Family Advocate - Head Start

Locations: Millville & Pennsville, NJ

JOB FUNCTION: The Family Advocate is responsible for coordinating, collaborating, and facilitating the effective delivery of Social Services and Parent Involvement to Early Head Start children, families, and staff in accordance with NJ licensing regulations and Head Start Performance Standards. This position will be required to travel to meetings, training, and collaborating and/or direct services centers.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: (Included but not limited to)

Within the boundaries of approved Quality Care and EHS policies and procedures; the Family Advocate is responsible for and has the authority to fulfill the duties listed below:

· Responsible for assisting the collaborating centers with recruitment, enrollment, and daily attendance of eligible Early Head Start children and families including the following: maintaining an open-door policy for walk-ins, purposeful home visits, and active in-person contacts with the community.

· Responsible for assisting parents at childcare collaboration sites with completing Early Head Start paperwork, maintaining files and data entry into ChildPlus.

· Responsible for developing a partnership with families including the following: assessing needs, developing a Family Partnership Agreement, home visits, connecting families with resources to meet needs, collaborating with other agencies and departments to ensure easy access to resources, and being an advocate for improving the quality of life.

· Responsible for maintaining accurate, organized, confidential, up-to-date records including the following: monitoring, documenting, submitting monthly reports and Program Information Reports of parent and child data.

· Compile and maintain an up-to-date community resource directory for parent resources.

· Responsible for reporting any suspected cases of child abuse and neglect to the Center Directors, EHS Director, Family Partnership Manager, Health & Nutrition Manager, and Mental Health/Disabilities Manager. Center staff are responsible for reporting to Division of Division of Child Protection & Permanency (DCP&P).

· Responsible for family, parent, and volunteer involvement including attending, recruiting for, and supporting parent committee meetings and activities; assisting/conducting parent orientation; promoting participation of volunteers in the center; facilitating open communication between staff, parents, and the community.

· Ensure full EHS classroom enrollment as per Head Start Performance Standards with a relative waiting list. In addition, ensuring compliance of full EHS subsidy to full state subsidy funding.

· Ability to travel to meetings, training, and collaborating centers.

· Other duties as assigned.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES:

· Valid NJ Driver’s License with a good driving history.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

• High School Diploma with at least two (2) years’ experience with a non-profit agency (social service or childcare). Case management experience preferred.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

· Attention to detail.

· Excellent organizational skills.

· Ability to work independently and as a team.

· Analytical skills: collect and evaluate data for continuous quality improvements.

· Communication skills: Ability to communicate with clientele and coworkers.

· Interpersonal skills: interact with a variety of people from different backgrounds. Good listener and empathic to respond to the needs of children and families.

· Problem Solving: ability to solve problems and think creatively about improving health services in Head Start.

COMPUTER SKILLS:

• Word Processing Software,
• MS Office
• Spreadsheet Software
• Database software

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, reach with hands and arms, talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit, and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 80 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, ability to adjust focus, and ability to see color.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $19.45 - $19.72 per hour

Expected hours: No less than 40 per week

Benefits:

• 403(b) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Application Question(s):

• Are you willing to complete a drug and background screening?

Experience:

• non-profit agency: 2 years (Required)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Vineland, NJ 08360 (Required)

Willingness to travel:

• 50% (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $19 - $20