The Family Engagement Advocate will work as a member of a team whose primary role is to engage families to partner with us to promote children’s healthy development and school readiness. The Family Engagement Advocate uses knowledge of the principles of family engagement to support families in their roles as their child’s primary educator, encourage parent/child interactions that promote children’s school readiness and healthy development, and enhance family well-being. In their specialized role, the Family Engagement Advocate takes the lead to build social networks among families to promote self-sufficiency and enhance family leadership and advocacy skills.
This position has been established to strengthen our program’s ability to expand family engagement strategies that will create a sense of belonging and shared community among families, with the goal of enhancing the relationships and support that families provide to one another in their shared aspirations for their children and themselves. The position may involve reassignment of caseload and/or center location as deemed necessary for program operations.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
The Family Engagement Advocate’s responsibilities primarily fall within the following core functions, although s/he may perform other tasks based upon program needs:
- Promote Family Environments that Enhance Children’s Development
- Support Families to Meet Self-Identified Goals
- Engage Families To Support One Another
- Enhance Program Collaboration
- Maintain Accurate and Timely Record Keeping and Reporting
PROMOTE FAMILY ENVIRONMENTS THAT ENHANCE CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT
Engage families as partners in their children’s healthy development and school readiness.
- Participate in outreach, recruitment, and attendance follow up activities to engage families in our program; and to motivate their active participation.
- Engage families in the Parent and EHS Program Agreement process in order to build relationships and shared accountability for promoting children’s development.
- Individualize family engagement and relationship-building to be appropriate to families’ cultural context, as well as respectful of family circumstances.
- Engage families in individualized, in home, and group experiences to enhance parent/child interactions that research shows foster school readiness through consistent family routines, positive guidance and discipline, experience rich home environments, and literacy activities.
- Utilize in-classroom time and home visits to build deeper understanding of the relationship between children’s development and their home environments; as well as to model and coach families in positive parent/child interactions.
SUPPORT FAMILIES TO MEET SELF-IDENTIFIED GOALS
Engage in a process of collaborative partnership building with families of children receiving Early Head Start services.
- Utilize family assessment information to assist families with self-identified goals to enhance self-sufficiency in areas such as education, employment, housing, and access to community resources.
- Identify and access services and resources responsive to family interests and goals and follow-up with parents to ensure that services met their expectations and needs.
- Analyze data (i.e. Family Sufficiency, Family Assessment, My Dreams, Parent Surveys, etc.) and utilize data/results to plan and coordinate a variety of parent cohort groups that support one another to achieve self-sufficiency goals.
- Coordinate or refer families to opportunities for continuing education, employment training, and other employment services through formal or informal networking in the community.
ENGAGE FAMILIES TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER
Foster a sense of community and sense of belonging among families in order to strengthen social capital.
- Conduct group and center-based workshops and activities designed to build social capital and create a welcoming program community committed to family engagement in children’s learning and development.
- Cultivate family leadership and support their advocacy efforts through participation in program governance bodies such as Parent Center Committee and grantee Policy Council, as well as neighborhood and community based advisory groups.
- Work in conjunction with Center staff and families to plan and conduct a wide variety of family engagement activities that provide opportunities for families to support one another, including, but not be limited to the following:
- Closing the Achievement Gap workshop series, activities, and campaigns that promote children’s school readiness
- Self-Sufficiency Parent Groups
- Monthly Family Engagement Network Meetings
ENHANCE PROGRAM COLLABORATION
Build relationships that will enhance communication and collaboration among internal and external stakeholders.
- Work side by side with health, disabilities, education coaches, and other members of the family engagement team to support families to be fully engaged in all aspects of our program.
- Develop effective communication and collaborative strategies with teaching teams to encourage family engagement in home learning activities, including individualizing activities based upon family interests and children’s developmental status.
- Establish and maintain working relationships with community partners to strengthen access to resources and training identified as priority goal areas by families.
- MAINTAIN ACCURATE AND TIMELY RECORD KEEPING AND REPORTING
Effectively manage workload and ensure accurate record-keeping and documentation.
- Establish and maintain accurate records as deemed necessary in each child’s electronic and hard copy file.
- Document efforts to assist families to identify their strengths, needs, and goals through completion of the Family Needs Assessment, Family Partnership Agreement, and case notes.
- Record, monitor, and follow up on referrals for support services and outcomes.
- Complete summary documentation of case conferences and special concerns meetings.
- Submit reports as needed and requested, such as attendance, monthly risk reports, etc.
- Monitor and maintain up to date PIR data.
- Provide support to Center Site Based Family Engagement Advocates.
GENERAL STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead for the good of the entire organization, understand the big picture, and use it as a framework to make decisions.
- Make decisions that support program quality and maintain program accountability.
- Uphold the shared values of GRECS, Inc.
- Attend all scheduled team meetings.
- Complete a minimum of 15 clock hours of professional development per year.
- Attend trainings to keep up with Family Engagement trends and the various instruments and tools used by the program.
- Adhere to scheduled work hours as required.
Requirements:
- At time of hire possess a credential or certification in social work, human services, family services, counseling or a related field.
- Ability to apply soft skills such as positive thinking, flexibility, resourcefulness, problem-solving, team playing, reliability/dependability, preciseness, etc. in order to effectively complete assigned tasks and contribute to the efficient operation of the agency.
- Possess a passion for achieving positive child and family outcomes through high-quality family engagement.
- Experience, training, and skill assisting the parents of young children to advocate for their families.
- Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing.
- Experience working in low-income diverse communities preferred.
Environmental/Physical Conditions:
- Use of a reliable personal vehicle.
- Maintain regular communication with Family Engagement Coordinator (or as assigned) in regard to program issues and concerns.
- Safeguard confidentiality in accordance with program policies and procedures.
- Ability to tolerate all climate conditions and navigate service area.
- Ability to sit long periods of time with bending and reaching.
- Ability to stand, walk, and bend periodically.
- Ability to sit on floor for long periods to engage with infants and toddlers in order to meet their developing needs.
- Ability to engage in repetitive movement of wrists, hands, and fingers - typing and/or writing.
- Ability to work frequently at close visual range (i.e. preparing and analyzing data and figures, accounting, transcription, computer terminal, extensive reading).
- Ability to exert up to 40 pounds of force to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.
Materials, Tools, & Equipment:
- Fax, telephone, copier
- Skill in the use of computer technology (i.e. word processing, PowerPoint, database management)
Conditions of Hire:
- All employment at GRECS, Inc. is “at will.” This means that the employee or GRECS, Inc. may terminate employment at any time and for any reason.
- Completion of interview, successful reference verification, sex offender registry check, and criminal history records, including fingerprint checks, and at least once every five years thereafter.
- Pass a physical examination.
- TB test clearance.
We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and healthy workplace. Any form of bullying and/or intimidation will not be tolerated.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $17.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
Ability to Commute:
Ability to Relocate:
- Mobile, AL: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
