Preschool Family Community Engagement Specialist (3287)

Lutheran Services Florida • Riviera Beach, FL

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) is seeking a talented Preschool Family Community Engagement Specialist who wants to make an impact in the lives of others. The primary responsibility is performing duties that require advanced knowledge in the field of social services and using such knowledge and prior work experience to exercise discretion and independent judgment in providing the most appropriate services and support to children and families in the Head Start/Early Head Start program. This includes eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance; facilitating parent engagement; providing high-quality health, mental health, nutrition support and resource linkage; building partnerships with families to assist them in identifying their own goals, strengths, needed services and support systems; assisting with developing and implementing family partnership agreements that outline families strategies and timetable for achieving their own goals; and managing and recordkeeping of the family comprehensive file.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or Human Services or related human services field.
• At least two 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.
• Considerable 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 demonstrate sensitivity to our service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics and needs.
• Must be able to sit, stand, walk, and move freely for extended periods of time throughout the workday.
• Regular movement between classrooms, offices, and community locations is required.
• Must be able to occasionally lift and/or move up to 45 pounds (e.g., program materials, boxes of supplies, or equipment).
• Must have adequate vision and hearing (with or without corrective devices) to read documents, use a computer, conduct home visits, observe family and child interactions, and communicate effectively with families and staff.
• Must be able to use hands and fingers to operate office equipment (such as a computer, phone, copier, etc.) and write or type efficiently.
• Must be able to speak clearly and hear adequately in order to interact with families, staff, and community members in person, over the phone, and in virtual meetings.
• Must be able to travel locally to perform home visits, attend community events, and engage with service partners.
• Must be able to work in a variety of environments including homes, offices, classrooms, and community settings, which may not always be ADA-compliant.

Nice To Haves

• Head Start/Early Head Start experience preferred.
• Bilingual preferred: English/Spanish or English and other languages present in the local area.
• Reliable transportation and a valid driver’s license may be required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance.
• Facilitate in parent engagement.
• Provide high-quality health, mental health, nutrition support and resource linkage.
• Build partnerships with families to assist them in identifying their own goals, strengths, needed services and support system.
• Assist with developing and implementing family partnership agreements that outline families strategies and timetable for achieving their own goals.
• Responsible for the management and recordkeeping of the family comprehensive file.
• Initiate collaborative partnerships with parents to establish mutual trust and respect.
• In collaboration with each family assess their need for social services; develop an individualized plan that responds to the family’s need; deliver and/or coordinate the delivery of needed social services to each family through referral or providing director services; review and update as necessary.
• Conducts and documents follow-up on all referrals.
• Establish Family Partnership Agreements (FPA) with families and identifies family’s strengths, needs and interests to help parents develop and achieve goals within 45 days of enrollment.
• Facilitate follow-up on Family Partnership Agreement (FPA) goals with families within 90 days and on-going at a minimum of 90 days or more frequently if necessary.
• Provide comprehensive community resource information to families, individualizing to respond to the family’s needs and concerns to the maximum extent possible.
• Refer families to community agencies/programs; assess accessibility, relevance and usefulness of assistance received.
• Assist with the establishment and maintenance of ongoing collaborative relationships with community organizations responsive to the concerns of the families of children birth through age 5, pregnant women and their families; participate in community awareness events.
• Report suspected child abuse and/or neglect following program procedures and Florida law.
• Serve on a community board located in the area of assigned Head Start/Early Head Start site.
• Develop a working knowledge of community resources, and visits, at least annually, with major agencies for service delivery updates and community resource guide updates.
• Implement, document and report 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.
• Recruit prospective families and complete the enrollment process.
• Maintain funded enrollment and fill Head Start/Early Head Start vacancies within 30 days.
• Accurately verify and determine eligibility for Head Start/Early Head Start enrollment.
• Monitor attendance and maintain an average daily attendance above 85%.
• Follow up with any families experiencing participation or attendance problems.
• Coordinate and implement monthly parent committee meeting at your assigned center site(s). Maintain accurate records and documentation (e.g. meeting minutes, agenda, training, sign-in sheet, and PC members’ eligibility paperwork).
• Ensure the elected Policy Council representative and/or alternate for assign center site(s) are in attendance for the Program’s Policy Council monthly meeting.
• Coordinate monthly parent engagement activities through the A Man Everybody Needs (AMEN) and Ladies of Victory and Empowerment (LOVE) support groups.
• Implement 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.
• Ensure comprehensive, timely two-way communication between parents, Head Start staff, and as appropriate, community individuals and organizations.
• Encourage parent volunteerism throughout the program.
• Provide parents regular opportunities to work together and with other community members on activities they helped develop and in which they expressed an interest.
• Encourage parents to take an active role in making community services more responsive to their goals and needs.
• Promote full child/family participation in program activities and assist with monitoring and resolution of any problems.
• Assist parents, including pregnant women, with the transition process into Head Start from Early Head Start or other settings, and from Head Start to kindergarten.
• Assist with the completion of the child health screening, other required screenings and assessments and is familiar with referral requirements.
• Promote 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.
• Provide 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.
• Provide health, safety and family literacy activities to parents, as appropriate.
• Assist and support families with engaging and completing the appropriate disability paperwork for their child requiring services.
• Ensure an appropriate written transition plan is prepared for all Early Head Start children, six months prior to their third birthday.
• Document all efforts to assist families, track family partnership efforts and outcomes, record, monitor and follow up on referrals, and submit reports as required.
• Collect child and family data and enter into ChildPlus; monitor; update; prepare data reports for program use and complete all Program Information Report (PIR) indicators within ChildPlus.
• Maintain accurate, objective, timely and confidential records documenting all child, family, staff and agency contacts; disseminate appropriately; and document recruitment and enrollment activities.
• Coordinate with center staff to integrate family partnership goals with classroom efforts and to ensure integrated child and family curriculum.
• While respecting family confidentiality, regularly share information with teachers to ensure coordinated services that meet the individual needs of children and families.
• Attend parent/teacher conferences as requested.
• Attend multi-team development meetings and staffings as requested.
• Ensure an appropriate written transition plan is prepared for all children, six months prior to their third birthday.
• Participate in team management functions of planning, implementing and evaluating family and community engagement goals and objectives.
• Participate in in-service, workshops, conferences and college courses to enhance skills; and attend all workshops and meetings as deemed necessary by the supervisor.
• Maintain strict confidentiality at all times with respect to Head Start/Early Head Start children, families and staff in accordance with established policies and procedures, including the ability to recognize situations in which confidentiality is required.
• Other related duties as assigned.
• Team player with co-workers and central service office staff.
• Cost effective program operations.
• Adherence to agency policies, procedures and performance standards.
• Effective customer service and group leadership.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental and 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: Mid Level