Family and Community Engagement Advocate (342)

Lutheran Services Florida • Fort Walton Beach, FL

9d • Hybrid

About The Position

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) is seeking a talented Family and Community Engagement Advocate to support and assist families in identifying and meeting their own goals through a family-centered case management model. This role involves developing and carrying out program family partnership agreements, managing child files, enrollment/applications, and assisting with child health requirements and other screenings. The advocate will also participate in Head Start/Early Head Start Quality Assurance efforts, coordinate with center staff to integrate family partnership goals with classroom efforts, and ensure integrated child and family curriculum. They will participate in team management functions, in-service training, workshops, conferences, and college courses to enhance skills. The role requires working cooperatively with local agencies to link families with community services, conducting and documenting follow-up on referrals, and sharing information with teachers to ensure coordinated services. Additionally, the advocate will provide health, safety, and family literacy activities to parents, develop a working knowledge of community resources, and visit major agencies annually. Responsibilities include attending parent/teacher conferences, multi-team development and staff meetings, and ensuring transition plans are prepared for children. Maintaining strict confidentiality regarding Head Start/Early Head Start children, families, and staff is essential. The role also includes implementing, documenting, and reporting on recruitment, selection, and enrollment of potentially eligible children, pregnant women, and their families, recruiting prospective families, completing the enrollment process, maintaining funded enrollment, and filling vacancies within 30 days. Verifying eligibility, monitoring attendance, and following up on participation or attendance problems are key duties. Documentation of efforts to assist families, tracking family partnership efforts and outcomes, and submitting reports are required. The advocate will coordinate and implement monthly parent committee meetings, maintain accurate records, ensure attendance of Policy Council representatives, and coordinate monthly parent engagement activities through support groups. They will implement a comprehensive parent engagement and education program, ensure timely communication between parents and staff, encourage parent volunteerism, and provide opportunities for parents to work together on activities they develop. Promoting full child/family participation, assisting with monitoring and resolution of problems, and aiding with the transition process into and out of Head Start are also part of the role. The advocate will assist with child health screenings, promote child and family wellness, establish medical and dental "homes," and provide health, safety, and nutrition education activities. Assisting families with disability paperwork is also a responsibility. The role requires adherence to agency policies, procedures, and performance standards, effective customer service, and group leadership.

Requirements

• High School diploma or GED.
• Must obtain a credential or certificate within 18 months of hire in social work, human services, family services, counseling or a related field to remain employed in position.
• At least three years of experience working with children and families in a social services environment.
• Certification in First Aid and CPR within three months of the date assigned to this position.
• Successful completion of a Level II background screening and drug screening prior to hiring.
• Must demonstrate sensitivity to our service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics and needs.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work and human behavior.
• Knowledge of human development and health.
• Knowledge of social services and health services available in the area.
• Knowledge of computer data entry processes.
• Knowledge of family-centered practices.
• Ability to communicate ideas and instructions orally and in writing.
• Ability to write reports and business correspondence.
• Ability to speak before groups of individuals, such as Committees and Staff meetings.
• Ability to calculate amounts by adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and figuring percentages.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of instructions.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to make recommendations and develop implementation strategies.
• Basic computer skills.
• Must be able to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods of time throughout the workday, including moving between classrooms, offices, and community locations.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 45 pounds occasionally (e.g., files, educational materials, outreach supplies).
• Must be able to operate a computer, telephone, and other standard office equipment.
• Adequate vision and hearing (with or without corrective devices) to observe and interact with children and families, and to perform data entry and read documents.
• Must be able to communicate clearly and effectively in person, over the phone, and in writing.
• Must have reliable transportation and be able to travel locally for home visits, community events, and trainings.

Nice To Haves

• Head Start/Early Head Start experience preferred.
• Bilingual preferred: English/Spanish or English and other languages present in the local area.

