Family Health & Resource Advocate

Job Description

Job Description

Family Star Montessori is actively seeking a fulltime bilingual Family Health & Resource Advocate for our NE Denver location. This position is part of a team that provides optimal health and comprehensive services for children, families and the Family Star community in accordance to the standards of Early Head Star/Head Start, Colorado Child Care Licensing, and our mission.

The Family Health & Resource Advocate manages health and nutrition services for children, implement and support ongoing health initiatives and other special projects promoting health literacy, equity, and food access. This role is also responsible for administering and facilitating health services and collaborates with the School, Family Services and Child Services staff to provide quality health and nutrition services for enrolled children. This role is a fulltime non-exempt position that reports directly to the Admissions & Enrollment Manager.

Health Service Management

• Collect, interpret, and enter health assessments and medical record data for children via Child Outcome Planning & Administration (COPA) and Visit Tracker as relevant. 
• Establish and maintain ongoing schedule of monitoring and program evaluation in areas of health and nutrition. 
• Maintain comprehensive data for Office of Head Start program information report and other funding sources as needed. 
• Reinforce appropriate health and safety practices, and information in compliance with federal, state and local mandated rules and regulations. 
• Coordinate and administer health screenings including onsite facilitation, generating referrals and tracking child outcomes. 
• Collaborate with relevant consultants and medical personnel to ensure child needs are identified and pertinent interventions and school support are provided as needed including individualized health care management plans. 

Nutrition Service Coordination 

• Coordinate school nutrition services. 
• Provide daily oversight of the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program, including monitoring menus and food preparation/handling practices in compliance with the USDA rules. overseeing weekly food ordering and coordinating implementation of quarterly Sponsor of Centers site reviews. 
• Manage school menus and special diet accommodations, medical restrictions and cultural/religious needs. 
• Provide support to Nutrition Assistants as needed. 
• Coordinate and provide direction and support to food access partners, Denver Food Rescue Community leaders, Family Star volunteers and staff in partnership with Child Services Director. 

General Health and Nutrition Program Administration 

• Collaborate with school staff to ensure child needs are met in the school or home-based setting. 
• Collaborate with caregivers and staff to support and address child health goals and provide relevant consultation. 
• Provide one-on-one support to connect families to services; support follow up on health referrals or health care plans. 
• Respond to and resolve time-sensitive inquiries and complaints or health and safety concerns reported by staff or families 
• Develop communications on health-related topics for caregivers and staff including ongoing correspondence, referrals, resources and education. 
• Provide administrative support related to tracking of health and nutrition related services as needed for Family Star, grant reporting and partners. 
• Coordinate health education and family engagement activities for caregivers. 

  Family Engagement and Admissions 

• Serve as key team member for new family enrollment and existing family re-enrollment, including outreach and engagement, document collection, and file development and maintenance 
• Serve as link between families and community resources. Provide emergency, crisis intervention in areas of food, shelter, protection issues, etc. 
• Work with staff to support and help meet families’ needs including families with children with special needs, mental and physical health needs. 
• Document, track and maintain required records and reports (i.e. case notes in COPA, referrals and follow up, Emergency Contact Forms, PIR, & monthly reports). 
• Responsible for Family Partnership Agreement (FPA) development, tracking, and maintenance of records. Assist families in the FPA planning process, developing the steps needed to achieve their goals, short and long term. Develop and track progress and outcomes of FPA with enrolled families monthly. 
• Identify parent's literacy, education, and training needs. Support and refer parents to receive High School Diplomas, GEDs, higher education diplomas and/or job training and placement and other education resources. 
• Work with school leaders to monitor child attendance and develop plans of action and follow-up for families with 3-day absences to maintain attendance requirements and to determine if families need different services. 
• Work enrollment and transitions teams to engage with transition plans for families of children that are 12 months for internal transition. 
• Work with enrollment and transition teams to record transition plans with families who are exiting the program when the child is 2 1/2 or before the family withdraws from the program. 
• Participate in the annual program self-assessment. 
• Distribute parent information such as, program information, events, and community resources. Support parents with meetings and offsite appointments. 
• Participate in home visits as part of application/enrollment process or more often if needed. 
• Work with enrollment team on maintenance of Family Star waitlist. 
• Develop partnerships with service providers (shelters, TANF clients, current families and others), to recruit the families most in need for Early Head Start and Pregnancy programs. 
• Participate in recruitment and enrollment efforts across the organization. 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in a health, public health and/or nutrition-related area
• Ability to fluently write, read, and speak both English & Spanish
• Experience with computers and adept in commonly used software for email, internet, word processing, and data collection.
• Must be able to work the hours of the position based on the organization’s and family’s needs
• Must be motivated and able to work independently as well as part of a team. 
• Must demonstrate a positive attitude with a commitment to customer service toward diverse populations with professionalism and sensitivity. 
• Must have oral and written proficiency in the English and Spanish languages. 
• Successfully complete a pre-employment background check, physical, and TB test post offer.
• Must be able to travel to locations around the Denver Metro area. Possess a personal vehicle and valid drivers’ license.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS/LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS:

• Familiarity with dental and healthcare benefits, providers, and community support services
• Experience in the field of infant and child health, public health, or nutrition
• Knowledge of state childcare licensing and public health regulations
• Knowledge of Early Head Start/Head Start programming

About Family Star
For over 35 years, Family Star Montessori’s two Denver locations have been transforming early childhood education by uniquely combining Montessori philosophy with Early Head Start/Head Start programing. We believe in creating nurturing spaces for every child, which is essential in preparation for a successful future and of a lifetime of learning.

Family Star supports the individual needs of each child and empowers them to achieve their human potential, resulting in students who grow up to be more confident, enthusiastic, and self-directed learners and citizens - accountable to both them and their community; who think critically, work collaboratively, and act boldly and with integrity.

Family Star provides eligible employees Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability & Life insurance as well as 401(k) Retirement plan with company match, and generous paid holidays and PTO. Family Star Montessori is an equal opportunity employer and encourages candidates from all backgrounds and lived experiences to apply, however unable to sponsor work visa at this time, so must be eligible to work in the United States.

Be part of the Family at Family Star by applying today by applying to FamilyStar.net/Careers!

Benefits include:

• 401(k) with Company Match
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Vision insurance