Description

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet offers 41 paid days off per year, excellent medical benefits, and an employer-sponsored 403b plan that requires no contribution from employee. We prioritize your well-being and financial security. 

Discover the unique rewards of working in a Head Start program, where you can ignite young minds and provide comprehensive early childhood education that sets the stage for lifelong success. 

By joining Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet Head Start, you will make a lasting impact on children's lives and have the opportunity to support and uplift families by empowering them to thrive and create a brighter future for themselves and their children.

General Responsibilities

1. Home Visiting services are performed in the parent’s home and virtual visits are optional with appropriate approval. Generally, services are provided to families that reside in the Joliet, Lockport, Crest Hill, Preston Heights, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Shorewood, Romeoville areas.
2. Maintain an open, friendly and cooperative relationship with each family by encouraging their involvement in the program and promoting parent and child bonding and interaction and promoting a nurturing parent child relationship that respects the parent as the child’s first teacher.
3. Adhere to safe work practices and all agency policies and procedures, including Best Standard Practices, State and Federal regulations at all times.
4. Keeping the Assistant Director of Home-Based Operations informed at all times and assisting with the family’s coordination of care.
5. Recruit and complete referrals to establish an active enrollment list for selections to participate in the Doula program, Early Head Start Expectant Mothers program, Prevention Initiative program, and Early Head Start Home-Based program. 
6. Serve as a positive role model by providing positive relationships with parents and health care providers. Responsible for building a trusting relationship that offers culturally sensitive support within a strength-based, family centered model for families on their caseload.

Essential Functions

1. Promote a parental sense of confidence, competence, and comfort in the mother’s physical, emotional, and social transition into parenthood.
2. Promote positive health practices for developing baby and new parent and a growing sense of emotional availability, attunement and engagement with the developing and new infant.
3. Prepare for labor and delivery and provide intrapartum doula support in an effort to bring about positive birth outcomes for infant and parent.
4. Provide seamless transitions from doula to home visiting only services.
5. Accessible to families 24 hours a day and 7 days a week as needed for labor support; on-call for attendance at labor and delivery.
6. Provides evidence-based, accurate information, education, and resources that will prepare the families for the pregnancy, birth process, and care of an infant.
7. Attends healthcare and other supportive appointments as needed per funder requirements.
8. Promote active engagement of new program families in long-term evidence-based home visiting services through initial prenatal and intrapartum program experiences.
9. Provide Prenatal group connections and provide two socializations per month.
10. Recruitment of Doula and home visiting qualified families.
11. Provide weekly personal visits for all qualified home visiting families and assist families with Developmental Screenings utilizing the Ages and Stages questionnaires.
12. Maintaining up to date records and reporting data in GoEngage and family file.
13. Engage in and maintain good relationships with outside agencies and utilize outside resources. 
14. Perform self-evaluations and programmatic evaluation and attend and participate in Reflective Supervision.

Great Employer Provided Benefits

• Time-off: 14 Holidays - 15 Vacation days - 3 PTO days and 9 Sick days
• Medical/Dental/Vision Health Insurances
• Flexible Spending Account
• Short-term Disability Insurance 
• Long-Term Disability Insurance (employee paid optional)
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• 403B Retirement Plan with employer contributions
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Requirements

1. Associates degree is required, Bachelors or Masters degrees preferred. , with preferences in human services, early childhood education, social work, health related field; or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) credentials along with experience working directly with pregnant women, infants and toddlers. All degrees must be from a regionally accredited educational institution which has U.S. Department of Education approval. 
2. Applicant with a degree in a related field needs a minimum of eighteen (18) hours of course work in early childhood education, psychology, social work, health and/or child development.
3. Minimum of one (1) year of experience working directly with pregnant teens/women, parenting teens and low-income families in their home environment is required.
4. Experience in home visiting with a strong background in prevention services to the 0 – 3 age population.
5. Must have or be willing to obtain and maintain certification and training in First Aid, Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Doula certification, and Infant/Toddler Development.
6. Knowledge of prenatal, labor, delivery and postpartum. Knowledge of maternal-infant health and dynamics of child abuse and neglect.
7. A personal vehicle for transportation is required, and periodic weekend recruitment activities are mandatory.
8. Demonstrated ability to work effectively and constructively with persons from all racial, diverse cultures, family systems, and social backgrounds.
9. Passage of complete background clearance, physical and Tuberculosis (TB) Test.
10. A valid driver’s license, reliable means of transportation and proof of liability insurance is required.