EHS Lead Advocate

Job Description

Job Description

Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) is a community-based nonprofit organization serving Pennsylvania and Delaware with over four decades of commitment to improving maternal and child health and early care and education. MCC’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of pregnant women and parenting families and enhance school readiness for children ages 0-3. We achieve this through direct service, advocacy, and research, in collaboration with individuals, families, providers, and communities. We envision a future where parents impacted by racial and social inequities can birth with dignity, parent with autonomy, and raise babies who are healthy, growing, and thriving.

The Lead Advocate provides early learning-focused and curriculum-based home visits to pregnant women and parents of infants and toddlers, to promote the families' ability to support their health improvement, social empowerment, and child's development towards school readiness. Services may include providing encouragement and guidance; providing direct services; identifying client needs and goals related to health, education, child development, and social services; and supporting clients in accessing needed services. Assists with program development, coordination, and supervision. Provides leadership in conducting outreach and follow-up. Supervises up to four (4) Advocates.

• Attends, facilitates planning of, and participates actively in Site Meetings and Socializations. Attends community meetings and health fairs and represents MCC as requested by their Supervisor.
• Responds promptly to inter-agency communication using Child Plus and other computer systems, including e-mail, Internet, and Microsoft.
• Participates in outreach efforts to raise awareness and promote education of issues EHS clientele faces, identify candidates and families for enrollment, and direct them to needed EHS, health, education, and social services. Conduct health promotion activities by providing client education, disseminating educational literature, and distributing disease prevention materials, including condoms.
• Encourage parent participation in all EHS events, such as parent meetings, trainings, policy council meetings, outreach events, parent orientations, volunteering opportunities, and socialization. Assist in organizing client meetings and other special events, including, but not limited to, those celebrating Mother’s and Father’s Day.
• Plans home visits and provides education on prenatal development and resources to pregnant women at least twice a month.
• Obtains and maintains in good standing all required credentials, certifications, and training deemed necessary to perform their job duties, such as, but not limited to, Home Visiting CDA credential, ServSafe, and First Aid/CPR Certification
• Plan weekly visits that include activities to support learning and development to enhance the family’s skills as their child’s first teacher. Is prompted to reschedule any missed visits to ensure a minimum of 4 visits each month and a minimum of 46 visits to each client throughout the program year for home-based children.
• Supervises Advocates through monthly one-on-one meetings.
• Conducts annual performance evaluations for all direct reports and identifies opportunities for professional development.
• Supports Advocates in their delivery of comprehensive services in the program.
• Monitors orientation for new staff and other appropriate staff.

Supporting Responsibilitie s

• Works collaboratively with Coordinators to encourage, monitor, and ensure timely scheduling and completion of health and/or education-related appointments, such as prenatal, postpartum, well baby, well child, early intervention, physical exams, dental exams, and immunizations.

• Refers participants needing more intensive follow-up to appropriate resources within MCC and other community agencies. Learns about and contacts community resources that clients need.
• Participates in collecting and distributing supplements, diapers, formula, clothes, and donations for EHS clients.
• Conducts client assessments to determine strengths and areas of need on a timely basis (according to EHS Performance Standards) and uses this information to set goals in collaboration with the family.
• Contacts participants before/after home visits by email or telephone and maintains complete and accurate records of all communication with clients on Child Plus. Maintains a collaborative relationship with identified clients, provides support as needed, and ensures confidentiality of client records.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Experience with community health issues.
• Knowledge and experience in child development, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and early childhood education.
• Experience working with maternal and child health issues preferred
• Experience with positive parent-child interactions or Early Head Start programs preferred
• Bilingual (Spanish, if applicable)

Other Position Factors

The other position factors described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential tasks of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Maternity Care Coalition operates as a hybrid organization. The assigned work arrangement for this position may include a combination of remote and onsite work and will be determined based on operational needs, role responsibilities, and performance. Work arrangement expectations may be modified over time to meet organizational or programmatic requirements. Staff working remotely are responsible for maintaining a safe and appropriate workspace.

• Ability to engage in extended periods of sitting, computer work, and sustained concentration to complete financial analysis, reporting, and related tasks.
• Ability to occasionally bend, reach, lift, carry, push, or pull training materials or equipment, generally not exceeding 30 pounds.
• Possession of a valid driver’s license issued by the state of residence and the ability to successfully pass a motor vehicle record check, where driving is an essential function of the role.
• Ability to travel occasionally to attend conferences, seminars, and professional meetings.
• Ability to work non‑traditional hours on an occasional basis based on operational needs.
• Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of required post‑offer pre‑employment background clearances, as well as any additional post‑hire background, compliance, or programmatic clearances required by the organization, funders, or applicable regulations.
• This role supports compliance for regulated funding streams, including Early Head Start, through timely financial reporting, audit readiness, and escalation of material risks to executive leadership.

Experience, Education, and Licensure

Experience: 1 year of experience supervising staff

Education: CDA or higher degree from an accredited college or university in a related field of study

Licensure: N/A

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