Family and Community Engagement Specialist

Summary

Western Arizona Council of Governments (WACOG) recognizes and appreciates the strengths of our workforce. We strive to provide a professional and supportive environment where employees can achieve their career goals. The WACOG workforce is encouraged to focus on their strengths and abilities to reach their full potential.

WACOG is the Head Start Grantee for Mohave, La Paz and Yuma Counties. Our programs focus on school readiness for all children and families. As a leader in quality early childhood programs in the area, WACOG is a champion of developmentally appropriate practices.

Under general direction, plan, coordinate, implement, and monitor family development services for Head Start and Early Head Start children and families throughout the WACOG tri-county service area of Yuma, La Paz and Mohave Counties, according to Head Start Program Performance Standards, the Head Start Act, and established Head Start policies and procedures.



Duties

• Ensure a comprehensive system of family development services are provided to families of all enrolled children according to Head Start Program Performance Standards and Head Start Act. Collaborate closely with management and center staff to accomplish the goals and objectives of this content service area.
• Develop and implement comprehensive training for child and family services staff on best practices for implementing family engagement strategies that builds their knowledge, experience, and competencies to improve child and family outcomes.
• Systematically and comprehensively address child and family needs by facilitating meaningful access to program services, including, at a minimum, curriculum, instruction, staffing, supervision, and family partnerships with bilingual staff, oral language assistance and interpretation, or translation of essential program materials, as appropriate.
• Establish and maintain ongoing collaborative relationships and partnerships with community organizations to facilitate access to community services that are responsive to children?s and families? needs and family partnership goals.
• Facilitate opportunities for parents to participate in a research-based parenting curriculum that builds on parents? knowledge and offers parents the opportunity to practice parenting skills to promote children?s learning and development.
• Facilitate the delivery of substance abuse counseling, if needed, including information on the effect of drug exposure and fetal alcohol syndrome; train in basic child development (including cognitive, social, and emotional development); assist in developing literacy and communication skills; find opportunities to share experiences with other parents; regular in-home visitation, health services including information on maternal depression, and any other activity designed to help such parents become full partners in the education of their children.
• Implement a family partnership process that includes a family partnership agreement and the activities to support family well-being, including family safety, health, and economic stability, to support child learning and development, to provide, if applicable, services and supports for children with disabilities, and to foster parental confidence and skills that promote the early learning and development of their children.
• Implement intake and family assessment procedures to identify family strengths and needs related to the family engagement outcomes as described in the Head Start Parent Family and Community Engagement Framework, including family well-being, parent-child relationships, families as lifelong educators, families as learners, family engagement in transitions, family connections to peers and the local community, and families as advocates and leaders.
• Perform and/or oversee program-wide outreach to fathers, including father figures, in order to strengthen the role of those fathers in the education of young children and the Head Start program.
• Manage systematic program attendance issues, analyze the causes of absenteeism to identify any systematic issues that contribute to the program?s absentee rate, and use this data to make necessary changes in a timely manner as part of ongoing oversight and continuous improvement efforts.
• Ensure program-wide recruitment of children, including foster, homeless, and children with disabilities, generates sufficient applications to ensure the neediest families are selected to fill program vacancies.
• Responsible for community outreach, recruitment and training of volunteers, and development of a volunteer program that will support classrooms with additional adults whenever possible. Provide parents with opportunities to participate in the program as employees or volunteers.
• Establish and maintain ongoing collaborative relationships and partnerships with community organizations to facilitate access to community services that are responsive to children?s and families? needs and family partnership goals.
• Ensure families are engaged in the Head Start program through development of policies and procedures and ongoing training. Ensure active engagement of families in program planning and decision making, including participation in Parent Committees and Policy Council.
• Monitor and support all family development services within child center files and electronic records within the data systems.
• Ensure confidentiality of children and families is strictly maintained according to agency standards.
• Continue professional development by taking academic coursework and/or training directly related to meeting position requirements and responsibilities.
• Promote the continued involvement of the parents (including foster parents, grandparents, and kinship caregivers, as appropriate) of children that participate in Head Start programs in the education of their children upon transition of their children to school, by working with the local educational agency to support the active involvement of the parents with schools.
• Develop relationships with parents and structure services to encourage trust and respectful, ongoing two-way communication between staff and parents to create welcoming program environments that incorporate the unique cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds of families in the program and community.
• Travel within WACOG service area, including overnight stays as needed; additional travel maybe required. .
• Maintain regular and punctual attendance; work outside of standard business hours as needed.
• Utilize tact and discretion to maintain confidentiality; project a positive and professional image of WACOG at all times.
• Other duties as assigned or required of the position.

Requirements

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Baccalaureate degree, preferably related to one or more of the disciplines they oversee
Three years experience working with children 0-5 years old

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Masters Early Childhood Education
Three years directly related experience supervising in the field of early childhood education

OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Minimum 21 years of age
Valid Arizona Driver License, MVR Report of Acceptable Driving Record, and Proof of Vehicle Liability Insurance
Current Physical and TB clearance
Current AZ DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card/ Criminal History Affidavit/Central Registry Background Check
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-energy environment
(Ability to secure and maintain a driver?s license valid in the state of Arizona, or an acceptable alternative means of transportation. May be required to drive an agency vehicle. Employees authorized to operate a private vehicle for WACOG business are required to carry liability insurance minimums. For purposes of vehicle insurance, minimum 21 years of age.)

Nice To Haves

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES (KSAs) The individual who holds this position must be able to perform the essential duties and responsibilities satisfactorily. The KSAs listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities needed for satisfactory performance.

• Ability to interpret a wide variety of technical instructions; detailed knowledge of mandated Head Start regulations as they relate to WACOG?s program
• Ability to make reasonable decisions based on complex and/or abstract details
• Ability to be a proactive problem-solver, blending analytical reasoning ability with business savvy
• Skill in interacting with persons, of various social, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds for WACOG related business purposes, and ability to encourage individuals either in a one-to-one or group
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with who reflect various life styles, cultural/ethnic differences, socio-economic backgrounds and a variety of educational level
• Skill of modeling positive behavior and maintaining unbiased and fair leadership traits
• Knowledge of, or demonstrated ability to learn, regulations, procedures and services of WACOG and the Head Start Program
• Ability and willing to travel within the tri-county Head Start service area, including overnight stays, on a regular basis. This can include trainings, out of area meetings, and/or conferences related to Head Start content areas
• Skill in communicating with tact; ability to present in front of groups (including Head Start staff, Early Head Start Partners, co-workers, parents and community members), with or without aids, and with clarity and professionalism
• Knowledge of program funding to effectively manage budgets

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Health Savings Account
• Flexible Spending Account
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)