Family Support Specialist

JOB DESCRIPTION

Title: Family Support Specialist

Reports to: Social Service Manager

FLSA: Non-Exempt

Salary: $24.00 - $26.72 per hour

• Learns and adheres to the philosophy and mandates of Head Start and Early Head Start as outlined in the Performance Standards, licensing requirements, and the Policies and Procedures of Greater Bergen Community Action.
• Understands how children develop and learn in a variety of school, family, and community contexts and provides opportunities that support their intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development.
• Responsible for setting up and maintaining children’s files.
• Enters and updates relevant social service information in the data management system.
• Responsible for facilitating parent involvement in the center.
• Connects parents to community referrals as needed.
• Conducts home visits, maintains communication with families, and completes all corresponding documentation.
• Generates monthly social service reports.
• Actively participates in a minimum of two (2) recruitment events each semester that occur outside of traditional working hours, performs community outreach, and is responsible for program option transitions. Schedules may be flexed at the direction of the supervisor as needed to accommodate hours worked for events.
• Ensures that transfer and withdrawal documentation is maintained and shared with all component areas.
• Collaborates with program staff to facilitate parent groups.
• Attends pre-service, in-service, and all staff meetings as well as any other additional meetings deemed appropriate and necessary by the supervisor and/or any other member of the administrative team.
• Takes daily attendance and compiles Monthly Attendance Report and USDA Report.
• Contacts the family within 1 hour if a child is absent without notification.
• Conducts well checks when a child is absent without any parent/guardian notification and ensures family status when a child is absent three (3) or more consecutive days.
• Updates emergency cards; contacts the family when the child is sick and notifies the nurse of all outcomes.
• Completes all family partnership agreements in a manner.
• Keeps track of parent volunteer reports.
• Shares information with parent/guardian and plans, as a team, strategies for meeting the individual needs of each child.
• Shares information as needed with education staff concerning individual needs and/or concerns regarding each child.
• Establishes and maintains a harmonious relationship with fellow staff and parents.

• Provides office and/or phone coverage and assists with classroom coverage as needed.
• Is punctual and adheres to the work schedule assigned.
• Assumes and performs any other duties as assigned.

• Applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to preschools and childcare.
• Knowledge of early childhood milestones/development, counseling theories and practices.
• Cultural and socio-economic issues relevant to providing appropriate services to special population groups.
• How student learning is influenced by individual experiences, talents, and prior learning, as well as language, culture, family, and community values.
• Characteristics, uses, advantages, and limitations of different types of assessments.
• Head Start Performance Standards

• Organize, set priorities, and exercise sound independent judgment within areas of assigned responsibility.
• Interpret, apply, explain, and reach sound decisions in accordance with regulations, policies and procedures.
• Exercise tact, objectivity, sensitivity, strategy, and judgment in dealing with volunteers, parents and staff.

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or related field
• Prior experience preferred.

• Communicates clearly and effectively.
• Must demonstrate English proficiency - both oral and written

• Demonstrates good computer skills.
• Must be able to work a flexible schedule which includes recruitment and community outreach efforts that occur during evening hours and weekends as needed.
• Ability to physically care for the needs of the children in the classroom. This includes being able to sit, stand, bend, and lift up to fifty (50) pounds.

• Valid NJ driver’s license preferred and use of own vehicle for self-transportation; local travel is required.