Early Childhood Specialist

Early Childhood Specialist
Full-time, Regular Status, FLSA Exempt
Location: Harborview Medical Center; King County, WA
$72,700 – $95,300 annually
Dependent on years of experience

Childhaven is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity. We are upholding this by recruiting candidates of every race, creed, color, religion, caste, national or ethnic origin, gender or gender identity, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, and all other historically marginalized and excluded communities other protected status as provided by law. Qualified individuals who bring diverse perspectives to the workplace are highly encouraged to apply!

ABOUT CHILDHAVEN
We are proud to be a values-driven organization that serves families from diverse communities. Our values guide us in the way we treat each other, the decisions we make, and the success we achieve. The following are the values guide our work:

• TEAMWORK: Relationships come first.
• EQUITY: There s infinite value in every human.
• EXCELLENCE: Constructively dissatisfied with the status quo.
• DEDICATION: Do more. Do better.
• RESPECT: Meet people where they are.
• REFLECTION: Feelings Matter. Stepping back and exploring possibilities.

Childhaven is a leader in serving children, families, and communities that have experienced trauma and adversity. We are building a continuum of care model that is growing to respond to the changing needs of families by combining our legacy of healing-centered care, with the expertise of community partners. Going forward, we are embarking on a new and ambitious strategic impact plan to further strengthen programs, expand impact, and embrace innovation.

ABOUT YOU
You are a passionate and dedicated individual who shares our vision: To help ensure that all children are safe and healthy; thriving physically, socially emotionally and educationally; and well nurtured by family and by their community. You too are constructively dissatisfied with the status quo. You are equal parts learner, leader and mentor and see around the corners of a challenge, replaying the question of What if… with a reply of Why not… If this sounds like you, then we want to meet, get to know you, and talk more about the positive impact we could have together.

ABOUT THE ROLE
Childhaven has an exciting opportunity to join our innovative and growing Healthcare Integration team as an Early Childhood Specialist (ECS) embedded in the University of Washington—Harborview Pediatrics Clinic. The ECS provides direct services to families of infants and young children (birth to 5) and early relational health capacity building to the multidisciplinary Harborview Pediatrics Clinic care team and Childhaven.

Childhaven and Harborview have partnered together to transform traditional pediatric primary care to be more relational, strengths-based, and culturally responsive. Our vision and practice transformation solutions align with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine s definition of primary care:

High-quality primary care is the provision of whole-person, integrated, accessible, and equitable healthcare by interprofessional teams that are accountable for addressing the majority of an individual s health and wellness needs across settings and through sustained relationships with patients, families, and communities.

The ECS works within both Childhaven and Harborview to transform pediatric care at Harborview Pediatrics specifically focused on the foundational years of early childhood. This position was created 18 months ago and continues to evolve as we learn and grow. This is a grant-funded position with two (2) years of funding secured. Program continuation will be contingent upon continued funding.

The ECS is an early relational health leader who brings expertise in early relational health to families of young children as well as the clinical team members who care for them.

• 50% Direct Service – The ECS provides short-term dyadic therapy, education, and support to caregivers of children Birth to 5 within a pediatric primary care clinic to foster strong, positive, responsive, and nurturing relationships and the social-emotional wellbeing of the child.
• 50%: Team Capacity Building – The ECS provides training and reflective consultation to Harborview and Childhaven team members in topics related to early relational health. The ECS supervises two (2) Early Childhood Developmental Navigators embedded in the Harborview Pediatrics clinic.

Located in Harborview Medical Center with some remote flexibility and occasional travel between Childhaven sites, this position reports to the Healthcare Integrations Manager.

TYPICAL DUTIES

Direct Support to Individual Families

• Provide short-term, strengths-based, healing-centered dyadic therapy with caregivers and young children (birth to 5). Through a relational lens, the ECS helps caregivers understand and support their child s social and emotional development and developmental concerns and challenging behaviors.

Supervision and Professional Development

• Provide reflective supervision to two (2) Early Childhood Developmental (ECD) Navigators who provide developmental screening, promotion, and connection to services at Harborview and are a part of Childhaven s Healthcare Integration team.
• Facilitate and recommend professional development opportunities for Harborview ECD Navigators to build their capacity to support strong, positive, responsive, and nurturing child-caregiver relationships and to provide developmental guidance to families on development, sleep, feeding, and challenging behaviors.

