Preschool Family Community Engagement Specialist (3526)

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) envisions a world where children are safe, families are strong, and communities are vibrant.

LSF is seeking a talented Preschool Family Community Engagement Specialist who wants to make an impact in the lives of others.

Purpose and Impact:

The Preschool Family Community Engagement Specialist's primary responsibility is performing duties that requires advanced knowledge in the field of social services and using such knowledge and prior work experience to exercise discretion and independent judgment in providing the most appropriate services and support to children and families in the Head Start/Early Head Start program; 1) Conduct eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance, 2) Facilitate in parent engagement, 3) Provide high- quality health, mental health, nutrition support and resource linkage, 4) Build partnerships with families to assist them in identifying their own goals, strengths, needed services and support system, 5) Assists with developing and implementing family partnership agreements that outline families strategies and timetable for achieving their own goals, and 6) Responsible for the management and recordkeeping of the family comprehensive file etc. 

Essential Functions:

Social Services

• Initiate collaborative partnerships with parents to establish mutual trust and respect.
• In collaboration with each family assess their need for social services; develop an individualized plan that responds to the family’s need; deliver and/or coordinate the delivery of needed social services to each family through referral or providing director services; review and update as necessary.
• Conducts and documents follow-up on all referrals.
• Establish Family Partnership Agreements (FPA) with families and identifies family’s strengths, needs and interests to help parents develop and achieve goals within 45 days of enrollment.
• Facilitate follow-up on Family Partnership Agreement (FPA) goals with families within 90 days and on-going at a minimum of 90 days or more frequently if necessary.
• Provide comprehensive community resource information to families, individualizing to respond to the family’s needs and concerns to the maximum extent possible.
• Refer families to community agencies/programs; assess accessibility, relevance and usefulness of assistance received.
• Assist with the establishment and maintenance of ongoing collaborative relationships with community organizations responsive to the concerns of the families of children birth through age 5, pregnant women and their families; participate in community awareness events.
• Report suspected child abuse and/or neglect following program procedures and Florida law.
• Serves on a community board located in the area of assigned Head Start/Early Head Start site.
• Develops a working knowledge of community resources, and visits, at least annually, with major agencies for service delivery updates and community resource guide updates.

Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, Attendance (ERSEA)

• Implement, document and report on the recruitment, selection and enrollment of potentially eligible children birth through age 5, pregnant women and their families in collaboration with Health and Family Community Engagement Manager.
• Recruits prospective families and complete the enrollment process.
• Maintain funded enrollment and fill Head Start/Early Head Start vacancies within 30 days.
• Accurately verify and determine eligibility for Head Start/Early Head Start enrollment.
• Monitor attendance and maintain an average daily attendance above 85%.
• Follow up with any families experiencing participation or attendance problems.

Parent Engagement

• Coordinate and implement monthly parent committee meeting at your assigned center site(s). Maintain accurate records and documentation (e.g. meeting minutes, agenda, training, sign-in sheet, and PC members’ eligibility paperwork).
• Ensure the elected Policy Council representative and/or alternate for assign center site(s) are in attendance for the Program’s Policy Council monthly meeting
• Coordinate monthly parent engagement activities through the A Man Everybody Needs (AMEN) and Ladies of Victory and Empowerment (LOVE) support groups.
• Implement a comprehensive, individualized and developmental parent engagement and education program responsive to parent needs, concerns and requests that supports parents in their role as the primary influence in their children’s lives.
• Ensure comprehensive, timely two-way communication between parents, Head Start staff, and as appropriate, community individuals and organizations.
• Enc