Family Engagement Specialist

The Family Engagement Specialist is responsible for building relationships and integrating parent and family engagement strategies into program services in order to support family well-being and promote children's learning and development. Collaborative, positive, strengths-based, and goal-oriented relationships between early childhood professionals, families, and children must be maintained. Creates and sustains ongoing partnerships with social service agencies that support family well-being.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Meets with families to evaluate social service needs to help create family goals of stability, education and interaction.
• Engages families in a large number of activities and events as well as support families in finding resources that meet a variety of their social service needs.
• Connects families with vital programs and services, such as the Department of Human Services, Adult Basic Education, Pinellas County Economic Development Commission, and agencies as appropriate.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with prospective families and community partners.
• Coordinates with center staff to integrate family partnership goals with classroom efforts and to ensure integrated child and family curriculum.
• Participates in team management functions of planning, implementing and evaluating family and community engagement goals and objectives.
• Recruits prospective families and assists with enrollment process.
• Works cooperatively with local agencies to assist families to linkup with services in the local community.
• Provides health, safety and family literacy activities to parents, as appropriate.
• Develops a working knowledge of community resources, and visits, at least bi-annually, with major agencies for service delivery and community resource guide updates.
• Documents all efforts to assist families, tracks family partnership efforts and outcomes, records, monitors and follows up on referrals, and submits reports as required.
• Actively seeks out new community partnerships based on the needs and wants of community members.
• Collaborates with Y staff for onsite activities (i.e. Boo Bash, Healthy Kids Days, Neighbor to Neighbor Christmas program) to bring awareness and encourage involvement.
• Attends all workshops and meetings as deemed necessary by the supervisor
• Maintains strict confidentiality at all times with respect to children, families and staff in accordance with established policies and procedures, including the ability to recognize situations in which confidentiality is required.
• Provides backup classroom coverage for preschool.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Human Services or related human services field.
• Minimum one year of experience working with children and families in a social services environment.
• Knowledge of social services and health services available in the Pinellas County area.
• Mastery of basic computer skills and data entry processes.
• Knowledge of family-centered practices.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills as well as excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to make recommendations and develop implementation strategies.
• Demonstrated success in building relationships and trust with children, parents, and community members, preferably in a diverse and educationally under-resourced community.
• Must possess a valid drivers license and ability to travel throughout the Pinellas County area.
• Completion of MODS (Infant and Toddler Practice, UDAP, and Safe Sleep Practice) required upon hire.
• Certification in First Aid and CPR within six months of the date assigned to this position; and successful completion of a Level II background screening, and drug screening prior to hiring.

Job Type: Full Time, Exempt

Hours: Monday - Friday, may involve occasional evening/weekend hours

Salary: $50000, plus excellent benefits and training opportunities

Benefits: Health insurance, paid time off, free before and afterschool childcare, discounted preschool fees, free gym membership and employer-paid retirement fund upon eligibility

Location: Lealman YMCA Preschool Academy, 5175 45th St. North in St. Petersburg, FL