Family Advocate

Hourly Compensation: $21.34/hour - 31.88/hour

The Early Childhood (EC) Division at Children’s Aid (CA) is founded on the belief that strong communities are built by children and families who have access, skills, and choice to create pathways to their success. The Early Childhood Department serves more than 700 low-income children ages 0–5 and their families in schools and community centers throughout Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx through a combination of Federal, State, and City funding.

The Family Advocate is responsible for supporting positive family and child outcomes through strong family partnerships and community engagement. The Family Advocate connects this work to supporting children and families as they prepare for success in kindergarten and beyond. The position supports the center in meeting and exceeding Head Start Program Performance Standards and other relevant regulatory requirements while maintaining accurate and detailed records across relevant areas.

The Family Advocate reports directly to the Education Director and is supported by the Central Leadership Team.

To help children in poverty to succeed and thrive. We do this by providing comprehensive support to children and their families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods. Children’s Aid annually serves children and their families at over forty sites in New York, as well as through three national program models. Children’s Aid is concentrating its efforts on creating cradle-through-college pathways in high-need neighborhoods, with a focus on children’s health, family stability, education, and social and emotional development.

We put children, youth, and families first:
We listen to and incorporate the voices of children, youth, and families in all that we do.

We seek equity and transformation in our communities:
We courageously work within and outside systems to create opportunities for children, youth, and families.

We strive for excellence:
We hold ourselves to the highest standards and are committed to continuous learning and improvement.

We are powered by collaboration:
Our work is stronger when we trust, partner, and respect each other and the communities we serve.

We are driven by compassion:
We lead with kindness, care, and empathy and believe in the endless potential of the people we serve and our team.

• Develop and maintain positive, purposeful relationships with families in support of strong family and child outcomes.
• Provide necessary support to families based on their strengths and needs, including appropriate referrals, encouragement and coaching, accompaniment to appointments, and other direct assistance.
• Monitor COPA reports regularly to ensure data is accurately captured and entered in a timely manner.
• Track and monitor children’s medical records and work with parents to support continuity of care.
• Support children and families throughout the special needs process.
• Conduct a minimum of two home visits per year, per child, with additional visits as needed.
• Participate in child case conferences and parent-teacher conferences, as required.
• Provide support to families during times of crisis.
• Facilitate parent workshops.
• Communicate effectively with families, colleagues, and community partners through written, verbal, and non-verbal communication.
• Demonstrate professionalism, dependability, resourcefulness, and initiative when supporting children and families.

• Foster effective and strategic community partnerships to meet the needs of children and families.
• Identify opportunities for parent workshops and connect families with relevant community resources.
• Represent Children’s Aid at…