Health & Abilities Specialist-Early Head Start

Health & Abilities Specialist – Early Head Start

BASE WAGE $25.01–$27.49

JOB TYPE Full‑Time

DESCRIPTION Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships, part of SAL Community Services, is the Quad Cities area’s leading provider of early childhood care and education. We provide a safe, secure and supportive environment centered on how playing can charge the mind of the children we care for.

The Early Head Start Health & Abilities Specialist is responsible for coordinating and monitoring children’s health, oral health, nutrition, mental health, and individual abilities services for the Early Head Start program. The position advocates for children’s health and development by promoting optimal health habits, interpreting health records and data, coordinating individualized supports, and ensuring appropriate preventive and primary health care for children and families in accordance with Head Start Performance Standards and local, state, and federal regulations.

The Health and Abilities Specialist works in conjunction with other program content areas, consultants, families, and community partners to ensure a holistic approach, including coordination of mental health and disability services, confidentiality practices, transition planning, and compliance requirements. The position also collaborates with the early childhood and education team to ensure the implementation of safety practices and inclusive services in compliance with Head Start Performance Standards, Caring for Our Children, Public Law 94-142, HIPAA, PII requirements, and applicable local, state, and federal regulations.

All Early Head Start employees will serve as an advocate for Early Head Start families and partner with parents and families as they become lifelong educators by observing, guiding, promoting and participating in the everyday learning of their children at home, school and in their communities.

We are passionate about building and sustaining high quality working and learning environments for all children, families, staff, and our communities. We believe every member on our team enriches our diversity by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and discover, design and deliver solutions.

• Collaborate with the Early Head Start Child Care Partnership Director and content area managers on the development of health, environmental health and safety, nutrition and emergency policies and procedures ensuring compliance with local and state regulations, with appropriate input and engagement from consultants, staff, Policy Council, board and the Health Services Advisory Committee.
• Provide health education to parents of children enrolled in the program by participating in parent meetings, home visits, or other methods determined effective.
• Coordinate contracts and services with the Mental Health Consultant and Dietitian to support health, nutrition, mental health, and disability service delivery.
• Provide assistance to parents to enable them to learn how to obtain any prescribed medications, aids, or equipment for medical and dental conditions.
• Develop relationships with community partners who provide health and nutrition services to the families served by the Early Head Start Child Care Partnership program in order to maximize resources, inter‑agency collaborations, and avoid duplication of services.
• Promote environmental health and safety within childcare centers, contracted Home Child Care Network family childcare homes, socialization events, and within the children’s homes.
• Monitor the implementation of safety policies and procedures.
• Perform on‑site visits as needed.
• Plan and schedule visits to childcare centers, family childcare homes, and socializations in coordination with family visitors, and home visits to the child’s home as needed to observe children who have been referred for health concerns.
• Participate in multidisciplinary teams upon request to help determine medical follow‑up, assist in inclusion of children with health issues and to support parents in their role.
• Schedule and chair multidisciplinary team meetings to coordinate services, review child needs, support…