Education Specialist

The New York Foundling•New York, NY

17d•Onsite

About The Position

At The New York Foundling, we trust in the power and potential of people, and we deliberately invest in proven practices. From bold beginnings in 1869, our New York-based nonprofit has supported hundreds of thousands of our neighbors on their own paths to stability, strength, and independence. We help children and families navigate through and beyond foster care. We help families struggling with conflict and poverty grow strong. We help individuals with developmental disabilities live their best lives, and we help our neighbors access quality health and mental health services—core to building lifelong resilience and wellbeing. Together, our interrelated programs provide a whole-person, whole-family, and whole-life approach that unlocks solutions for a lifetime.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree from a U.S. accredited educational institution or Credential Evaluation for a non-U.S. educational institution
Knowledge of the NYC DOE system, college admissions and financial aid process, high school enrollment process, and alternative educational settings.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Ability to evaluate and aggregate educational data, put together reports and summaries, and present information to stakeholders.
Ability to collaborate with other program staff and community resources.
Ability to engage hard-to-reach youth in academic services and provide guidance and support.
Microsoft office suite proficiency (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Nice To Haves

Two years in direct care position preferred (case planning/community service).
Experience in youth/child welfare and/or NYC public school system preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide academic support services to youth in the New York Foundling family foster care (FFC) program.
Meet with youth and collaborate with stakeholders including foster parents, birth parents, school staff and agency staff to ensure students receive necessary supports.
Manage a caseload of students requiring direct and intensive intervention.
Provide consultation to case planning teams for indirect intervention to ensure all FFC students receive educational advocacy support.
Collaborate with New York Foundling tutoring programs including Road to Success and College Bound by providing tutoring referrals and technical support.
Be available when youth are available, potentially working evening hours.
Provide individual education counseling services to youth at risk of failing or dropping out of school.
Advocate for youth within the public education system to ensure appropriate educational setting placement.
Communicate regularly with foster parents and birth parents about youth’s academic performance and attendance.
Communicate regularly with school personnel for updates on student attendance, progress, and behavior.
Monitor educational DOE data and notify agency staff and parents about youth performance and attendance.
Refer students to NYF tutoring programs for academic support.
Identify students needing special education supports and make appropriate referrals for evaluations, ensuring services are in place.
Provide assistance and guidance in the college application process (college selection, admissions application, essay writing, financial aid, work study, scholarships, room and board).
Provide assistance in the high school application process (ensure quality schools are listed, and applications are complete, correct, and submitted on time).
Support college students through monthly check-in calls to assist with transitioning to college life, class registration, and financial aid issues.
Refer out-of-school youth for HSE and Vocational programs and provide ongoing support and guidance.
Document all interventions performed in the Education Specialist Intervention online form.
Develop contacts with relevant community resources.
Conduct workshops on varying topics to enhance youth and parent engagement.
Provide continuing education and support to case planners regarding educational issues and advocacy.
Perform monthly case consultations with unit case planners and supervisors at Education Week meetings.
Actively participate in educational meetings/conferences with foster and birth parents.
Complete other job-related tasks as required.