AGENCY OVERVIEW:
Special Kids Connect is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization founded in 2007 whose mission is to develop resources, raise awareness, and provide support for children and adults with disabilities and their families in Monterey County. Its vision is that all individuals and families with special needs are informed and empowered to access and utilize the resources available to them and that they are not only included but are warmly welcomed into their communities. Special Kids Connect does this through three areas of focus:
Community Services – Special Kids Connect receives funding from the California Department of Developmental Services to provide training, information, and 1:1 support to assist Monterey County families who have members with developmental delays and/or disabilities (ages 0 through end of life) with community service navigation, application assistance, coaching, advocacy training, and peer-to-peer support.
Special Education Services – Special Kids Connect receives funding from the California Department of Education as Monterey County’s Family Empowerment Center, providing training and information to families of children and young adults with disabilities, between the ages of 3 and 22, to assist in their understanding and utilization of educational supports and services.
Community Programs – Special Kids Connect actively pursues and receives funding through community / foundation grants, private donations, and corporate sponsorships to provide a wide range of programs and services to meet the everchanging needs of Monterey County’s special needs community. These include Special Kids Connect’s REACH recreational programs, Inclusion Ambassador volunteer league, Neurodiverse Connect programs, and Outreach Events & Special Projects.
PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Under the direction of the Education Manager or a designee of the Executive Director, the Family Support Specialist will support Special Kids Connect’s Special Education Services focus area by providing special education support and service navigation to families of individuals with disabilities in the community, empowering them to become collaborative self-advocates for their child’s educational needs.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
SKC’s Family Support Specialist / Community Navigation Specialist position is an integral part of the Special Kids Connect team. Because of the nature of their positions, candidates must be individuals with a high degree of professionalism and an equally high degree of empathy and compassion for the struggles faced by families of individuals with disabilities.
This job requires travel between the company’s Salinas office and Monterey County satellite locations in Salinas, South and North Counties, along with travel to support student IEP meetings and Special Kids Connect workshops and outreach events taking place throughout Monterey County. Occasional travel outside of Monterey County, including locations outside of California, may be required for professional training opportunities.
Additional responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:
1) Professionally managing incoming calls from families, professionals, and other agencies to caringly connect them with the resource(s) they seek.
2) Collaborating with schools, community agencies, the regional center, social service agencies, and community-based organizations identify opportunities and develop innovative solutions for effectively supporting families
3) Hosting and/or presenting workshops/trainings in person and virtually (via Zoom)
4) Developing workshop/training curriculum for parents/family members/professionals and creating collateral/resource packets for attendees
5) Providing strength-based case management support to assist families in the navigation of the special education system and IEP process with the goal of empowering self-advocacy. This would include:
o Conducting initial parent interviews and needs assessments to determine parent’s goals for their child as well as the child’s educational needs
o Helping parents to identify their own advocacy strengths
o Connecting the parent with resources to supplement the parent’s existing strengths to achieve their goals
o Accompanying families to IEP meetings to provide emotional support, clarify new or difficult concepts/forms, remind the parent of their goals and questions
o Providing interpretation support for non-English speaking families
o Supporting the translation of parent and school-provided special education documents
6) Providing wraparound support and care coordination to families with individuals who have special needs with the goal of empowering self-advocacy
7) Maintaining accurate and up-to-date records in accordance with Special Kids Connect’s client management system (Salesforce) and in compliance with funder requirements
8) Maintaining a high level of confidentiality regarding client information
9) Preparing, amending, and providing Spanish translation of written correspondence, policies, documents, marketing materials, and other materials as necessary
10) Identifying families’ needs and developing innovative solutions to meeting those needs (e.g., establishing parent support groups)
11) Support special projects as assigned
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- MUST BE a parent, guardian, or family member of a child or adult with a developmental disability or have a disability yourself such that you have experience actively participating in obtaining/using special education services through a public school district. (This is a state-mandated hiring requirement for this position.)
- Must be available to work on a set M-F schedule between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm with availability on evenings and weekends, as neeeded.
- High school diploma or higher
- Bilingual and biliterate in both Spanish and English, demonstrating proficiency in spelling and grammar for both language.
- Successful completion of pre-employment background checks
- Strong customer service and communication skills, both verbal and written, organizational skills, both analytical and problem solving, and the ability to recognize and work with confidential information
- Ability to manage requests/needs of multiple families and work on multiple projects simultaneously
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and achieve deadlines under pressure
- Ability and means to travel on a flexible schedule as needed (Proof of liability and property damage insurance on vehicle used is required.)
- Proficiency in MS Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Drive with a willingness to learn additional programs, as needed
- A detail-oriented, positive attitude conducive to working effectively as a team member
- Familiarity with the internet, cloud sharing, and social media
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
- System navigation knowledge in one or more of the following: regional center services, special education, healthcare, social service support
- Workshop presentation experience
- Nonprofit sector experience
- Experience with Salesforce
- Experience with Google Suite
COMPENSATION:
- Compensation based upon education and experience
- Special Kids Connect's employees are invited to participate in CalSavers, California's retirement savings program
A PDF of the entire job description is available on www.specialkidsconnect.org.
Pay: $26.00 - $27.00 per hour
Benefits:
Application Question(s):
- Are you a parent, guardian or family member of a child or young adult with a developmental disability or an older adult with a disability such that you have experience supporting an individual who is/was eligible for special education services through their school district. (This is a state-mandated hiring requirement for this position.)
- Will you be willing to complete a Special Kids Connect employment application prior to an initial interview?
Language:
- English and Spanish with fluency (Required)
Work Location: In person
