Child Development Specialist - Logan Fountain

Jericho Project; New York (NY); On-site; USD 66,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Jericho Project seeks a Child Development Specialist to assess developmental needs of children and support families in Brooklyn. The role partners with parents, clinicians, and educators to promote healthy growth and address barriers to stability.

Responsibilities include home visits, therapy-informed engagement, and collaboration with the care team to create individualized plans. Strong Spanish/English skills and computer literacy are valued assets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a childhood related field (psychology, child development or social work).
• At least two years of experience with persons with severe mental illness.
• At least two years of experience with children with development needs.
• Experience working with homeless populations.
• Familiarity with Harm Reduction, Housing First, Motivational Interviewing.
• Bilingual Spanish/English preferred.
• Must be computer literate.
• Foothold Technology AWARDS familiarity is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Conduct home and field visits to assess development in natural settings.
• Engage with children in a therapeutic context using assessments and activities.
• Collaborate with healthcare providers and educators on a regular basis.
• Assess children for developmental milestones and progress.
• Develop individualized service plans with families.
• Provide parenting skills training and emotional support to caretakers.
• Utilize electronic case management and maintain client files.
• Attend trainings and participate in program leadership.

Skills

Bilingual Spanish/English

Self-starter

Computer literacy

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in childhood related field

Tools

Foothold Technology AWARDS

Job description

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.

Position: Child Development Specialist
Location: Logan Fountain (Brooklyn)
Reports To: Program Director
Status: Exempt
Compensation: $66,300.00 to $70,000.00 annualized

Responsibilities

• 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.
• 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.
• Consult with health care providers and educators linked to the family on a regular basis to discuss the children’s behavioral and cognitive levels.
• Assess all children in the household for appropriate achievement of developmental milestones.
• Collaborate with Care Management Staff to assist families in creating individualized service plans addressing the children’s educational and developmental needs.
• Monitor children’s progress and regress as associated with goals identified in service plan.
• Provide parenting skills building and trainings for parents and caretakers.
• Provide counseling services to families, specifically to caretakers for emotional support.
• Conduct regular community resource development in order to enhance and expand program linkages.
• Provide crisis intervention as needed.
• Utilize electronic case management system in order to maintain accurate and up-to-date client files.
• Comply with charting requirements and data collection as mandated by funding sources.
• Utilize trauma informed interventions and culturally responsive engagement techniques in order to provide holistic program services.
• Staff the emergency on-call cell phone on a rotating basis.
• Attend trainings as requested by program leadership.
• Carry out other duties as assigned by program leadership.

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in a childhood related field, such as psychology, child development or social work or human services related field.
• At least two years of experience working with persons with severe mental illness.
• At least two years of experience working with children with development needs.
• An understanding of working with homeless population.
• Familiarity with Harm Reduction Model, Housing First Approach and Motivational Interviewing.
• Candidate must be a self-starter with the skills and energy to work within the community.
• Must be computer literate.
• Familiarity with Foothold Technology AWARDS a plus.
• Bilingual Spanish/English, preferred.

ADA Specifications

This position requires the ability to lift up to 50 lbs. Ability to travel to various sites. One must possess the ability to speak, hear, see, and write as well as the ability to use a computer and related software programs. Local and/or national travel required and may require some longer weekday/weekend commitments to accomplish related business projects or meet deliverables.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees feel welcome and valued. We believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to our success.

DISCLAIMER

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position and its essential functions. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be assigned to the staff member. The specific duties and responsibilities of the position may change from time to time, as determined by the needs of the organization.

The staff member must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily, with or without reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodation will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.