Family Health Advocate - Hiring Incentive!

About the role

Urban Strategies exists to equip, resource, and connect faith- and community-based organizations that are engaged in community transformation to help families reach their fullest potential. We work with trusted faith- and community-based organizations and focus on the Latino community to engage and come alongside the whole family. Our vision is that all children and families reach their full potential.

Responsibilities

• Engage in comprehensive, integrated planning with the management team to create ERSEA goals/outcomes and a system of services that support the eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance of infants, toddlers and that is responsive to the results of the community assessment.
• Create a family and community engagement goals/outcomes and a system of services that aligns with the Head Start Parent Family Community Engagement Framework.
• Create a system of services that limits child suspension from the program and prohibits child expulsions from the program.
• Absorb a key role in compliance with Head Start Performance Standards.
• Assist in the assessment of community, program, child and family needs, strengths, and resources in quality-of-life issues; compile and analyze data; produce reports; assure the integration of dual language learners, homeless children, children in foster care, and children with disabilities.
• Under the direction of the ERSEA/Family Engagement Manager, assist in tracking, reporting, each child’s attendance and follows through with individual intervention in situations of chronic absenteeism.
• Assist with the development of the Community Assessment.
• Aid in the annual program self-assessment and federal onsite review process, focused on compliance with ERSEA and progress on family/community engagement; report on strengths, recommendations, required improvements; implement improvements and recommendations; incorporate into the program planning process.
• Implement the system to track the eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance of children to comply with federal and state program regulations.
• Create the criteria for the selection and enrollment of children assuring responsiveness to community assessment and reflecting data on dual language learners, homeless children, children in foster care, and children with disabilities.
• Perform intake/registration procedures for all families and ensures income verification and eligibility qualifications of children and families are met, and ensure applications are complete and data is accurately entered in the Child Plus database.
• Assure and maintain record keeping and reporting policies for waitlists, enrollment, attendance, timelines, schedules, and procedures in accordance with following designated state and federal program requirements.
• Conduct ongoing monitoring, tracking, follow-up, and analysis of enrollment and attendance data, and produce regular reports for management meetings.
• Assist in addressing any possible child suspensions and in the prohibition of expulsion and collaboration with Mental Health Services.
• Maintain enrollment forms, ensuring information is current, correct, and disseminated to all necessary staff to meet program requirements.
• Perform recruitment activities in response to enrollment data and waitlist data.
• Ensure full program enrollment and maintenance of a sufficient waitlist.
• Compile and submit Program Information Report (PIR) data periodically.
• Implement the system for Family and Community Engagement Services.
• Implement a system of services, record keeping, and reporting of the Family Partnership Agreement and assure its alignment to the Parent Family Community Engagement Framework.
• Aid in being the program resource for consultation, information, and referral regarding community resources to staff and client families.
• Complete family service home visits and Needs Assessments.
• Support the referral process for children with possible special needs and works collaboratively with the Education/Disabilities Team, teachers, and parents.

Requirements

• The ability to see at a normal distance, hear normal conversations and sounds, and use hands and fingers to fill out the required forms.
• Occasional lifting of fifty (50) pounds is required and must be able to push/pull up to fifty pounds horizontally.
• Ability to sit on the floor, bend at the waist, kneel and/or stoop 75% of the time.

Qualifications

• Education: Certification or Credential in social work, family services, human services, or in a related field.
• Experience: One to three years’ experience working with families and children prenatal to three years of age.
• Skills: Excellent oral and written communication skills; Advance MS Office Suite.
• Working knowledge of local community resources and health requirements for children, zero to three years of age.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Associate or bachelor’s degree in social work, family services, human services, or -in a related field.
• Experience: Work in a Head Start of Early Head Start program and knowledge of the Office of Head Start Performance Standards.
• Skills: Bilingual (English /Spanish).