).
- Three satisfactory professional references.

Role Structure and Distinction

- Schedule: Monday through Friday, daytime operational hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30/5:00 p.m.), with scheduled flexibility required to facilitate occasional evening or weekend workshops, perinatal groups, on-call birth support, or community events as program needs require.
- Professional Distinction: This is a specialized community-based family resource, parenting support, doula, and program coordination role. It is not an early childhood daycare worker post, nor is it a personal support worker (PSW), resident care worker (RCW), or clinical hospital attendant position.

Application Procedure To be considered for review, candidates must submit a comprehensive electronic application package consisting of an up-to-date resume and a tailored cover letter. The cover letter must articulate your philosophy of family support practice and your approach to walking alongside expectant and new parents. Submissions lacking a cover letter will not be screened. Please direct application packages to:

Laura Quinn Graham, Executive Director

Email: [email protected]

Mail: Family Place, 75 Central Street, Summerside, PE, C1N 3L2

To ensure practitioners remain fully present to daily family programs, no phone calls or walk-ins, please. Review of complete packages begins immediately on a rolling basis, and the position may be filled prior to the official closing date. We appreciate all applications; however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Pay: $18.00-$31.74 per hour

Expected hours: 20.0 – 40.0 per week

Work Location: In person

📌 Doula & Program Coordinator (Summerside)
🏢 Family Place - Reggio Kids Pre-K
📍 Summerside