GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Provide leadership and coordination for health, wellness, and preventive initiatives within the Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This position is responsible for promoting the health and wellbeing of children and families through educational activities, strategic health initiatives, preventive programs, and community partnerships. The Child Health & Wellness Coordinator ensures compliance with health-related program requirements, supports the supervision and follow-up of Health Technicians, and promotes a culture of prevention, wellbeing, and continuous improvement aligned with organizational and Head Start standards.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Develop and facilitate health education workshops, presentations, and wellness capsules for children, families, and staff.
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Promote health, hygiene, oral health, disease prevention, physical activity, emotional wellbeing, and healthy lifestyle practices throughout the program.
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Coordinate and implement health fairs, wellness campaigns, and preventive health activities.
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Maintain communication and collaborative relationships with healthcare providers, vendors, and community partners.
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Design, develop, and implement strategic health, nutrition, and wellness initiatives that support children and families within the program.
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Promote a preventive culture through health education, process analysis, compliance monitoring, and continuous service improvement.
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Provide guidance, follow-up, and support to Health Technicians to ensure compliance and consistency of services.
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Monitor and support compliance with Head Start Performance Standards and organizational health and safety requirements.
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Maintain accurate documentation, records, and reports related to health and wellness initiatives.
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Participate in interdisciplinary meetings, trainings, and collaborative planning sessions.
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Support program self-assessments, monitoring processes, and continuous improvement initiatives.
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Analyze procedures and recommend improvements related to health and wellness operations.
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Ensure confidentiality of participant, family, and organizational information.
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Fulfill mandatory reporter responsibilities in accordance with child abuse and neglect reporting requirements and organizational policies.
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Maintain effective communication with internal departments, families, centers, and external stakeholders.
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Participate in operational visits to centers and program sites as needed.
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Demonstrate commitment to the organization’s mission, vision, values, and service philosophy.
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Perform other duties as assigned by supervisors that are reasonably within the scope of the position.
SUPERVISION:
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Provides direct supervision and ongoing support to Health Technicians to ensure the effective delivery of health and wellness services across the program.
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Establishes action plans that promote employee growth, behavioral development, accountability, and performance improvement, with special attention to developing and retaining key talent.
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Completes performance evaluations accurately and within established timelines, identifying strengths, development opportunities, and performance goals for direct reports.
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Promotes and maintains a positive work environment where collaboration, engagement, professionalism, recognition, and accountability are encouraged.
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Effectively communicates expectations, operational priorities, organizational objectives, and critical situations while ensuring alignment between the health services team and program goals.
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Addresses performance concerns in a timely, objective, and fair manner by implementing appropriate coaching, corrective actions, and disciplinary measures in accordance with Program Policies and Procedures, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) requirements, and applicable Head Start Performance Standards, including Policy Council requirements related to hiring and termination processes.
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Responsible for hiring, training, scheduling, supervising, evaluating, and ensuring the accuracy, timeliness, and completion of all work performed by Health Technicians.
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Conducts regular meetings, operational follow-ups, and coaching sessions to ensure compliance with health regulations, organizational policies, and service quality expectations.
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Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and leadership to strengthen communication, operational effectiveness, and continuous improvement within the health services area.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, SKILLS, AND KNOWLEDGE:
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Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health, Health Education, Nursing, Community Health, or a related field required.
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Candidates must possess two (2) to three (3) years of experience in educational program development, community-based initiatives, health promotion, or preventive health models.
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The ideal candidate must demonstrate knowledge of health and wellness practices for children ages 0–5, strong analytical and organizational skills, and proficiency in Microsoft Office and data management systems. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, leadership abilities, and the capacity to work collaboratively across departments are required.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORK ENVIRONMENT:
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Ability to sit for extended periods of time while performing administrative and computer-based tasks.
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Ability to stand, walk, bend, and reach during trainings, events, and operational visits.
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Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
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Ability to facilitate workshops, trainings, and presentations.
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Ability to travel and conduct recurrent visits to centers, clubs, and operational locations as required.
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Ability to occasionally lift, carry, push, or move items up to 25 pounds.
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Ability to work in office, center, and community-based environments.
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Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information.
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Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
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Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others and maintaining them over time.
ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCIES:
LEADERSHIP: Ability of each individual to contribute to the organization’s strategic alignment by acting in an agile, people-centered, and strategic manner. It involves fostering a resilient and participative culture, making evidence-based decisions, and proactively adapting to changes in the environment, regardless of the role held.
DETERMINATION: Ability to act with broad vision, creativity, and courage, grounding actions in reliable data and rigorous analysis. It promotes a culture of responsible autonomy, informed decision-making, and continuous improvement, where each individual assumes their role with commitment, protects the organizational purpose, and seeks innovative solutions that transform reality.
COLLABORATION: Ability to build and maintain trusting relationships within and outside the organization by aligning efforts, generating synergies, and strengthening a shared vision. It involves teamwork, effective communication, and strategic cooperation to maximize collective impact.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Ability to manage financial and non-financial resources ethically, efficiently, and strategically within the workplace. Each individual contributes to collective wellbeing and organizational sustainability by ensuring that decisions and actions are aligned with the mission of service, maximizing impact while avoiding unnecessary use of resources.
ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES:
CREATIVITY: We promote an environment where new ideas flourish, encouraging imagination, curiosity, and the ability to create solutions that transform lives and communities.
JOY: We live each day with enthusiasm and optimism, recognizing joy as a force that inspires, motivates, and builds genuine connections among people.
INTEGRITY: We act with transparency, ethics, and consistency at all times. Our commitment is to do what is right, even when no one is watching, serving as an example for future generations.
INNOVATION: We continuously adapt and evolve, seeking innovative and effective ways to positively impact the lives of our participants, families, and communities.
PASSION FOR SERVICE: Our vocation is transformation. We serve with dedication, empathy, and deep commitment to the children, youth, and families of Puerto Rico because we believe in their potential.
WELLBEING: We promote balance between mind, body, and emotions as the foundation for full development. We foster healthy and safe environments that encourage self-care, mental health, and collective wellbeing.
DISCLAIMER: Due to the nature of the position and potential changes in the requirements established by the Office of Head Start, the information presented describes the general nature and level of work expected of employees within this classification. It is not intended to contain, nor should it be interpreted as, an exhaustive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this position.