Responsibilities

• Supports and assists families as they identify and meet their own goals through a family-centered case management model.
• Develops and carries out program family partnership agreements.
• Manages child files, enrollment/applications, and assists with the completion of child health requirements and other required screenings and assessments.
• Participates in HS/EHS Quality Assurance efforts.
• Coordinates with center staff to integrate family partnership goals with classroom efforts and to ensure integrated child and family curriculum.
• Participates in team management functions of planning, implementing and evaluating family and community engagement goals and objectives.
• Participates in in-service, workshops, conferences and college courses to enhance skills.
• Works cooperatively with local agencies to assist families to link up with services in the local community.
• Conducts and documents follow-up on all referrals.
• Regularly shares information with teachers to ensure coordinated services that meet the needs of individual children and families, while respecting family confidentiality.
• Provides health, safety and family literacy activities to parents, as appropriate.
• Develops a working knowledge of community resources, and visits, at least annually, with major agencies for service delivery updates and community resource guide updates.
• Attends parent/teacher conferences as requested.
• Attends multi-team development and staff meetings as requested.
• Ensures an appropriate written transition plan is prepared for all children, six months prior to their third birthday.
• Attends all required staff and parent meetings and activities.
• Maintains strict confidentiality at all times with respect to Head Start/Early Head Start children, families and staff.
• Implements, documents and reports on the recruitment, selection and enrollment of potentially eligible children birth through age 5, pregnant women and their families in collaboration with Health and Family Community Engagement Manager.
• Recruits prospective families and complete the enrollment process.
• Maintains funded enrollment and fill Head Start/Early Head Start vacancies within 30 days.
• Accurately verifies and determines eligibility for Head Start/Early Head Start enrollment.
• Monitors attendance and maintain an average daily attendance above 85%.
• Follows up with any families experiencing participation or attendance problems.
• Documents all efforts to assist families, tracks family partnership efforts and outcomes, records, monitors and follows up on referrals, and submits reports as required.
• Attends all workshops and meetings as deemed necessary by the supervisor.
• Coordinates and implements monthly parent committee meeting at your assigned center site(s).
• Maintains accurate records and documentation (e.g. meeting minutes, agenda, training, sign-in sheet, and PC members’ eligibility paperwork).
• Ensures the elected Policy Council representative and/or alternate for assign center site(s) are in attendance for the Program’s Policy Council monthly meeting.
• Coordinates monthly parent engagement activities through the A Man Everybody Needs (AMEN) and Ladies of Victory and Empowerment (LOVE) support groups.
• Implements a comprehensive, individualized and developmental parent engagement and education program responsive to parent needs, concerns and requests that supports parents in their role as the primary influence in their children’s lives.
• Ensures comprehensive, timely two-way communication between parents, Head Start staff, and as appropriate, community individuals and organizations.
• Encourages parent volunteerism throughout the program.
• Provides parents regular opportunities to work together and with other community members on activities they helped develop and in which they expressed an interest.
• Encourages parents to take an active role in making community services more responsive to their goals and needs.
• Promotes full child/family participation in program activities and assists with monitoring and resolution of any problems.
• Assists parents, including pregnant women, with the transition process into Head Start from Early Head Start or other settings, and from Head Start to kindergarten.
• Promotes child and family wellness and the establishment of a medical and dental “home” for each HS infant, toddler and preschool child and each pregnant woman.
• Provides physical/dental/mental health and nutrition education activities that are responsive to the ongoing and expressed needs of parents as individuals and in the parent committee meetings.
• Assists and supports families with engaging and completing the appropriate disability paperwork for their child requiring services.
• Acts as a team player with co-workers and all organizational staff.
• Ensures cost-effective program operations.
• Adheres to agency policies, procedures and performance standards.
• Provides effective customer service and group leadership.

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Telehealth (24/7 online access to Doctors)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employer paid life insurance (1X salary)
• 13 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday
• Generous PTO policy (starting at 16 working days a year)
• 403(b) Retirement plan with 3% discretionary employer match OR 3% student loan repayment reimbursement
• Tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED