Spec, Parent Family Community Engagement

Position Title: Specialist, Parent, Family & Community Engagement (PFCE)

Employee Type: Full-Time Regular

Supervisor Title: Manager, Parent, Family & Community Engagement (PFCE)

Division: U.S. Programs & Advocacy

Summary

The Specialist of Parent, Family and Community Engagement (PFCE) is responsible for supporting the following components of Head Start and Early Head Start programs: Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance (ERSEA), family engagement, family development and community partnerships.

You will work closely with staff on all areas of ERSEA. You will report to the Manager of PFCE and work with Teachers, Assistant Teachers, Manager of Education & Inclusion, and/or Center Directors to maintain full enrollment in funded classroom slots. By supporting the development and oversight of family service systems, you will support the teaching staff in identifying opportunities for families to realize their own strengths, needs and interests.

Your duties also extend to supporting a parent and community volunteer program and developing relationships with community partners to whom families can be referred for services. You make certain that family and community partnerships are supported by staff and/or consultants who have experience in fields related to human services. The core of your role is working with teaching staff to deepen the understanding of parent, family and community engagement, and implementing such knowledge through high quality collaborations that promote family sustainability.

Lastly, you serve as the Corporate Secretary of the Head Start Policy Council and assists the Program Director with meeting logistics, materials, etc. in line with the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

As a frontline representative of Save the Children, you are required to ensure the safety and security of children and families and represent the agency values of Accountability, Ambition, Collaboration, Creativity and Integrity.

As a Save the Children employee who will come into contact with children on a routine basis, you are expected to prevent child abuse in every situation by striving, through mental awareness, good practice and training to minimize risk to children. You must take positive steps to protect children who may be a subject of concern and report, respond to any instance of child abuse, and promote training and awareness around all child-safeguarding obligations.

What You'll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• Ensure complete and accurate collection, entry, reporting and maintenance of data related to family development services.
• If in a non-supervisory role: provision of technical support to teaching staff and their supervisors as needed
• Responsible for the collection, entry, reporting and maintenance of ERSEA records related to program operations including Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
• In coordination with the Manager of Education & Inclusion, ensure that vacancies are filled within 30 days, eligibility is properly determined, enrollment includes 10% children with special needs, recruitment is active/ongoing and that funded enrollment is achieved and maintained.
• Track daily attendance data and the program staff's timely follow-up with families on tardiness and absenteeism.
• Visit all classrooms on a regular basis (4-6 hours per month per site) to conduct observations and support teaching staff in promoting parent involvement, provide training and technical assistance and coach teachers as they support parents in understanding their role in their child's educational success.
• Prepare and distribute monthly reports, such as attendance, enrollment, etc.
• Ensure that electronic data collected can be reported accurately to grant officers.
• Provide training and technical assistance and build capacity by working directly with staff, parents and community partners to ensure high-quality programs.
• Responsible for tracking that all parents have been offered the opportunity to establish a Family Partnership Agreement and the tracking of strengths, needs, goals, referrals, individual contacts, home visits and follow-ups.
• Provide or arrange for training and technical assistance to staff and parents based upon pertinent issues/interests expressed in the Family Outcomes Assessment. This may include: advocacy, family literacy, sustainability, child development, health, parenting skills and other topics as identified.
• Provide support to staff in developing parent training opportunities. Track and maintain documentation of parent meetings and training.
• Ensure the PFCE Framework is a systematic component of programming, services and management systems.
• Assist in the monitoring and reporting of services to ensure high quality support, positive child outcomes and achievement of school readiness goals.
• Attend case coordination meetings with other staff in order to fully integrate services.
• Design, implement and monitor the volunteer program to include the recruitment and training of parent and community volunteers for the program.
• Work collaboratively to train on and distribute the Volunteer Handbook.
• Ensure that all regular volunteers have completed the appropriate paperwork and that records are maintained in a locked file cabinet.
• Serve as Secretary of the Policy Council as needed.
• Assist in arranging Policy Council meetings, preparing and posting agendas, reserving facilities and arrangement of food.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Program Director.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in early childhood development, social work, adult learning or a related family/human services field, plus at least three (3) years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated experience in the provision and management of family services for young children and their families
• Demonstrated supervisory experience
• Proven interpersonal communication and organizational skills.
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with other staff and community partners in the provision of high-quality services and resources to families.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate with individuals and teams at all levels
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in early childhood development, social work, adult learning or a related family/human services field.
• Previous Head Start experience.

Physical Requirements related to essential functions: Ability to perform medium to heavy physical work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 5-10 pounds constantly, performing such activities as sitting, crawling, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting and grasping. This also includes some duties that require repetitive action and motion skills, keyboarding and computer use.

Clear pre-employment background check requirements, including local, state, and national criminal records check, sex offender registries, employment, and education verifications (including child abuse registry check if required by state regulations) and pass all state and local health requirements required post job offer and prior to employment.

This position may require the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle to fulfill certain essential functions of the job. The incumbent should maintain a valid driver's license and remain in compliance with any Save the Children policies pertaining to the safe operation of motor vehicles.

Current and former Head Start/Early Head Start parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.

Why you should join the Save the Children Team...

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children - every day and in times of crisis - transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit-at every opportunity-to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form-in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.