Family Support Specialist

Casa Central•Chicago, IL

9h•Onsite

About The Position

Casa Central’s Early Learning Academy provides high quality, comprehensive early childhood education services for young children, ages birth to five, and their families. The Family Development Specialist (FDS) is responsible for assisting families in supporting their children’s development and their family’s wellbeing to ensure that children are ready to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. The Family Development Specialist conducts community outreach to recruit and enroll families in the program; assesses what each family needs; offers resources, information, and support; coordinates and implements workshops and parenting education activities; and provides case management and family support services to ensure that children’s and family’s health, nutrition, developmental, and other goals are met.

Requirements

SENSITIVITY TO CULTURAL DIVERSITY IS REQUIRED.
WILL BE SUBJECT TO DRUG AND ALCOHOL SCREENING, AS WELL AS APTITUDE AND SKILLS TESTING.
TO PERFORM THIS JOB SUCCESSFULLY, AN INDIVIDUAL MUST BE ABLE TO PERFORM EACH ESSENTIAL DUTY SATISFACTORILY.
THE REQUIREMENTS LISTED BELOW ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, AND/OR ABILITY REQUIRED.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS MAY BE MADE TO PERFORM THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS.
Family Development Specialist 1: Minimum of a B.A. degree in a human service-related field with a Gateways Level 4 Family Specialist Credential
Family Development Specialist 2: Minimum of a B.A. in Social Work or related degree with a Gateways Level 5 Family Specialist Credential.
WORD PROCESSING; SPREADSHEETS; INTERNET SKILLS; DATA ENTRY SKILLS AND MANAGING MICROSOFT APPLICATIONS TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION.
BASIC MATHEMATICAL SKILLS ARE REQUIRED.
ABILITY TO WORK WITHIN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM AS A COOPERATIVE AND SUPPORTIVE TEAM MEMBER.
ABILITY TO ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILIES FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS.
MUST UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND HOW THEY CAN MEET THE NEEDS OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SERVED.
ABILITY TO SOLVE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS AND DEAL WITH A VARIETY OF CONCRETE VARIABLES IN SITUATIONS WHERE ONLY LIMITED STANDARDIZATION EXISTS.
AN ABILITY TO INTERPRET A VARIETY OF INSTRUCTIONS FURNISHED IN WRITTEN, ORAL, OR SCHEDULED FORM AND CONVEY NEEDED INFORMATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN A MANNER WHICH IMPROVES THE EARLY LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR CHILDREN/FAMILIES.
ABILITY TO UTILIZE REFLECTIVE PRACTICES TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO VOLUNTEERS, INTERNS, AND TEAM MEMBERS.
A personal mobile phone is required.
Reference Casa Central’s Personal Cellphone Usage Policy for reimbursement information.
THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS DESCRIBED HERE ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF THOSE THAT MUST BE MET BY AN EMPLOYEE TO SUCCESSFULLY PERFORM THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THIS JOB.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS MAY BE MADE TO ENABLE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES TO PERFORM THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS.
WHILE PERFORMING THE DUTIES OF THIS JOB, THE EMPLOYEE IS REGULARLY REQUIRED TO SIT, TALK AND HEAR.
THE EMPLOYEE FREQUENTLY IS REQUIRED TO USE HANDS.
MUST BE ABLE TO LIFT AND CARRY 25LBS
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual in Spanish preferred.
PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDPLUS OR OTHER ONLINE DATABASE SYSTEMS.
KNOWLEDGE OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND CAPACITY TO DEVELOP COMMUNITY COOPERATION TO ENSURE FAMILIES RECEIVE COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES.
KNOWLEDGE OF HEAD START PERFORMANCE STANDARDS PREFERRED.

