Outreach Worker

Department: Youth and Community Development Services • Location: East New York, Brooklyn • Program: Community Schools Initiative • Reports to: Community School Director

About the role

The Outreach Worker will work closely with families and Community School staff to support Community School Attendance Initiatives. The role involves supporting parents’ skills, parent-child relationships, family relationships, and parent-school communication to increase student attendance. The Outreach Worker will initiate and maintain regular, sustainable supportive relationships with high-risk families through home-based services, ensuring optimal academic, social, and emotional development of both parents and students. The position works collaboratively with the Community School Team (director, social worker, program coordinator, and tutor) to provide resources that enhance the Community School.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain a thorough written record of assessments, attendance outreach efforts, and all required documentation.
• Work collaboratively with community resources to establish timely and effective referral processes.
• Maintain ongoing open communication with the school principal, parents, and school-based staff.
• Through home visits, engage families and develop relationships between school and families of students identified as the targeted population (at-risk and chronically absent students). Minimum 3 home visits per week.
• Partner with families to create family goal plans that increase student attendance and enhance parent and child well-being.
• Maintain written records of home visits, family goals, and all required documentation.
• Implement the “Success Mentors” program to improve attendance initiatives. Success Mentors are caring adults (or peers) who mentor chronically absent students to identify barriers preventing them from attending school each day.
• Assign “Success Mentors” to chronically absent students and help mentors understand that any topic is worth discussing.
• Implement attendance incentive programs, hold award ceremonies to improve attendance, create an attendance-focused culture, and manage incentive programs (e.g., trips, gifts, shirts).
• Work collaboratively with school and community to support the school environment, bring in resources, and advocate for families when necessary.
• Refer participants to a social worker for counseling to support crisis intervention and safety planning.
• Participate in ongoing efforts to advocate for program needs via community coalition building and administering feedback surveys and program assessments.
• Seek partnership opportunities and bring in at least 3 new partners a year to leverage resources to support programs.
• Work closely with social worker, tutor, and case manager to support targeted student needs.
• Attend all required department/agency meetings and/or trainings.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Community School Director and/or Community School Assistant Director.

Requirements

• High school diploma required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Two years or more experience in the field of youth development.
• Family outreach and home visit experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent documentation skills.
• Ability to motivate others toward achieving goals.
• Ability to develop alliances with high-risk and difficult-to-engage youth and families.
• Knowledge of community resources and counseling practices with high-risk populations.
• Outstanding collaborative skills.
• Bilingual in Spanish/English is preferred.
• Working, reliable computer.

Pay

Full-time salary range: $36,000–$39,000, based on job experience. This position is performance-based and contingent on funding availability.

Schedule

Monday–Friday, with some Saturdays. Scheduling may vary due to the needs of the program. Position runs from September 2026 to June 2027.