Family Advocate (Early Childhood) (Head Start)

Summary

The Family Advocate serves as a liaison between the classroom and home environments to support family engagement, child development, and overall family well-being. Maintains a caseload of 40-45 families and provides direct services through recruitment, enrollment, family partnership development, and advocacy to support positive outcomes for children and families.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Family Engagement, Advocacy & Case Management

• Establish relationships with program families.
• Support families by identifying their needs, strengths and goals.
• Monitor progress toward families' goals jointly.
• Greet families at drop off and pick up times to establish solid relationships.
• Develop Family Partnership Goals with families within 90 days of enrollment.
• Conduct Family Needs Assessments biannually and connect families to appropriate community resources and support services.
• Collaborate with Guadalupe Centers, Inc. programs and external community agencies to support family economic self-sufficiency, education and health.
• Maintain consistent, ongoing communication with families.
• Conduct a minimum of two home visits per case load annually.
• Promote and facilitate monthly family engagement opportunities, including one father specific activity, based upon the interests and needs of fathers.

• Program Coordination, Education & Collaboration

• Plan and implement recruitment, orientation, and enrollment activities for eligible children and families.
• Collaborate with teaching staff to share relevant family information and support alignment between home and classroom environments.
• Support families in understanding program expectations, including the Dual Language Curriculum and other program components.
• Engage in recruitment efforts to increase interest in the program and maintain full enrollment.

• Documentation, Compliance & Professional Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of family interactions, services, and follow-up needs, including attendance, health, dental, nutrition, hearing, vision, and family goals.
• Complete a Family Cultural Profile, gathering information about the family’s unique culture, ethnicity and linguistic background.
• Complete a Family Needs Assessment biannually to identify community resources that support parent specific needs and interests.
• Spend no less than 75% of the time (30 hours per week) in activities directly related to working with, or in support of families.
• Ensure compliance with confidentiality requirements and all applicable program standards.
• Attend and complete required professional development, training, meetings, and workshops.

Qualification Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or certification in Social Work required.
• Minimum of one (1) to three (3) years of experience in early childhood, family services, social services, or a related field required.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) verbal and written communication skills required.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and active listening skills, with the ability to build relationships with diverse populations in a respectful and professional manner.
• Demonstrated organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple responsibilities, prioritize tasks, and maintain accurate documentation.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when working with sensitive information.
• Strong cultural awareness, empathy, and ability to work effectively in a non-judgmental, inclusive environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace applications.
• Knowledge of community resources and family support systems preferred.
• Ability to successfully pass a background check, drug screening, TB test, and required state and federal fingerprint clearances.

Work Environment

This job operates in an early childhood school and professional environment. This role continually uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines. Guadalupe Centers serves a diverse population, including children, adolescents, and adults, who may have mental or behavioral health problems. Consequently, all GC staff must demonstrate appropriate daily behavior, appropriate expression of emotions, and appropriate role modeling. Hostility, aggression, unnecessary or inappropriate physical actions, and inappropriate emotional expression are not acceptable behaviors for our employees.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, talk, or hear. The employee is also frequently required to walk, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 45 pounds. The employee must occasionally push items of 45 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and depth perception. The employee is directly responsible for safety, well-being, and work output. This job's specific abilities include close vision, such as reading handwritten or typed material and adjusting focus. The position requires the individual to meet multiple demands from several people and interact with the public and other staff.

Pay Range

$25.13 per hour

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