Family Navigator (Early Childhood Education)

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

The Family Navigator delivers a comprehensive, coordinated, and quality program of services to children diagnosed or suspected of ASD participating in the ESNG ECE Program.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (include but are not limited to):

• Maintains a positive work atmosphere by acting and communicating in a manner so that you get along with customers, clients, co-workers, and management and families.

• To provide coordination of care for children diagnosed or suspected of ASD and their families upon receiving an in-house referral. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Meet with EEC teachers, center managers, Health/Nutrition, Ed/Dis, and mental health specialists to review in house referral.
• Complete classroom observation(s) of child.
• Contact family to introduce themselves, explain their role, and discuss the child concerns. Complete necessary paperwork to refer to LEA, ESNG BCBA, or outside evaluator as necessary.
• Serve as the liaison between the family, EEC team, and referral source including ESNG ABA Program. Provide pediatricians or primary care physicians and other medical specialists with copies of screening, assessments, or evaluations with written parental consent.
• Assists families in acquiring resources regarding paperwork, insurance, and community supports.
• Coordinate the IEP or IFSP meeting with the family, LEA, and ESNG staff. Participate in IFSP/IEP with family, LEA, ESNG BCBA. Assist in the implementation and monitoring of the IFSP with the parent/legal guardian(s). Document all direct and indirect contacts with families and service providers in the clinical record (progress notes) following the format required by the Local Lead Agency and ESNG.
• Conduct an informal review of the IFSP/IEP, including six (6) month review, with the parent/legal guardian and service providers. Documentation will be made of this meeting with the family, including discussing services related to the IFSP/IEP from provider reports. Original progress reports will be submitted for inclusion in the primary record within ten (10) days of meeting.
• Ensure that a six (6) month review is completed on each assigned child with documentation submitted for the primary chart within ten (10) days of review.
• Coordinate an Annual Review meeting with the LEA, family, and services providers.
• Meet and communicate regularly with the parent/legal guardian, conducting these contacts using a variety of face-to-face, telephone, written correspondence, and other methods including team meetings to ensure that the family is well-informed and an active participant in the implementation of the IFSP/IEP.
• Facilitates the transition activities within and from the ESNG ECE program for eligible children to not only Part B services but also, childcare, Early Head Start, and Head Start and or other community programs and services as part of a transition plan. Document, in progress notes, all transition activities and ensure that all children have a transition plan prior to their fifth birthday. Introduce the transition planning and satisfaction surveys when available.
• Provide classroom support to children diagnosed with ASD or suspected or ASD that do not receive internal ABA services as appropriate. To include, but not limited to, crisis prevention program services.
• Maintains fulltime caseload as defined by the organization.
• To refrain at all times from divulging any information concerning the child and/or family to an unauthorized person without the informed written consent of the responsible parent/legal guardian in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations.
• To provide monthly documentation of all contacts and coordination of care for each individual child/family receiving service coordination. To notify the organization, when informed, of any planned or recommended changes in the delivery of services to eligible children prior to implementing any changes, including the termination of services prior to the period of duration as reflected in the IFSP/IEP.
• Schedule IFSP/IEP meetings (including initial, reviews, annual and transition) to the maximum extent appropriate, at times during which all IFSP members can meet.

PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS

• The ability to stand for sustained periods of time.
• The ability to sit for sustained periods of time.
• The ability to walk for sustained periods of time including responding quickly to safety concerns
• The ability to use hands and fingers to feel, operate a computer, and perform picking, pinching and whole hand or arm handling tasks.
• The ability to climb stairs.
• The ability to stoop, kneel, crouch, sit on the floor, or crawl as needed when working with small children on their level.
• The ability to reach, extending arms in any direction.
• The ability to push or pull objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
• The ability to lift and carry a child up to age 5
• The ability to talk in order to accurately exchange information.
• The ability to hear in order to accurately exchange information.
• The ability to see clearly in order to maintain child safety and supervision, use a computer, and for extensive reading and writing.
• The ability to work in both indoor conditions and outdoor conditions

OTHER DUTIES:

Performs other duties as assigned by management.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Possess a Bachelors Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Special Education or related field and related experience working with families and children.