Family Support Specialist

Family Support Specialist (Early Childhood)

The job of Family Support Specialist (Early Childhood) is done for the purpose of meeting the Head Start Performance Standards and District 65 expectations; ensuring full enrollment in Head Start programs; providing families with support and referral services; encouraging parents to be a part of their children's education; and ensuring active participation of Head Start families in the Head Start policy council, parent committees, and family trainings.

This job reports to Early Childhood Director.

Essential Functions include accompanying staff on home visits and PACE representative to Head Start meetings and workshops, assisting with bus arrivals and dismissals, attending regularly scheduled meetings, creating Family Partnership Agreements with each Head Start family, developing and updating the Community Resource Book, documenting and providing regular follow-up regarding children with excessive absences in the program, educating staff, parents and volunteers, entering all student and family service data into the PROMIS system, establishing a lending library of reference materials for families, maintaining full Head Start enrollment in both half day and full day programs, maintaining on-going contact with families regarding program services for the children, making home visits on an as needed basis based on individual caseload, monitoring any individual or family problems encountered, utilizing the resources available, and making referrals when necessary, organizing and developing programs for parents, participating in assigning children to Head Start classrooms, performing other related duties as assigned, providing current information for the purpose of updating the Head Start class lists, recruiting and enrolling Head Start families, serving as the designated case manager for at least 60 children, supporting the Parent Policy Committee, and working in the classroom, when needed for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective operation of the Early Childhood Program.

Job Requirements include minimum qualifications, skills, knowledge, and abilities. Skills required include utilizing conflict resolution techniques, operating standard office equipment including pertinent software applications, planning and managing projects, and preparing and maintaining accurate records. Knowledge required includes performing basic math, reading technical information, composing a variety of documents, and facilitating group discussions. Ability required includes scheduling activities, meetings, and/or events; gathering, collating, and/or classifying data;

and using basic, job-related equipment. Responsibility includes working under limited supervision following standardized practices and/or methods; leading, guiding, and/or coordinating others; and utilization of resources from other work units is often required to perform the job's functions. There is a continual opportunity to impact the organization's services.

Work Environment includes some lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling some stooping, kneeling, crouching, and/or crawling and significant fine finger dexterity. Generally the job requires 10% sitting, 80% walking, and 10% standing. The job is performed under minimal temperature variations.