Family Advocate - Head Start

The Centers•Cleveland, OH

148d

About The Position

The Family Advocate serves as a link between families, The Centers staff, service area personnel, and community resources. Assigned to a particular Early Learning center, the advocate builds positive relationships with caregivers and provides direct services that support the well-being and success of families participating in the Early Learning program. The role facilitates Family and Community Partnerships and supports Program Governance, Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance activities. The advocate is an active member of the Family Support Team and has dotted-line supervision to the Site Manager. The position coordinates with families, center staff, the Enrollment team, partner agencies, and community organizations. It supports family engagement and goal-setting, referrals and access to resources, enrollment and attendance, and timely, accurate documentation. The advocate also helps maintain center and program compliance and participates in training and community activities.

Requirements

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in a Human Services-related field.
No record of child abuse or moral turpitude, as determined by a fingerprint-based background check.
Comfort using various technological platforms and data systems.
Ability to travel independently between sites.
Certification in CPR/First Aid, Communicable Disease, and Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention is required upon hire.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a social work field setting is preferred.

Responsibilities

Establish cooperative relationships with local businesses, agencies, and community organizations, and complete and maintain current Community Partnership Agreements.
Conduct home visits as needed to address attendance concerns, enrollment completion, family services, and paperwork.
Support families’ transitions into programs; connect them with link families and internal or external community resources; and provide or make referrals as needed.
Complete family pre-assessments within 90 days of enrollment and facilitate the Family Success Plan/Family Partnership Agreement process, including helping parents set goals and checking progress within required timelines.
Lead monthly family engagement events with staff, families, and partner agencies, and submit parent-planning documentation monthly.
Recruit, facilitate, and document center volunteers and donations, and educate volunteers about their participation in the Early Learning Program.
Attend community meetings and events, build connections to community resources, and assist families with publicly funded childcare benefits and the Electronic Childcare system.
Proactively recruit families to meet funded enrollment goals at the site and agency-wide, engaging staff and parents in recruitment efforts.
Collaborate with Early Learning staff to ensure the site complies with ODJFS and SUTQ requirements.
Attend agency-sponsored in-service training, seminars, training sessions, and meetings outside the agency to develop experience and knowledge.
Collaborate with the Enrollment team to complete eligibility and enrollment documentation, including an eligibility checklist for each child or family file.
Maintain complete and accurate client files and case notes, record child health information, and obtain required documents and signatures promptly.
Document and track follow-up needs, including Family Partnership Goals, health, dental, nutrition, growth assessments, and hearing and vision concerns.
Track and report attendance daily, support families in addressing attendance barriers when a child’s average daily attendance is below 85%, and follow up on absences.
Complete family contacts and enter associated data and documentation into the data management system in a timely manner.
Collaborate with site staff to maintain center compliance and submit required documentation to service areas on time.
Work with site staff to ensure families and children are served and safe.
Maintain compliance in the Family Support service area and submit documentation to the Family and Community Engagement Manager and other service areas as needed.
Complete other duties as assigned.