Job Summary

The child care resource and referral (CCR&R) specialist is a multi-faceted role involving all CCR&R services and responsibilities. This role is responsible for supporting the entire CCR&R team, with the bulk of the work focusing on project management of events and support of families and child care programs. Family team support activities include referring families to child care programs and other community resources. Child care program support activities include performing program updates and recruiting professionals to participate in Child Care Answers' networking groups. They will be knowledgeable about all services provided, be able to answer clients' questions, make inquiries on behalf of the agency, engage with the team to streamline processes, and work to improve CCR&R awareness. Special projects will funnel through the CCR&R specialist for consistency and organization.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

Overall CCR&R Support

• Collaborate with colleagues across Child Care Answers to understand the core elements of the work, in order to answer inquiries and provide support to all audiences as needed.• Project management of events, including task management, and supporting special projects.• Assist with presentation creation as needed. May be called upon to represent Child Care Answers and its services to external stakeholders in meetings, presentations, or other events.• Contribute skills and abilities as requested that will continue to move the organization forward.• Deliver customer service to clients that is sensitive to culture and educational desires.• Act as support to the administrative assistant with client contacts via phone, email, or in person.The statements contained herein describe the scope of the responsibility and essential functions of 2this position but should not be considered to be an all-inclusive listing of work requirements.• Maintain continuity among work teams by documenting and communicating actions and continuing needs.• Attend team meetings and assist in various roles as needed.

Program Support

• Act as a liaison for programs to community resources, coalitions, and programs• Task management of referrals and program updates, ensuring that existing child care providers' information is up-to-date and accurate to ensure families have access to the most recent information available• Project management of child care provider resource fairs and other program related events with the program team

Family Support

• Task management of referrals and outreach to CCDF families, child care programs, and community resources• Provide support to families when needing resources, consumer education, and referrals to child care programs and community resources• Provide broad and specific education on the quality rating improvement system (QRIS) for parents, including supports to choose quality early childhood care and education that meets their needs• Project management of family advisory groups (as related to the Preschool Development Grant) and other family related events with the family team

Data Assessment

• Be aware of available resources and staff expertise in order to direct community organizations and businesses to more information about CCR&R services
• Respond to collateral requests for events and other functions
• Assist the Communications and Community team with high-level event planning
• Support communications via email, text, and phone

Education, Experience, & Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must have the following:

• Education: Bachelor's degree required in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Consumer and Family Sciences, Marketing, Public Relations, Business Administration, Communications, Social Work, or Counseling, or related field.
• Experience: Minimum 2 years of experience working in one or more of the following:
  • An early childhood setting
  • A Child Care Resource & Referral agency
  • An agency providing family/program support services or
  • A customer service role
• Excellent record keeping skills
• Excellent customer service skills
• Conversational abilities in a language other than English a plus
• Expectation to maintain work schedule during office hours, which may include somenights and/or weekends
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications; must be comfortable working with multiple data systems And have the ability to learn how to use work-related tools.
• Experience with a variety of software and cloud-based applications, including virtual meeting applications such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and/or GoTo Meeting.
• Additional Requirements:
  • Valid driver's license
  • Proof of automobile insurance; must provide own transportation and proof of automobile insurance
  • Approximately 7-10 events per year on weekends and nights as determined by planned family and provider events and other all-staff required events.
  • Position is hybrid, with flexibility to work from home and onsite office requirements. Some weekends and nights as determined by provider events and other all-staff required events will be required. Approximately 10% of this time will be spent outside of traditional business hours as needed to support and assist with event coordination

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

The successful employee will demonstrate individual competency in the following areas:

• Written and Verbal Communication Skills: Because they will spend most of their time communicating, they must possess superior communication skills to clearly articulate needs and opportunities to audiences in-person, virtual, via phone, or via written communication. Speaking in front of an audience and giving presentations should be an area of comfort and confidence.
• Social Perceptiveness and Professionalism: They must be socially aware of the socio-economic, geographic, cultural, and intellectual differences as they navigate from one audience to another. both internally and externally. They demonstrate professionalism in appearance and actions; handle difficult or stressful situations in a calm and respectful manner; demonstrate fair treatment of others, and support a positive work environment. They maintain integrity when handling sensitive and confidential information.
• Innovative Thinking: They must be an innovative thinker, pushing the boundaries of creativity, thinking outside of the box, asking questions, and bringing ideas to life. These skills are essential for seeking out diverse perspectives and gaining fresh connections and networks.
• Interpersonal Skills and Influencing Skills: Interpersonal skills include things like compassion, positivity, and patience, all of which they must demonstrate daily. These skills are essential to building authentic relationships with potential audiences. They will use influencing skills to communicate vision or goals, align the efforts of others, and build commitment from people at all levels. They must be able to recognize emotions in themselves and others, in addition to being skilled at understanding how emotions work and managing emotional reactions effectively.
• Problem Solving / Decision Making: They will logically resolve most problem situations and develop alternative solutions when faced with obstacles, use innovative ideas to resolve problems and develop effective solutions, and take responsibility for actions. They must be organized to ensure they stay on track with team goals and objectives. They will be a self-starter, who is comfortable working autonomously and recognizes appropriate opportunities for team collaboration, leveraging excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.

The statements contained herein describe the scope of the responsibility and essential functions of this position but should not be considered to be an all-inclusive listing of work requirements.