Policy Analyst-Child Care & Early Education Team

Description

 ABOUT CLASP 

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty organization advancing policy solutions that work for people with low incomes and people of color. We advocate for public policies and programs at the federal, state, and local levels that reduce poverty, improve the lives of people with low incomes, and advance racial and economic justice. Our solutions directly address the barriers that individuals and families face because of race, ethnicity, low income, and immigration status. 

For more than 50 years, we have kept our vision alive through trusted expertise on policy and strategy, knowledgeable and committed staff, partnerships with directly impacted people and grassroots leaders, and approaches to economic and racial justice that are bold, innovative, and inclusive. 

Within our broad anti-poverty mission, CLASP is organized around five policy teams: Child Care and Early Education; Education, Labor & Worker Justice; Income and Work Supports; Immigration and Immigrant Families; and Youth Policy.  

CLASP Values for Racial Equity 

We understand that inclusion is only the first step toward fostering sustainable racial equity, in our society and within our organizational culture. At CLASP, we value the importance of including multiple perspectives in how we shape our organizational culture and engage in our policy and advocacy efforts. And we know that to move beyond inclusion and to achieve true racial equity, we must be intentional in centering and prioritizing the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of people of color. 

CLASP seeks a Policy Analyst who will work on a team of advocates to increase access to high-quality child care and early education for children and families with low incomes. Because early care and education is so crucial both to children’s and parents’ life opportunities, the team focuses on promoting policies that support both child development and the needs of their parents or caregivers. CLASP’s work focuses on solutions to the particular challenges children and families with low incomes face in accessing the quality child care and early education opportunities of their choosing and addressing the barriers they face related to race, language, culture, and immigration status. In addition, the team brings its expertise in child development—including the importance of parents’ well-being and family economic stability—to public debates about policy related to immigration, health and well-being, and the stability and quality of jobs paying low wages. We seek to understand and address the history of racism in the child care and early education system, dismantle racist policies resulting from that history, and address the implications this has on young children of color and their families.  

This position is based in the Washington, D.C., office. CLASP is currently working under a hybrid office model, with the expectation that staff work in-person four days a month. The Child Care and Early Education team will prioritize in-person workdays that align around the team’s shared schedules and offer meaningful opportunities to engage and collaborate with co-workers.  

Job Responsibilities
The Policy Analyst will support the team’s effective advocacy for people with low incomes and people of color on a wide range of early childhood issues and the intersection of civil rights, racial justice, immigrant rights, and early childhood. 

Specific responsibilities may include, but are not limited to: 

• Analyzing state and federal child care and early education policies impacting families with low incomes, especially those who are also immigrant families or families of color;  
• Researching and writing high-quality reports, policy analyses, and issue briefs in substantive areas of work;  
• Supporting the provision of high-quality technical assistance to state policymakers and advocates to assist them in improving their policies and practices;  
• Writing commentaries and blogs that address urgent policy issues, often by providing data or research to inform the debate;  
• Supporting Congressional advocacy through research, writing, editing, and/or data analysis on issues relating to young children and family well-being;  
• Connecting and fostering the link and feedback loop between federal and state child care and early education development, implementation, and bill design; and
• Active participation in the child care and early education team, CLASP-wide activities (such as the cross-team immigration working group and CLASP’s racial equity steering committee), and external working groups and coalitions (such as the immigration administrative advocacy table), as needed.

We estimate that work at the intersection of child care and immigration will account for approximately 25-40 percent of this role’s time, though it will vary based on what is happening in the world and within the organization.   

Requirements

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have a passion for driving change on behalf of families with low incomes and the commitment, skills, and experience to work with an extraordinary team to make that change happen. 

• Demonstrated commitment to CLASP’s mission of reducing poverty and improving the lives of people with low incomes.  
• Commitment to understanding the historical and present structural implications of income, racial, ethnic, and gender inequities on communities, families, and individuals and to promoting equity through policymaking.  
• Knowledge of or experience with child care access for immigrant families and related policies, or interest in learning as well as knowledge or interest in one or more of the following policy areas: poverty, racial equity, child care and early education programs, and/or child development, ideally acquired through volunteer or paid work and/or personal experience in addition to academic study.  
• Demonstrated capacity to set priorities work on multiple complex and detail-oriented projects, often on a time-sensitive basis; and work effectively both individually and as part of a team.  
• Ability to apply existing skills and knowledge to new content areas, tasks, or projects, and to do so with increasing independence.  
• Strong policy analysis skills, including the capacity to understand complex legislative and regulatory provisions, and assess the political and budgetary context and policy options.  
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills with the ability to synthesize policy priorities effectively, persuasively, and creatively for policymakers, advocates, and the general public.  
• Strong research skills (ability to analyze large data sets a plus, but not required).  
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, including Excel and Power Point, is required.  
• Proficiency in a language other than English (preferably Spanish) to perform tasks such as conducting focus groups with Spanish-speaking participants is a plus but not required.  
• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of two years of related experience or a master’s or other advanced degree. CLASP values the lived experience people gain from various life circumstances which can be considered toward an applicant’s related experience. 
• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally (estimated at 10 percent of the time).  
• Candidate must be based in the Washington, D.C. metro area or willing to relocate. 

COVID Policy

We have a mandatory vaccine policy as a condition of employment (applicable accommodations apply).
 

Compensation

Salary Range: $66,000-77,000 

CLASP offers exceptional benefits, including several health insurance options (most that currently require no employee-paid premiums). In addition, we provide the following benefits that currently require no employee-paid premiums: dental and vision insurance, life insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, and long-term care insurance. Additionally, we offer a 403(b)-retirement program with employer contributions, flexible spending accounts, and a no-cost gym onsite at our D.C. office. Finally, we provide generous vacation (four weeks in the first year), paid sick leave (three weeks annually), two personal days a year, paid family and medical leave, and holiday schedules.  

APPLICATION PROCESS 

Please send a cover letter explaining your interest in CLASP’s mission and why you are the best candidate for this position, along with your resume.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
 

CLASP is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.