Home Visitor

Position Summary

Casa Central’s Early Learning Academy provides high-quality, comprehensive early childhood services for young children (prenatal to age five) and their families. The Home Visitor is responsible for providing quality home-based services to parents that support the parent’s role as their child’s first and most important teacher. Home Visitors support the children’s and families’ holistic development across domains, supporting their readiness for success in kindergarten and beyond.

About the Role

Nurture positive and collaborative working relationships with other agency staff and outside stakeholders and partners. Ensure compliance with all Early/Head Start Program Performance Standards, including as interpreted by Start Early, as well as with relevant federal, state, city, and accrediting/licensing body regulations and requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Work jointly with parents to develop weekly lesson plans based on each child’s assessment and identified family needs, including education, mental health, dental health, nutrition, parent involvement, and social services.
• Conduct developmental and social-emotional screenings, in collaboration with parents/caregivers. Assist in identifying children with special needs and support the process of necessary referrals, including meaningful inclusion of children with disabilities and diverse learning needs in all program activities.
• Observe, assess, and document each child’s health, skills, behavior, growth, and development.
• Travel throughout the city of Chicago to reach families of diverse backgrounds. Plan and implement developmentally appropriate home-based activities following the Parents as Teachers (PAT) curriculum. Work collaboratively to provide children with group socialization experiences in conjunction with peers and supervisors.
• Serve as an advocate for families in the program, working in collaboration with internal partners and external supports. Schedule and conduct 90-minute weekly home visits for each parent and child; schedule make-up visits when visits are canceled.
• Participate in case management screenings and staffing. Assess and assist with children’s transition out of Early Head Start. Ensure all families have completed a Needs Assessment and established a Partnership Agreement. Ensure goals, referrals, and support to families are followed up on and entered on to ChildPlus.
• Ensure all children enrolled are current with their schedule of age-appropriate preventive and primary health care and provide support as needed.
• Approve timesheets and ensure compliance with agency and funder guidelines, ensuring that daily activities are within the allowable activities approved by the agency. Maintain and preserve a confidential family file and online database. Complete data entry into database systems, per assigned due dates, and update as needed. Prepare and submit records including, but not limited to, timesheets, weekly schedules, mileage, in-kind, home visits, and socialization lesson plans.
• Implement the agency mission, philosophy, and core values to direct daily work and decision-making; adhere to agency policy. Cultivate a professional and respectful work environment. Be actively involved with, and knowledgeable about, the agency’s Performance Quality Improvement (PQI) structure and process.
• Exercise discretion and independent judgment in executing tasks. Perform reflective practices to provide support to volunteers, interns, and team members. Express oneself clearly and effectively. Demonstrate tactfulness, maturity, and flexibility.

Education/Experience

• A.A. Degree in Child Development, Early Childhood Education, or a related field (defined as at least 21 CD/ECE-related credits); a Gateways Infant/Toddler and/or Early Childhood Education Credential at a Level 3 or above is also accepted, as is a Home Visiting CDA (Child Development Associate) Credential.
• If an applicant does not meet the above education/credentialing requirements, a Professional Development Plan can be implemented, supported by the agency, with an agreement to achieve the required credential/education level within 12 months of hire.

Language Skills

• Bilingual/Bicultural in English and Spanish in both written and verbal formats.

Preferred Knowledge Skills Abilities

• Data entry skills and skills in managing Microsoft applications (i.e., Outlook) to facilitate communication.
• Preferred knowledge of ChildPlus or other online database systems.
• Basic mathematical skills are required.

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, and engage in conversation in-person and via telephone. The employee frequently is required to use hands. Must be able to lift a 50 lb. Child.

Work Environment

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Will work evenings and weekends, as needed.
• Local travel required for meetings, trainings, home visits, and family advocacy and engagement activities; reliable personal transportation required.