PROGRAM SPECIALIST (MENTAL HEALTH)

NHA•San Diego, CA

About The Position

Under the supervision of the Mental Health Coordinator, with additional guidance from the Disability, Health, nutrition, and Family & Community Partnership Coordinators to ensure a holistic approach, the Program Specialist – Mental Health supports and assists site and area staff to identify, develop, and implement strategies (in‑person classroom support) to meet the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical needs of Head Start Program children and their families. May be assigned lead/supervisory responsibilities for a widely diverse team of technical, professional staff and student interns.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Social Work, Psychology or related field is required.
A minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience providing direct services to low-income children (ages 0-5) and families of diverse cultural backgrounds in the mental health and/or human services field is required.
A Valid Class C driver’s license and current automobile insurance and reliable transportation and the ability to travel to various sites.
Must be CPR/First Aid Certified or have the ability to obtain certification within the first 90 days of employment.
Must meet and maintain State law and County licensing requirements regarding employment in a childcare center (Immunizations, fingerprints, TB, and physical).
Ability to: Organize, set priorities and exercise sound independent judgment within areas of assigned responsibility; interpret, apply, explain and reach sound decisions in accordance with program regulations, policies and procedures; document child and family progress; instruct and educate individuals in a group setting and one-on-one; communicate effectively orally and in writing; prepare clear, concise and accurate reports, correspondence and other written materials; exercise tact, objectivity, sensitivity, strategy and judgment in dealing with volunteers, parents and staff.
Ability to read, analyze and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals; ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals, ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists; ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Nice To Haves

A master’s degree is strongly preferred.
Knowledge of: Current theories, methods and practices of strength-based family development work
Early childhood education; early childhood mental health
Child health and development for children 0-5 years of age including social services, emotional and/or physical health, and learning and/or physical disabilities
Federal, state and local laws and regulations applicable to the Early Head Start & Head Start Program and the assigned areas of responsibility and expertise
Challenges and needs of low-income families
Community socioeconomics and sociocultural populations of service areas, principles and practices of supervision, including training and staff development.
Ability to speak a second language is desirable.

Responsibilities

Participates as a member of a trans-disciplinary team of professionals and paraprofessionals engaged in identifying, assessing, planning and implementing interventions and support plans for families and children
Provides crisis intervention services
Assists parents and families in problem solving
Serves as an advocate for parents and families with outside agencies
Acts as a resource and provides and/or makes referrals for necessary services
Informs and educates parents and families about emotional, physical health, social, educational and other special needs of children
Assists in developing community and family partnerships
Implements care coordination procedures and follow-up activities
Conducts classroom observations to assess staff training needs in the areas of assigned responsibility and expertise
Models appropriate intervention strategies for classroom staff, parents, Site Supervisors and other Head Start Program staff through in-person classroom support
Interprets provisions of the Head Start Performance Standards for staff, parents and the community
Documents child and family progress and performs various other administrative duties
Acts as community liaison and promotes community relations
Provides in-service and pre-service training
Supports program’s 5 year Goals & Objectives and continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) goals
Other duties as assigned by supervisor