Child & Family Support Specialist

Pay Grade: 28E

 

Context of Job:

New Directions Early Head Start is a federally funded program that provides pregnant participants, infants and toddlers, and their families with quality care and family services that support families in providing the best for themselves and their very young children in order to promote children's success and families' self-sufficiency, through community collaboration and partnerships.

The Child & Family Specialist will work with children & families, providing weekly educational home visits, assisting parents in understanding their child's development and being their child’s first teacher. In addition, the Child & Family Specialist will assist in identifying family resources and needs, and families’ goals for their child and themselves.

Under limited supervision of the Program Coordinator or Child & Family Supervisor, the Child & Family Specialist will act as an itinerant teacher and case manager for families, providing child activities to support children’s development, ensuring the connection to health services, other services and referrals as needed and providing weekly home visits. Educate families about their child’s development and connect them with other parents.

 

Major Responsibilities:

• Ensure that the program meets or exceeds the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Support parents in developing and fostering a healthy self-concept in themselves and their children.
• Promote the philosophy of empowering parents.
• Conduct Weekly 90-minute home visits with families providing the education and child development services outlined in the Head Start Program Performance Standards section 1302.32 3 and using the programs curriculum and individual planning.
• Act as a liaison and advocate between community resources and Early Head Start families.
• Coordinate, facilitate and plan, socializations for the child and parent in conjunction with parents and Child and Family Supervisor that provide age-appropriate activities that align with the programs school readiness goals.
• Help parents use activities and materials which naturally occur in the home as learning opportunities.
• Foster the view and practice that parents are their child’s first teacher and reinforce with practical suggestions for development.
• Model developmentally appropriate practice. Assist families in developing activities and fostering behaviors that will enhance their children’s development.
• Ensure that the necessary developmental, social emotional and health screenings are completed within the 45- and 90-day deadlines.
• Maintain follow-up screenings as required.
• Complete professional observations on every child on your caseload and encourage parental observations.
• Record observations in the Teaching Strategies Gold developmental assessment system.
• Complete developmental assessments 3 to 4 times a year, sharing the information with parents and using the information for planning activities.
• Complete developmental, social emotional, nutritional and dental screenings in conjunction with the family.
• Create and implement individual home visit plans (lesson plans) that reflect the childs goals as outlined by the parent and the child observations and assessment.
• Assist parents in creating and maintaining safe, healthy , nurturing environments in their homes.
• Participate in the process to recruit and enroll program eligible pregnant women and families with young children to maintain maximum enrollment.
• Maintain confidential records on child and family progress, including using the programs computer software.
• Prepare reports and maintain accurate and timely records as necessary to meet all requirements of funding source.
• Develop Family Partnership Agreements (FPA) based on each family's strengths and each child's needs and record progress or an IFSP for children with disabilities.
• Assist families in assessing their ongoing progress as it relates to the FPA or IFSP.
• Participate in and support families with accessing needed community services and resources.
• Make referrals as necessary to community services.
• Plan and support a smooth transition for the children & families into and out of Early Head Start.
• Support families in arranging and keeping medical and dental appointments as required by Early Head Start and submitting all necessary documentation.
• Work to ensure consistent quality prenatal care and to support the mother in meeting all of the recommendations for a healthy pregnancy.
• Ensure program screenings and/or assessments for pregnant women are completed, with the appropriate follow up and/or referral takes place.
• Help expectant families prepare a welcoming and safe home for the baby.
• Coordinate and schedule appointments for health staff to visit the newborn within two weeks of the birth, ensuring the well-being of the mother and child as is required by the Program Performance Standards.
• Maintain supplies and materials for home visiting, socialization etc.
• Make suggestions for new materials and submit order requests for supplies that need replacement.
• Assist with long range program planning and development of NDEHS program.
• Attend training, staff development workshops and meetings as appropriate or requested by the Supervisor, Program Coordinator, or Director.
• Positively represent NDEHS, DIEEC, CEHD and the University in the community at large.
• Provide parent transportation as necessary using NDEHS vehicle.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or other related discipline, and one-year job-related experience with young children, families or community programs or equivalent combination of education and experience (i.e. CDA, AA and additional experience)
• Progressively responsible job-related experience beyond an Associate’s degree in early childhood education may be substituted for required education.

• Position requires knowledge of early childhood development, adult learning styles and community resources, strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to interact with a diverse population.

• Must have the ability to work as part of a program team and utilize word processing, assessment software and data systems.

• Bilingual in Spanish preferred.

Special Requirements:

• Requires successful completion of state and federal criminal background check, child protection, adult abuse, and sex offender registry checks, health examination and TB test.
• Must maintain Parents as Teachers Certification and Promoting First Relations Certification once employed.
• Position requires travel within New Castle County and some evening and weekend hours.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and a private reliable means of transportation.
• Must maintain current First Aid and CPR certification as well as updated Health Appraisal and PPD. In addition, immunization required by the OHS or OCCL
• Must have the ability to lift a minimum of 30lbs in order to move supplies and assist and pick up children.
• Frequent crouching, kneeling, sitting on the ground, and climbing stairs.
• Bilingual preferred