Family Advocate

Description

CAPE Inc, Community Association for Preschool Education – Livermore and Hayward, CA

CAPE, Inc. has a wonderful opportunity for Family Advocate, Full Time (FT), in Hayward locations

• Position is Non-Exempt, Full Time (40 hours/week), 12 months

• Pay Rate: Commensurate with experience and education

              Minimum  $24.35/hour      Maximum  $26.00/hour

• Eligible for signing bonus of $1,500.00, group benefits plans including medical, dental, vision, life insurance and retirement plan; paid Holidays, vacation and sick days; educational assistance

• Reports to Supervisor, Support Services

Agency Overview: 

CAPE, Inc. headquarters is in Livermore, and provides early childhood education services (Head Start and Early Head Start preschool programs) in Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton, and Hayward areas.  CAPE offers a cohesive environment for passionate people who want to make a significant contribution to early childhood education, social/emotional development and early childhood mental health.

Position Overview: Family Advocates work collaboratively as part of an integrated service team to assist enrolled families in the development of Family Partnership agreements and to provide comprehensive, integrated services in the areas of child development/education, health, mental health, nutrition, parent involvement, social services and disabilities services.

Essential Functions:

Family Partnerships

• Meet with families regularly to establish a positive and supportive relationship

• Support families in the identification of family strengths and needs and in 

      determining family goals

• Inform families of and refer them to available community resources in the  

       areas of social services, health, mental health and career development.  

       Follow up on referrals to assure delivery of services

• Serve as a resource for CAPE parents, informing, counseling and referring 

       through conversations at school, over the phone, on home visits or in the   

       office

• Assist families in completing Family Profile and other family assessments

• Assist in enrollment of eligible children

• Participate in regular case management meetings 

• Follow up on issues identified at case management meetings

• Provide written reports to the Integrated Service Team Leader monthly

• Follow up on child absences as directed

• Serve as an advocate for families with community agencies, helping them 

        access resources

• Assist with arranging or provide transportation to appointments when 

        necessary

• Document referrals, family contacts and home visits utilizing Child Plus

• Conduct home visits with enrolled families as necessary.

• Confer with site staff and Integrated Service Team Leader regarding 

        suspected child abuse, and assist in making the report to Child Protective 

       Services if required.

• Maintain classroom bulletin boards and parent resource centers

Nutrition

• Work with family to complete Nutrition Assessment

• Obtain a CCFP application from each family and income verification

• Make necessary nutrition referrals, i.e. WIC after consulting with 

      Nutrition Specialist

Health

• As directed: request needed medical and dental records from providers and      

        refer to providers for necessary services or follow up.  Assist family with 

       scheduling and coordinating appointments

• Work with families to complete Health History

• Assist with arranging transportation to appointments or provide when 

       necessary

• Follow up and track referrals to ensure delivery of services including data 

       input into Child Plus

• Provide health education to parents on home visits, at preschool sites, at 

      center parent meetings and at parent education meetings

• Attend meetings, workshops and health related trainings as requested or 

      appropriate

• Ensure that all required screenings are performed with required time frame

• Assist with the Health Fair

Mental Health

• Provide referrals for counseling or therapy and document in Child Plus as 

       necessary

• Assist families with arranging transportation or provide transportation to 

       appointments

• Follow up on referrals to ensure delivery of services

• Provide crisis intervention

• Assist with preparation for parent support or education groups

General Responsibilities

• Attend all staff meetings and trainings as required or requested

• Assist in all major CAPE events

• Assist in maintaining children’s case files

• Continue career development through classes, workshops, etc.

• Participate in regularly scheduled group supervision

Requirements

Qualifications and Requirements

• BA or AA degree in Early Childhood Education, Social Work, Psychology or related field

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with low-income adults and children, and

    experience with ethnic and cultural minorities

• Two years related work experience

• Familiarity with community resources for families and children

• Possession of a valid California driver’s license, reliable transportation and valid vehicle

   insurance

• Good clerical skills and Microsoft Word/Windows, and Child Plus

• Ability to work within the philosophy of the CAPE program

• Ability to interact effectively

• Effective communication skills – both oral and written

• Strong analytical and organizational skills

• Ability to function independently with minimum supervision

• Teamwork/Effective interpersonal relationship with co-workers

• Professionalism; flexibility

• Comprehension of job-related responsibilities

• Detail-oriented; Customer service oriented

Desirable Qualifications

• Previous experience in a Head Start or State Preschool program

• Bi-lingual skills; especially Spanish/English; Farsi/English, Vietnamese/English preferred

Join our team today!  Submit your cover letter, resume, and copy of transcripts to hr@capeheadstart.org

CAPE, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer and provides the opportunity to qualified persons to seek, obtain, and hold employment with the Agency without discrimination on account of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, gender, medical condition, age, marital status, veterans’ or military status, non-job physical or mental handicap or disability status, genetic information, except if there exists a lawful bona fide occupational qualification or other classification protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.  www.capeheadstart.org

Salary : $24 - $26