Child Development Specialist - Logan Fountain (Brooklyn)

About Jericho Project

Jericho Project is a nationally recognized nonprofit that has been working to end homelessness at its roots since 1983. What began as a Manhattan soup kitchen has grown into a citywide organization serving nearly 3,000 New Yorkers each year—including over 700 veterans, as well as young adults and families, many of whom identify as LGBTQ .

Jericho provides more than 600 units of supportive housing through seven permanent residences in the Bronx and Harlem, along with scattered-site apartments throughout New York City. Our housing-first model is paired with wraparound services delivered by skilled case managers, licensed mental health clinicians, and workforce development specialists. Together, these services support our four pillars of stability: housing, employment, wellness, and family.

In 2024, Jericho facilitated over 570 housing placements, helped secure nearly 275 job placements, and delivered over 750 therapy sessions through our in-house Jericho Therapy Program. As we move toward expanding our reach by an additional 2,000 units of housing, we remain committed to helping individuals and families build lasting independence and well-being—one person, one home, and one community at a time.

About the Position

The Child Development Specialist will work with children, their parents and other service providers in the assessment of children’s developmental needs, deficiencies, and goals. The Child Development Specialist will be highly knowledgeable in typical and atypical development, recognize the symptoms of a developmental issue, and can offer parents and caretakers advice on how to best work with the child to overcome the problem.

The FLSA status of this position is Exempt.

Responsibilities:

Ø Conduct home and field visits in order to evaluate and monitor children in their natural settings to determine physical and mental development including social and motor development, cognitive and language skills.

Ø Engage with children in a therapeutic context using a variety of assessment tools such as mental developments tests, speech assessments, gross motor games and arts and crafts projects.

Ø Consult with health care providers and educators linked to the family on a regular basis to discuss the children’s behavioral and cognitive levels.

Ø Assess all children in the household for appropriate achievement of developmental milestones.

Ø Collaborate with Care Management Staff to assist families in creating individualized service plans addressing the children’s educational and developmental needs.

Ø Monitor children’s progress and regress as associated with goals identified in service plan.

Ø Provide parenting skills building and trainings for parents and caretakers.

Ø Provide counseling services to families, specifically to caretakers for emotional support.

Ø Conduct regular community resource development in order to enhance and expand program linkages.

Ø Provide crisis intervention as needed.

Ø Utilize electronic case management system in order to maintain accurate and up-to-date client files.

Ø Comply with charting requirements and data collection as mandated by funding sources.

Ø Utilize trauma informed interventions and culturally responsive engagement techniques in order to provide holistic program services.

Ø Staff the emergency on-call cell phone on a rotating basis.

Ø Attend trainings as requested by program leadership.

Ø Carry out other duties as assigned by program leadership.

Requirements:

Ø A Bachelor’s degree in a childhood related field, such as psychology, child development or social work or human services related field.

Ø At least two years of experience working with persons with severe mental illness.

Ø At least two years of experience working with children with development needs.

Ø An understanding of working with homeless population.

Ø Familiarity with Harm Reduction Model, Housing First Approach and Motivational Interviewing.

Ø Candidate must be a self-starter with the skills and energy to work within the community.

Ø Must be computer literate

Ø Familiarity with Foothold Technology AWARDS a plus

Ø Bilingual Spanish/English, preferred.

Compensation:

The salary range for this position is $66,300.00 to $67,000.00 annualized. Jericho Project offers a comprehensive benefits package. Employees are eligible for a merit increase annually. Merit increases are based on the employee’s performance during the prior year.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $66,300.00 - $67,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 403(b)
• 403(b) matching
• Cell phone reimbursement
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:

• social services: 2 years (Required)
• working with persons with severe mental illness: 2 years (Required)
• working with children with developmental needs: 2 years (Required)
• Harm reduction: 2 years (Required)
• Motivational interviewing: 2 years (Required)
• Housing First approach : 2 years (Required)
• AWARDS software: 2 years (Preferred)
• working with a homeless population: 2 years (Required)

Language:

• Spanish (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $66,300 - $67,000