Salary: $70k

Our Head Start Program

Neighborhood House’s Head Start program provides an opportunity for participants to learn, grow, and thrive in an environment that emphasizes parents as primary teachers, a co-operative environment between families, teachers, family advocates, home visitors, and other staff, connection to community resources, and learning through child-led play. Our program is designed to meet the needs of and to provide school readiness skills to all eligible children, including those with special needs and disabilities, so our community’s children and families are stronger for life.

Purpose of this Role

The Mental Health & Inclusion Manager (MHIM) oversees the emotional well-being and developmental needs of the children in our program, creating an inclusive environment for all students, families, and staff. This influential role ensures practices and policies support PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Support), utilizing the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool and knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards.

This leadership position supervises the Inclusion support staff, collaborates with families, and monitors individualized intervention plans developed for children in the program. In this role you will also be responsible for monitoring outside partnerships and contracts with various community partnerships, ensuring students are receiving services.

Primary Responsibilities

Ultimately, the Mental Health & Inclusion Manager has oversight of all MH&I responsibilities and is assigned duties that fall primarily into these critical categories:

Leadership, Collaboration and Influencing

The successful MHIM is an experienced leader that directly supervises, ensuring that staff are consistently trained in and utilizing PBIS, focusing on Tier 2, in the classroom and ensuring implementation of social emotional curriculum, Second Step to fidelity, while also encouraging parent/guardian engagement.

In this role you will ensure staff completes required questionnaires and observations for all children and support Inclusion Specialists in analyzing data and providing recommendations for support or referrals. The MHIM ensures that information, activities, and services are coordinated and shared cross functionally within the greater Head Start Management team and support collaboration between teams to ensure comprehensive services to children and families.

As a manager across various sites, the successful MHIM maintains visibility throughout the program by periodically visiting each program site; providing program orientation to incoming staff, frequent support, and feedback, encouraging professional development and prioritizing work assignments to ensure staff are functioning in an organized and efficient manner.

Policies, Partnerships and Reporting

This role is forward facing, representing the organization in the community and partnering closely with community partners, including MECP (Multnomah Early Childhood Providers), Morrison Child and Family Services, Multnomah County Health Department, the local school district, community groups, contractors and other individuals as needed to establish and promote effective relationships to meet the needs of children, families, and staff.

You will manage the policy for and train on the implementation of IFSP (Individualized Family Support Plan) or ISP’s (Inclusion Support Plans) into the classroom curriculum, observations, conferences, and home visits; providing data and reports from assigned components to the Director, Policy Council or others as required; this role is also responsible for writing, reviewing, and revising policies and procedures as assigned.

Strategic Planning, Administrative and Implementation

This position supports the Director of Head Start by assisting with the strategic planning process, which may include establishing timelines, objectives, and processes, ensuring that each program has developed appropriate program goals, monitoring systems and processes, and providing integrated work plans.

The MHIM assists the Director to coordinate, prepare and submit documents to support grant applications, and helps prepare the annual report according to Head Start rules and regulations. This role also assists in developing and monitoring budgets and grants. You will work as a member of the Head Start Management Team in a manner that empowers, builds trust, and emphasizes open communication.

Minimum Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, Child Development, or another related field.
• 3 years’ experience working directly with children and families in a comprehensive childhood program setting.

• Must be enrolled in the Oregon Childcare Division Central Background Registry (CBR) and maintain enrollment during employment.
• Adult and Pediatric CPR & First Aid Certification (must obtain within 30 days of employment).
• Food Handlers Card (must obtain within 30 days of employment).
• Intermediate proficiency of MS Office: Word, Excel, Power Point, One Drive, Calendar, and Outlook.
• Successfully complete Fit for Duty and TB testing according to Head Start regulations.
• Personal or professional experience interacting with individuals from different cultures, diverse communities, and those whose English language skills are limited.
• Reliable transportation.

Preferred Qualifications

Benefits
Neighborhood House offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package including:

• 26 days PTO and 12 paid holidays
• Affordable health insurance with 95% of employee premium paid by NH.
• Voluntary short- and long-term disability plans
• 403b retirement plan
• Paid Life Insurance
• FSA and FHA
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees are eligible for credit in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.