Bilingual Family Resource Specialist – NJ SEEDlings

Bilingual Family Resource Specialist – NJ SEEDlings

SPAN Family Resource Specialist, NJ SEEDlings Project

Are you looking to make a difference for families in New Jersey who need access to health care for their children with disabilities?

The SPAN Parent Advocacy Network seeks to hire a full‑time (37.5 hours per week) Bilingual Family Resource Specialist (FRS) with a strong commitment to the involvement of empowered and educated parents in improving outcomes for young children. The FRS will work with project directors, partners, pediatric practice teams, other SPAN staff, and family volunteers, leading to positive outcomes for young children and their families as well as positive relationships with professionals.

The FRS will work out of the St. James Health Center in Newark.

About SPAN & NJ SEEDlings Project:

SPAN is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower families and inform and involve professionals and others interested in the healthy development and education of children and youth. SPAN is funded through private contributions and grants from government, foundations, and corporations. SPAN is collaborating with the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics on a new project called NJ SEEDlings:
Supporting Equity in Early Development, which is funded through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

The purpose of NJ SEEDlings is to transform the way pediatric primary care is delivered for the prenatal‑to‑five (P‑5) population who are eligible for NJ Family Care (Medicaid or CHIP) or are uninsured, by enhancing the capacity of NJ’s early childhood workforce to deliver equitable, high quality early childhood development (ECD) services that meet the needs of young children and their families.

In New Jersey, we are leveraging this grant to expand Healthy Steps, which is an evidence‑based, interdisciplinary pediatric primary care program that promotes the health, well‑being and school readiness of babies and toddlers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a remote position?

No. This position is on‑site at the St. James Health Center in Newark. The FRS is also expected to attend quarterly meetings of SPAN staff, as well as various training conferences.

Is this a position with night and weekend hours?

Although this position has a great deal of flexibility in terms of the schedule, the FRS will not be required to work night or weekend hours (except with regard to SPAN conferences, which may be held on Saturdays).

Do I have to be a parent of a child with a disability to apply?

Because this position provides parenting coaching, experience as a parent of a child with a disability is a requirement.

• Provide information, individual assistance, training, and parent‑to‑parent support to families who represent the full diversity of families in NJ, and professionals who work with families of children with disabilities.
• Provide information to families about available services, resources, and support.
• Assist professionals with providing more family‑centered, culturally competent, and coordinated care.
• Assist families to navigate systems including early intervention (EI), transition from EI to preschool, education, child behavioral health, developmental disabilities, child‑care, parental mental health and community‑based service systems.
• Be integrated with the workflow of the pediatric practice teams and assist professionals with providing more family‑centered, culturally competent, and coordinated care.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Must be a parent of a child five years old or older with a disability or special health care or mental health need.
• Preference is given to a parent of a child who has gone through Early Intervention and transitioned to Preschool and school‑age services.
• Must have knowledge about early childhood systems and community‑based programs and resources.
• Completion of SPAN Resource Parent (SRP) Training and/or Community Health Worker (CHW) Training is preferred but not a requirement.
• Language proficiency in Spanish is required.
• Ability to interact with a diverse population of families, children, and professionals.
• SPAN is an equal employment opportunity employer. Candidates with the full range of diverse backgrounds and language capacity are encouraged to apply.
• A letter of interest describing qualifications and accomplishments.
• A list of three professional references:
  Name, Organization, and Contact Information.