Position Title: Children’s Coordinator, Migrant Shelter

Organization: Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Department: Immigration

Position Type: Full-Time (37.5 hours/week), Non-Exempt

Work Setting: Onsite

Reports To: Assistant Director of SDRRN Supportive Services - Operations

Pay Range: $22.34/hour

Total Compensation:

In addition to standard pay, compensation for this position includes:

• Comprehensive, low-cost healthcare coverage for employees
• Generous employer 401(k) contributions
• Employer-covered life insurance

Time Away from Work:

Being able to take time away from work is critical in bringing your best self to work. Time off benefits for this position include:

• Paid vacation time and sick leave
• 15 paid holidays, including Federal and Jewish holidays (as long as the holiday lands on a normal scheduled work day), and floating holidays
• 2 Wellness Days to be taken any time during the year to support employees’ mental wellness

Position Overview:

JFS is looking for a compassionate, mission-driven individual to join the Migrant Shelter team as the Children’s Coordinator. In this role, you have the opportunity to use your programming and material management skills and direct service experience with children to make a meaningful difference in your community and help change lives across San Diego. The Children’s Coordinator plays an integral role on the team and supports the entire agency by providing direct service with children, along with support with managing materials, training staff and volunteers, scheduling, grant compliance, and children’s programming advice. This position reports directly to the Assistant Director of SDRRN Supportive Services - Operations and works closely with the program staff and the rest of the Migrant Shelter team.

The Migrant Shelter Children’s Coordinator position goals include:

• Strengthen the capacity of shelter staff and volunteers to provide a protective environment for migrant children and their families during their stay

• Strengthen the capacity of migrant parents and guardians to support the social and emotional wellbeing of their children

• Develop and document best practices and protocols for creating a safe and protective environment for children and families at the shelter

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical guidance and training on shelter appropriate children’s programming to relevant personnel (staff/volunteers/interns) including: tips for parents and caregivers, the social and emotional wellbeing of children, psychological first aid for children, trauma-informed care for children, child development and infant and young child feeding
• Develop activities for children/youth with a specific emphasis on social-emotional wellness, physical health and well-being, and developmentally appropriate academic milestones
• Develop and maintain child play and mother/ baby area set ups ensuring a well-organized, engaging, and safe environment for children & youth between the ages of 0-18 years
• Research and order age-appropriate material resources to promote children and their caretakers’ well-being; incorporate personnel and guest feedback in identifying items
• Maintain updated inventory for children’s items
• Maintain strong relationships with shelter staff and other JFS programs to support goals of this position
• Maintain confidentiality for staff, clients, the agency, and the community, as appropriate/required
• Ensure that shelter staff and volunteers are educated on Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding Policy and procedures as well as principles of do no harm and confidentiality
• Demonstrate and cultivate culturally competent programming
• Invested in building and maintaining professional relationships with diverse stakeholders including Save The Children and UNHCR
• Comfortable speaking to and directing groups of people
• Familiarity with group dynamics and managing a team-oriented collaborative environment
• Develop a feedback mechanism from children and ensure their feedback is incorporated
• Serve as a mandated reporter for suspected child abuse & neglect
• Ensure that children’s play spaces are designed to be as inclusive as possible: Work with staff and volunteers to design activities and spaces that ensure that children feel comfortable, safe, and respected. Identify needs and support in providing technical assistance to promote inclusivity through ensuring that all children are able to participate equally in activities, and that activities meet the needs of children, including those with disabilities and other vulnerable groups
• Support with documentation, recording, quality monitoring, and grant compliance as needed
• Support with changes to operation as needed
• Remain up to date on child protective monitoring, HIPAA, mandated reporter, and other relevant trainings

Skills/Experience/Abilities That Are a Must-Have:

• Bilingual English/Spanish or anther common shelter language
• Experience in child development and family based social services and experience working in children’s programs
• Knowledge of Early Childhood/Parent/Family Mental Health, & Trauma Informed Care
• Flexible: ability to adjust to changing circumstances
• Ability to manage and balance priorities
• Strong initiative with ability to suggest and follow through on relevant projects
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Sensitivity to cultural differences present in the organization’s/ program’s service population
• Ability to apply good judgment and critical thinking to carry out instructions and make decisions within scope of authority
• Ability to take initiative and make productive, relevant suggestions
• Experience managing and coaching people, maintaining schedules, developing and facilitating trainings, and communicating with support and program staff
• Emotional availability and agility to have difficult conversations with a collaborative mindset and by applying self-awareness
• Driver’s license and clean driving record
• Reliable transportation to get to and from work
• Self-attestation of immunizations against communicable diseases

Must be able to

• Safely lift 35 pounds repeatedly during a shift
• Able to stand, walk, and move for several hours at a time
• Repeated motion of standing up and sitting down on ground
• Stand, walk and use hands and arms to use a keyboard, handle papers, and reach for the phone
• Extended work with computer
• Close, distance and peripheral vision
• Occasionally climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch
• Concentration and good hearing are required
• Heavy Work – Exerting up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects
• Climbing - Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, ramps, and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms
• Balancing – Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling and walking and standing
• Stooping – Bending downward and forward by bending spine at the waist
• Kneeling – Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees
• Crouching – Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine
• Reaching – Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any directions
• Standing – Particularly for sustained periods of times
• Walking – Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another
• Pushing – Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward
• Pulling – Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion
• Lifting – Raising Objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position to position
• Grasping – Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm
• Hearing – Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication
• Repetitive Motion – Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands and/or fingers

Conditions the worker will be subject to in this position: 

• The worker is subject to varied environmental conditions. Work activities occur inside and outside
• The worker could be subject to extreme cold/heat. Consideration should be given to the effect of other environmental conditions, such as wind and humidity
• The worker is subject to noise. There is enough noise to cause the worker to shout in order to be heard above ambient noise level
• The worker is subject to hazards. Includes a variety of physical conditions, such as proximity to moving vehicles, or exposure to chemicals
• The worker will be in an environment with possible communicable illnesses (including COVID) and must be comfortable performing the duties in this type of environment with appropriate precautions including Personal Protective Equipment as required or preferred

Skills/Abilities We’d Like You to Have:

• Knowledge of Motivational Interviewing
• Bachelor’s Degree with a preferred emphasis on child/family development or education

Important Notice:

Incomplete submissions will not be considered. Please, no phone calls. Please, principals only. Please, local candidates only (relocation is not provided).

About Jewish Family Service of San DiegoJewish Family Service of San Diego is a client-centered, impact-driven organization working to build a stronger, more resilient community. For over 100 years, Jewish Family Service has been a trusted resource for the entire community, offering an array of services that are always life-changing, and often life-saving. At Jewish Family Service, we believe our employees are the backbone of our Agency. We strive to ensure that each employee is treated with dignity and respect. Our goal is your success. Come work at JFS and be our partner in Moving Forward Together. To learn more about JFS, please visit jfssd.org. 

*Jewish Family Service is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.