Family and Community Relations Coordinator

Enthusiastic professional to join a dynamic nonprofit, committed to strengthening the child care system for working families in Monmouth County. Busy social service position, that assists parents with child care solutions, including detailing eligibility requirements for government financial assistance, and connecting families to resources that are available to support them. This position also requires a strong commitment to working in partnership with families, to strengthen their knowledge, as consumers of child care. Excellent customer service skills, attention to detail, and computer literacy required. Familiarity with child care regulations a plus, bilingual, English/Spanish preferred. College degree in related field preferred

Responsibilities:

•  Parent Relations - Responsive service to families related to subsidy eligibility, consumer education, and connections to resources that families need to thrive.
• Provide assistance to parents. helping them explore child care solutions that meets their unique needs.
• Educates all families on the value of choosing quality child care, quality indicators and appropriate child care options, to meet their needs while respecting parental choice, linking them to resources on the topic to provide further guidance.
• Provide referrals to eligiblechild care programs, in person, by telephone and email to parents seeking child care in Monmouth County during their initial application and as needed, including following up on their child care selection.
• Connect families to community resources that are needed, beyond child care.
• Document and respond to or redirect allegations of child abuse or neglect and inform parents of their rights and options as appropriate.
• Support data collection efforts for child care trends and supply and demand reporting.
• Provide an overview of available subsidy programs, what is required for eligibility, and expected timeframes in accordance with DFD policy.
• Enter all notes in Work Life Systems (WLS) for each parent interaction. Document all referrals made, all correspondence mailed, and all conversations between FCRC staff and the family applying.
• Anticipate that families applying for the subsidy program need more than child care referrals and information regarding financial assistance for child care. Provide community referrals and resources for all subsidy families utilizing a team-based approach with other Family and Community Relations Coordinator.
• Support the organization of incomplete and ineligible applications, and provide support regarding the status of eligibility, in the event Subsidy Staff is unavailable to assist families.
• Contribute to agency's outreach plan to increase parent awareness on quality child care and connections to community resources through strategic efforts including:
• Parent education/orientation (i.e, mini clips on You Tube).
• Promotion of Parents as First Teachers.
• Regular distribution of agency materials.
• Ensure the agency has current agency literature and additional printed resources based on the needs of families and the child care workforce.
• Recommend resources for the agency's website.
• Cover a maximum of one workshop or community event a month, along with rotating late-night coverage on Wednesday evenings.
• Participate in agency and community events when needed.
• Community Outreach- raise awareness about child care issues, promote agency’s services and on-line presence
• Other tasks as assigned.

Qualifications/Skills Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree in social work, social science, education, child development, or related field.
• At least three years’ experience in a child care setting or human service agency preferred.
• Relevant work experience may substitute for college education at a rate of two years’ experience for one year of education.
• Customer service experience
• Strong Customer service skills, seeking opportunities to serve clients.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including professional telephone technique.
• Counseling skills: ability to relate to and assist each parent to meet individual needs.
• Accurate with details, even when under time pressure
• Familiarity with child care operations and regulations; experience in a child care setting helpful.
• Knowledge of agencies and organizations with child care missions.
• Comfortable with teamwork as well as with independent decision making.
• Record keeping experience helpful, computer and document based preferred.
• Ability to stand and sit for long periods of time
• Ability to file paperwork for long periods of time
• Computer literate [Microsoft Office suite] including use of on-line information exchange networks
• (“Internet”), database experience helpful.
• Must be able to travel independently to sites, meetings, conferences, and training sessions in Monmouth County and elsewhere in New Jersey.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) highly preferred. 

• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Life Insurance
• EAP - Employee Assistance Program
• Simplified Employee Pension Plan
• Hybrid Work Environment