Responsibilities

Enroll all EHS/HS Families in the ELA Program with primary focus in CB.
Ensure children are enrolled within 30 days of a vacant slot.
Ensure files and documentation are complete, accurate, and confidentially maintained, in addition to entering and monitoring documentation in the Child Plus system.
Maintains a flexible schedule to establish a relationship with parents in the programs.
Collaborates with CB teacher and Lead Family Support Specialist to ensure services to families are coordinated and communication with families is consistent and ongoing for participation in the programs.
Establishes, develops, and maintains relationships with social services agencies to create partnerships for referrals and recruitment.
Collaborate with the Family Service team to provide resources to programs.
Maintain ERSEA, Health, PCFE PIR up to date year-round.
Maintain 34 files up to date in ERSEA, Health and PCFE.
Maintain the Emergency forms up to date.
Other duties as assigned
The FDS actively and enthusiastically supports recruitment efforts to ensure that the program is fully enrolled year-round. This includes attending health fairs, resource fairs, and community events, during regular business hours as well as occasional evening and weekend hours; canvassing communities (parks, libraries, laundromats, local businesses, clinics, etc.) to connect with families and share information about early childhood programming; and supporting planning and executing recruitment events year-round. The FDS builds relationships with community partners to support recruitment efforts and enhance services to children and families.
The FDS ensures timely, accurate, and comprehensive completion of enrollment processes, which includes accurate completion of all governmental eligibility forms and communicating with the appropriate staff to ensure the program is ready to meet the needs of each unique child and family.
Maintain full enrollment year-long by replacing children within 30 days of drops.
Complete intake packet and enroll children within 14 days of the initial inquiry date (or as soon as a slot is available)
In collaboration with the parent/caregiver and multidisciplinary team involved with the family, the FDS works with the parent/caregiver to develop and implement the Family Assessment and Family Partnership Agreement.
The FDS identifies family strengths and needs, and helps ensure that Family/Child Goals are relevant and meaningful for the parents and that there is a home plan being implemented to support achievement of goals.
Manage a caseload of 34 assigned children and families. Act as case manager for each assigned family and assess the need for intervention; refer and link families to community resources; follow up at least twice monthly with supportive services, assess progress toward achieving goals in a timely manner
Coordinate and conduct home visits at least twice a year and as needed to support home-school connection, address attendance/engagement concerns, and provide other family supports.
Consult with teaching and other relevant staff around understanding the total child in relation to their environment, family, and culture.
Assist in the identification, referral, and follow-up for children with special needs. Provide support to children with special needs, including empowering parents as advocates for their children.
Initiate Transition Plans to support family and child transition activities as they prepare to transition from Early Head Start to Head Start or Head Start to Kindergarten
In conjunction with the Education Coordinator, Teaching Teams, Disabilities & Wellness Coordinator, Family Service Director, and other relevant staff, assist in developing and implementing a plan for children who are experiencing difficulty relating to peers or demonstrating challenging behaviors in the classrooms.
Plan and implement parent education programming using the Parents as Teachers curriculum.
Plan and carry out parent meetings and male involvement activities.
Ensure that all families have an ongoing source of continuous accessible health care (medical home, dental home, and insurance) and assist families in securing and obtaining one when needed.
Monitor health records to ensure that all children are up to date with their health needs and that documentation is present in the child’s file and in relevant program databases.
Cooperate with medical, dental, and allied health staff to ensure accurate information about children’s growth and development, medical needs, screenings, follow-up treatments, etc.
Provide information to parents on education activities that can be done at home to enhance early learning.
Encourage parent participation in program events, parent meetings, and Policy Committee.
Maintain comprehensive and updated family files, ChildPlus data entry, and other documentation required by the program.
Ensure compliance with agency and funder guidelines, ensuring that daily activities are within the allowable activities approved by the agency.
Nurture positive and collaborative working relationships with other agency staff and outside stakeholders and partners.
Implement the agency mission, philosophy, and core values to direct daily work and decision-making; adhere to agency policy.
Cultivate a professional and respectful work environment.
Be actively involved with, and knowledgeable about, the agency’s Performance Quality Improvement (PQI) structure and process.
Participate in the annual Head Start Self-Assessment, COA (Council on Accreditation) Case Record Reviews, and other monitoring and oversight activities; assist with all program reports requiring enrollment and attendance data, as well as family engagement and participation data.
Ensure compliance with all Early/Head Start Program Performance Standards, including as interpreted by Start Early, as well as with relevant federal, state, city, and accrediting/licensing body regulations and requirements.
Engage in Active Supervision strategies to support the safety, wellbeing, and appropriate supervision/oversight of children at all times.
Act in accordance with the program’s Standards of Conduct, building respectful relationships with families, honoring parents/caregivers as their children’s first and most important teachers, and maintaining strict child, family, and staff confidentiality at all times.
Provide assistance and coverage in the classrooms/socialization activities and the program site as needed.
Ensure compliance with daily attendance/engagement in home visiting by tracking, supporting and reengaging families to promote regular attendance.
Perform other duties as assigned.