Family Worker

JOB STATEMENT/SUMMARY: The Family Assistant (FA) reports directly to the Director of Family and Community Engagement. The FA’s main responsibility is to recruit, and enroll children and families for the program. His/her duties include active recruitment, maintaining full enrollment at her/his site and monitoring average attendance rate at no less than 85%. The FA is the first contact with families and as such her/his role is to communicate to families the program philosophy and its mission, to promote customer value by displaying cultural competence, excellent customer service skills, mutual respect and professionalism. In partnering with families, the FA is expected to maintain professional boundaries with parents. The FA is also expected to provide comprehensive support services that will support better outcomes for families and their children. The FA works closely with the Education staff to encourage and create opportunities for parental engagement in preparing children for elementary school. The FA has solid knowledge of the Revised Performance Standards, the Head Start Act, and the Department of Health regulations and the Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework. To adhere to the organization's strict confidentiality policy of family information and communication.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. To engage in recruitment activities on an ongoing basis and maintain a wait list of children ready with updated physical to replace drop-outs.

2. To maintain 100% enrollment of Head Start eligible families, and no less than 85% average attendance rate.

3. To actively recruit children at risk including children with disabilities, children of military personnel, children in foster care and children living in shelters.

4. To ensure that all required documents are submitted by parents/guardians at enrollment including proof of income, working hours an updated medical and dental report complete with required immunizations, medical screening, and hearing and vision test results.

5. To manage medical records for appropriate updates of immunizations, physical examinations for referrals, and follow-ups.

6. To build trust through ongoing communication in the family’s preferred language and establish professional, strength-based family partnerships based on empathy and mutual respect.

7. To work with families and set family well-being goals early in the year; to establish individual, written family development plans with families.

8. To work with families in identifying and accessing community resources to meet family well-being goals of safety and stability, health/mental health, food security, employment, education, training, and prioritize family needs.

9. To maintain timely, detailed family contact notes on the Family Tracking System, PROMIS.

10. To work collaboratively with Education staff to offer curriculum implementation workshops and other early education activities.

11. To organize parent orientation for their site, conduct Class Parent Committee (CPC) elections, Site Parent Policy (SPC) elections in a timely manner, in accordance with organization calendar of activities and Policy Council (PC) By-Laws.

12. To ensure that monthly CPC and SPC meetings are held and to maintain on files accurate consistent documentation complete with agenda, attendance sheet, and minutes.

13. To work under the guidance of the Family and Community Engagement Director to offer families health and dental education workshops, consumer and financial literacy workshops, nutrition, and other workshops based on parents’ interests.

14. To offer targeted parenting workshops and/or groups that will help improve parent/child relationships.

15. To communicate with parents in their preferred language, in a timely manner all pertinent program information.

16. To keep Education staff informed about family issues that may impact child learning and social emotional development.

17. To be willing to attend mandated training and professional development sessions; to have the desire to become a life-long learner and keep informed on trends in the field of family development.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education: Associate’s Degree (Bachelor’s Degree preferred); Family Development Credentialing Program Certificate a plus.

Experience: Two (2)-year experience providing strength-based social services to families.

Specific skills: Bilingual (Spanish or Bengali preferred); must have excellent oral and written communication skills; knowledge of community resources; proficiency with Microsoft Office products, email and internet navigation; knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards and Head Start Act, more specifically, knowledge and understanding of the Family and Community Partnerships and ERSEA sections of the Head Start Performance Standards; experience with data input in electronic tracking system, data aggregation, and analysis. Excellent organizational and record-keeping skills.

Supervisory Responsibility: None

Principal Contacts: Director of Family and Community Engagement, Health Services Coordinator, Families, Community Partners, and Education staff.

Physical/Sensory Skills: must maintain on file an updated physical examination complete with all required immunization and tests, certifying the ability to walk several blocks for recruitment purposes, to climb stairs for home visit purposes, to lift, to bend, and to reach, to set up room for meeting purposes.