Family Engagement Advocate

The Family Engagement Advocate creates, provides, and coordinates services and activities with families and communities that foster strength, healthy living, and overall well-being. They also provide support in a case management style and act as a liaison between families, staff, the community, and other family-related services. The Family Engagement Advocate encourages all family members to become advocates for their children and family.

Essential Duties

• Reach greatest number of eligible children participates in the Head Start program as current funded slots allow
• Identify and recruit Head Start-eligible families and children, including children with disabilities and underserved populations
• Select participants for the Head Start program based on the established plans and procedures
• Maintain funded enrollment level in accordance with enrollment requirements
• Provide appropriate follow-up when absences are frequent

• Create a trusting, collaborative and partnership building process, and implement with each family
• Respect the diverse values and cultures of the families served
• Recognize and identify each family’s risk and protective factors
• Establish professional roles and boundaries in working with families
• Recognize and promote family’s readiness and willingness to participate in the program

• Enhance the lives of parents/guardians through active participation in the program with staff support
• Orient families to the program according to the established orientation plan
• Make home visits and contact the family as needed or required by agency plans and procedures
• Use the family partnership pre-assessment throughout the year as a guide to help families reassess their needs
• Provide support to families of children with disabilities
• Facilitate parent/guardian involvement in the program

• Ensure community resources are maximized through collaboration
• Facilitate the delivery of services to children and families through collaboration with community partners.
• Actively participate in community resource planning and related work to establish and foster strong partnerships

• Completion of documentation and recordkeeping in a timely and accurate manner, and maintained as required by all applicable regulations
• Promote positive growth and development of families by fostering teamwork among staff
• Actively participate in and contributes to child staffing on a regular basis
• Exhibit flexibility in day-to-day operations and in providing needed services to families
• Actively participate in two-way communication among co-workers to ensure all staff is informed of pertinent information as it pertains to the center and classroom activities
• Participates in activities designed to ensure program quality

Working Relationships

• Actively participate in collaborative and cooperative efforts and activities with the Head Start leadership, education team and cross-functional teams, such as Family Services, mental health and medical providers, disabilities services, and nutritional services
• Work closely with the Head Start leadership and staff to maintain focus on family engagement, health, and nutrition with program goals and objectives that meet the needs of the students and families
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with classroom teachers, administrative staff, children, and parents to ensure the children are receiving a quality learning experience
• Work closely with parents, staff and administration to ensure program operations are supporting and meeting program goals and objectives and learning outcomes
• Work as part of the team and always show professionalism by modeling and demonstrating a positive attitude and working relationships, while maintaining strong ethical boundaries
• Actions and statements of staff, as a representative of the agency, promote and progress the agency mission.
• Confidentiality is maintained in accordance with agency policy and according to federal, state, and local regulations.

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate degree in Social Work, Family and Child Development, Early Childhood Education or a related field
• A passion for achieving positive child and family outcomes through high quality family engagement
• 1-year experience, training, and skill assisting the parents of young children to advocate for their families
• Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing in a clear and concise manner
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and rapport with children
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Strong people and interpersonal skills with the ability to work and interact with diverse groups of people
• Proficient in Microsoft programs, social media, writing, editing and applicable software systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred in Social Work, Family and Child Development, Early Childhood Education or a related field
• Prior experience working in low income diverse communities preferred
• Bilingual Spanish-English based on service population

Physical Demands & Work Conditions

• This position requires frequent standing, sitting, walking and using a computer for long periods of time
• Position works in a facility with and around children on a regular basis
• Lift, push, pull, move up to 50 lbs.

The physical requirements for this position with or without reasonable accommodation are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. While performing this position the employee with or without reasonable accommodation should have the ability to walk, stand, sit, kneel, speak, and hear with aid, see, read, reach with arms and hands, lift and/or move up to specified weight, and use equipment that is essential to performing the job, such as a computer, copier, fax machine, telephone, and automobile, if applicable. Specific vision requirements of this position may include color vision, seeing things close up, and the ability to adjust focus.

Agreement

The statements herein indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by an employee in this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job. Management may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities of the job and may request the employee to perform other duties and responsibilities not listed at his/her discretion. This job description is not a contract between the employee occupying the position and the employer. Upbring is an at-will employer. Equal Employment Opportunity/M/F/disability/protected veteran status

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $16.35 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• Do you have a valid TX driver’s license and auto insurance coverage?
• Why do you want to work for Upbring?
• What is your desired salary?
• Do you know any current or former Upbring employee? Please provide employee name, their current employee status and relationship to you. (Failure to disclose a familial or other relationship with a current staff member will result in disqualification from consideration)
• Do you speak Spanish and English?

Education:

• Associate (Required)

Experience:

• Family and Child Development, Early Childhood Education: 1 year (Required)

Work Location: One location