POSITION: PARENT, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST
SERVICE AREA: All Service Areas
QUALIFICATIONS: Possess a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Social Work, Psychology, or related field with 1 year of experience in a related or specific area; or an associate degree in Sociology, Social Work, Psychology, or related field with 2 years of experience in a related or specific area.Must be at least 21 years of age.
Positions requiring the use of personal owned vehicle to perform job tasks; successful candidates must:
· Be 21 years of age
· Have a current valid state driver's license
· Provide proof of current automobile liability insurance with a minimum bodily injury limit of $100,000 per person $300,000 per occurrence on personal owned vehicle and $50,000 for property damage.
· Provide a current Motor Vehicle Report to be insurable by the program’s non-owned insurance plan.
*(If more than one personal owned vehicle will be used, the information listed above must be obtained on each vehicle.)
All job offers/work agreements are contingent on a negative State Child Abuse/Neglect registry check, negative results of a State/Federal criminal history background check, and negative results on drug/alcohol screening (pre-employment and random). All newly hired employees will be evaluated at the end of 180 days (6-month) introductory orientation and evaluation periods. The time worked during the introductory and evaluation period will count toward the employee’s length of service for the purpose of determining eligibility of leave benefits upon approval of full-time status. The introductory period may be extended at TCR’s sole discretion.
SALARY RANGE: Comparable to Education and Experience of Position
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Duration of Funding and Continued Satisfactory Job Performance
RESPONSIBLE TO: Family Services Manager
EVALUATED BY: Family Services Manager
STATUS: Non-Exempt- Hourly
ACCOUNTABILITY:
· Assists Coordinators and Managers in planning and providing parent engagement activities in which parents will be given an opportunity to be involved in all areas of the program, in the implementation of Head Start Performance Standards and the Head Start Parent, Family & Community Engagement Framework.
· Assists in orientation of parents to the Head Start program and its goals and philosophy.
· Instructs and encourages families on how to be advocates and leaders for their child(ren) in the Head Start/Early Head Start program and life.
· Instructs the family services staff on effective family goal setting and implementation of the PFCE Framework.
· Coordinates the parent meetings and Policy Council meetings.
· Develops and provides training for parents on safety issues, career development, fatherhood, and other appropriate trainings.
· Coordinates parent meetings and parent trainings allowing parents to take an active role in Head Start/Early Head Start to increase parent-child relationship.
· Encourages, solicits, and assists parents in their efforts to participate as volunteers in the classroom and coordinates with Center Director on volunteering at each center.
· Processes referral forms on needs identified during contact with parents and distributes to appropriate staff.
· Collaborates with Education Manager to promote literacy skills and encourages families to become lifelong educators.
· Works with families to volunteer at centers to increase male participation and encourage families to be advocates and leaders.
· Visits all centers on a regular basis promoting parent involvement or enrichment opportunities.
· Attends center committee meetings and act as a liaison as needed encouraging all parents to get involved.
· Assists with the organization of Health Services Advisory Committee and Self-Assessment to include parents.
· Prepares and submit monthly reports as required to Supervisor by the 5th working day of each month.
· Attends conferences and other appropriate training to stay abreast of current standards and to meet minimum number of hours required by State and Federal regulations.
· Collaborates with other service areas in Head Start and/or appropriate agencies as needed to ensure the systems approach is working.
· Coordinates with employment/unemployment agencies for assisting parents/guardians find a job placement or training for job placement or when appropriate compensation.
· Coordinates with Center Directors on all Parent Engagement opportunities.
· Coordinates with Center Directors to approve spring and fall pictures.
· Documents all verifiable information, all travel, and activities away from office as directed by agency financial and procurement policies.
· Plans and implements parent education programs as needed.
· Maintains contacts with community leaders interested in the program to encourage their
involvement with parents and how they may best support the Head Start Program philosophy.
· Works with all Center Directors and Family Advocates to coordinate an interpreter for non-
English speaking families.
· Assists in obtaining and securing community partnerships from agencies and organizations that
support the need of children and families. Acquires collaborative agreements with appropriate
community business service providers and local professionals.
· Assists in establishing advisory committees in accordance with Head Start Performance Regulations.
· Meets with parents early in the program year to give them a broad view of the program and increase family connection to peers and the community.
· Can work with children and families from diverse social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred.
· Teaches parents to become advocates for their children during and after Head Start/Early Head Start.
· Broadens parents’ knowledge of local, community, and State services available to them.
· Encourages involvement of parents in policy making decisions as volunteers in the program and recruiting resource visitors.
· Consults Family Services staff for parent training needs and input in order to prioritize trainings.
· Provides training to parents and staff on the role of the parents while participating in the Head Start Program.
· Solicits parent’s input for information they want published in the monthly newsletter.
· Informs parents/staff of training’s conducted by TCRC, AHSA and NHSA thorough parent letters notices, newsletters, parent meetings and information parent boards.
· Plans/coordinates with other staff to provide on-going training during Pre-service, In-Service and other related trainings.
· Performs other job-related duties as required or assigned by the Head Start Director.
SUPERVISION:
Family Service Manager
RECORDKEEPING:
· Ensures that copies of Performance Standards, County Resource Directory, Minimum Standards, Parent Resource manual, and other appropriate literature is in the Parent Meeting Rooms or always posted appropriately in each center.
· Maintains accurate records and reports as required for all parent engagement activities.
· Checks for accuracy and verifiable mileage for reimbursement purposes.
· Responsible for reviewing and maintaining all Head Start/ Pre-K collaborative agreements documentation.
· Assists with coordinating Self-Assessment with collaboration with other coordinators and managers.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $35,000.00 - $39,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
Education:
Experience:
- Social Work: 1 year (Preferred)
Language:
License/Certification:
- Driver's License (Preferred)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: In person