Care Transformation and Capacity Building

• Postnatal Family Support – In partnership with social work, lactation specialists, and pediatrician program lead, build the clinic s capacity to holistically support caregivers from birth through 6 weeks of age. This could include improving transitions from obstetrics to pediatric care, supporting culturally accessible screening for post-partum anxiety and depression by the ECD Navigators, and working with the clinic social worker to build community-based referral connections.
• Guide socioemotional, protective, and risk-factor screening processes from birth to 5 years old. This could include tool selection and supporting the team s responses to screening results.
• Develop and maintain deep knowledge of early childhood and infant mental health community-based organizations and share these with the care team members who will share these resources directly with families and facilitate connections.
• Provide training and consultation to team members to build their capacity to support early relational health practices at Harborview and Childhaven s other partner clinics (i.e., Promoting Relationships First training).

Administrative and Professional Development

• Participate in regular clinical consultation and peer supervision with IECMH colleagues, clinical team meetings, and Childhaven Healthcare Integration meetings.
• Record data relevant to program evaluation and funding requirements.
• Participate in other duties relate to program goals and evaluation in collaboration with the Childhaven Healthcare Integration team.
• Actively participate in reflective supervision meetings, team meetings and monthly staff meetings.
• Participate in professional development opportunities regarding antiracism, oppression, and cultural competency and regularly assess own performance and program for related improvements.
• Participate in ongoing job-related professional development, in-service trainings, and continuing education.
• Comply with all Childhaven policies and procedures.
• Comply with the agency s policy and procedure regarding the identification and reporting of child abuse.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Master s degree in Child Development, Psychology, Social Work, or related human services field required with expertise in Infant Early Childhood Mental Health WITH a current license or license eligible, including LMHC, LICSW, and LMFT.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in early childhood, primary medical care, behavioral health, and/or family support systems.
• Experience and demonstrated ability to foster positive relationships with caregivers, using inquiry-based communication skills and motivational interviewing.
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with children and families, pediatric primary care clinical staff, and Childhaven staff.
• Strengths-based approach to supporting caregivers of young children, and commitment to improving the experience of care for families, particularly those underserved by our current systems.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully work in diverse communities, including self-awareness, cultural humility, understanding systems of oppression, and willingness to contribute to undoing institutionalized racism.
• Outstanding organizational skills and ability to manage a caseload of multiple families.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Technological capabilities sufficient to use electronic medical records and other systems to record visit notes, collect data, and track patient progress.
• Ability and desire to be flexible, responsive, and collaborative for this role; there is great opportunity to shape how this role functions in a clinical setting and we anticipate trying things on and adjusting as we learn together.
• Maintain current certifications including Pediatric/Adult CPR, First Aid, and AED, HIV, and bloodborne pathogens.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Able to maintain a high degree of sensitivity, tact, and diplomacy during stressful situations.
• Must have reliable transportation, valid driver s license, safe driving record, and auto liability insurance.
• Background check, TB test, and drug screen.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
We are dedicated to recruiting candidates who reflect the diversity and lived experiences of the communities we serve. Multilingual and multicultural candidates are encouraged to apply! In addition to position specific qualifications, preferable skills include:

• Fluency in Spanish, Somali, or Amharic highly desired.
• Infant Mental Health endorsement or interest in endorsement.
• Experience with Promoting First Relationships (PFR), Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), or similar program.
• Experience working in a clinical setting and knowledge of integrative care principles.
• Experience providing reflective supervision, consultation, and/or training with direct service providers.
• Understanding and connection to immigrant and refugee communities in King County.

COMPENSATION
Childhaven has committed to equitable compensation practices, including pre-determining what roles require and the qualities needed from the individual that will fill the role. To achieve this, Childhaven uses a grade and step approach to determine the compensation of each team member.

WHY CHILDHAVEN?
We strive to make Childhaven a great place to work by living our values: Teamwork, Equity, Excellence, Dedication, Respect, and Reflection. Here s a bit of what we offer our staff:

• We believe in a fully transparent hiring process.
• We offer a comprehensive Benefits Package including Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance. Expanded benefits include a flexible spending account (FSA), healthcare reimbursement account, and 403(b) savings program. A full listing of benefits is available.
• Opportunities to attend a wide variety of trainings on clinical and educational topics, advocacy, and more.
• We re dedicated to serving the full range of cultural diversity in our community, and to providing families with care that s relevant to them. As a member of Childhaven staff, you ll be encouraged to contribute to community engagement strategies and our antiracism council, which makes ongoing recommendations to ensure that our programs and protocols are doing their part to dismantle systemic racism.

Childhaven values organizational culture and professional development. Team members at Childhaven have the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge through the following:

• Trainings
• Project work groups
• Clinical and/or reflective supervision
• Community advocacy and engagement
• Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Equity Council (DIREC)

NOTE
***HOW TO APPLY***

Please apply through our website. If you require an accommodation to participate in the application or selection process, please let us know.

This position will be open until filled; applicants are encouraged to apply. In addition to completing the application online, please attach a resume and cover letter when prompted.

Childhaven would like to get an accurate understanding of each applicant s experience and interest.