Advocate Counselor - Theater Arts Production Company School (TAPCO)-Bronx, NY

About the Role

The Advocate Counselor works in the Bronx at the Theater Arts Production Company School, a 6th–12th grade arts-based Community School. The role focuses on supporting students who are chronically or severely absent, struggling academically or behaviorally, and have a history of poor attendance. The Advocate Counselor provides supportive mentoring services, including attendance outreach, home visits, classroom support, crisis intervention, and individual and small-group social-emotional support in partnership with school staff to help students reach their academic and social-emotional goals.

This is a 10-month position (September–June), 40 hours per week, supervised by the Community School Director.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a caseload of students, tracking attendance and educational progress, and providing continuous feedback and resources to students and families to ensure academic success
• Provide individual and group mentoring to students on a weekly basis
• Conduct daily student attendance outreach
• Lead and facilitate attendance team meetings
• Utilize data to inform attendance practices and outreach
• Provide outreach to students and families, including phone calls, written correspondence, and home visits (home visits always conducted in pairs)
• Facilitate communication between students, families, and school staff
• Complete required documentation, including Dr. Cloud notes, in a timely manner
• Provide crisis support, conflict mediation, and social-emotional support
• Complete regular assessments and provide resource referrals in support of school-based services (with support of the site manager)
• Facilitate milieu services in common spaces, such as classrooms, cafeterias, and afterschool push-ins
• Participate in staff meetings and staff development opportunities
• Collaborate on a transdisciplinary team of Wediko and school staff to create individualized plans to support student progress
• Occasional evening and weekend hours required for school events
• Cultivate and maintain positive and effective relationships with the Wediko team, school administrators, and other Community-Based Organizations
• Support the implementation of the Community School Model
• All functions and task responsibilities are subject to change as deemed necessary by the Site Manager and Program Manager based on the needs of the assigned site

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in social sciences; Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred
• 1 or more years' experience providing direct services in a school-based or residential program
• Knowledge of attendance outreach best practices
• Strong communication (verbal and written with proficiency in English) and interpersonal skills
• Ability to approach challenges in a collaborative, supportive, and creative manner
• Commitment to working from a strengths-based perspective
• Commitment to ongoing learning and development, with proven use of supervision to improve practice
• Excellent organization and prioritization skills
• Flexible schedule and willingness to work school hours, and on occasion some evenings to support school community events

Pay

The hourly range for this role is $22.50–$25.50.

Valuing Diversity

We are committed to excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion, while simultaneously creating a culture that supports those values. We believe the differences we bring enhance our ability to provide exceptional service and care to diverse children, families, and communities. Moreover, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging align with our values and our mission to help vulnerable children and their families build permanent, positive change.