Early Childhood Navigator

Healthy Community Initiative; Faribault (MN); On-site; USD 25,000 - 33,000; Part time

Job summary

Growing Up Healthy Early Childhood Navigator is a part‑time role in Faribault, MN, supporting families with very young children to improve kindergarten readiness. The navigator helps families overcome barriers to preschool enrollment, conducts home visits, and links families to local early learning opportunities.

The role requires bilingual abilities (English and Spanish or Somali), evening/weekend availability, and strong organizational and communication skills to work with diverse families and

Qualifications

• Bilingual in English and Spanish or Somali.
• 2–5 years of experience in community outreach or related fields.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and Google Suite.

Responsibilities

• Reach out to and support caregivers/parents in Faribault.
• Identify barriers to preschool enrollment and help families resolve them.
• Plan and facilitate neighborhood early childhood events.
• Recruit participants alongside other coordinators.
• Support parent education and policy advocacy activities.
• Assist with scholarship applications and home visits.
• Connect families to screening and early learning opportunities.
• Track data in Growing Up Healthy’s system and contribute to reports.
• Collaborate with partners and maintain timely communication.

Skills

Bilingual English/Spanish or Somali

Evening and weekend hours

Experience in community outreach

Experience with family home visiting

Highly organized with detail

Strong communication skills

Team collaboration

Tools

Microsoft Office

Google Suite

Job description

Growing Up Healthy Early Childhood Navigator

30 to 40 hours per week, serving families in Faribault

Established in 2007, Growing Up Healthy, a program of the Healthy Community Initiative (HCI), works with partner organizations and Latinx and/or low-income families to transform communities through cultivating neighborhood leadership, fostering social connectedness, and collectively advocating for change within neighborhoods and systems.

Bilingual Growing Up Healthy Early Childhood Navigators work with families who have very young children to help them overcome obstacles that prevent kindergarten readiness. The person in this role supports efforts to increase the number of children who 1) complete early childhood screening before turning four years old, and 2) enroll and persist in preschool or other high quality early learning opportunities.

TASKS:

• Reach out to and support caregivers/parents of young children from prioritized low-income neighborhoods in Faribault
• Listen for, identify and document barriers and challenges families face to accessing preschool or early learning opportunities, and help families troubleshoot barriers to preschool enrollment and persistence. Engage families as much as possible in the process of identifying collaborative solutions
• Plan and facilitate Summer Evenings in the Park and other neighborhood-based early childhood mobile hub events throughout the year to promote programs for young children and families
• Work alongside Family Friend Neighbor Coordinator to recruit new participants
• Support parent/caregiver education and training, including policy advocacy and also parenting skills (plan training sessions or workshops for caregivers and parents, promote training opportunities, etc.)
• Assist with preschool/early childhood program and scholarship applications
• Complete home visits and individual meetings with families
• Connect families with early childhood screening; follow-up with children who attend screening to support them to enroll in preschool and/or access early learning opportunities
• Refer families to community resources and services; assist families to complete application forms or other paperwork (as needed) in order to receive services; follow up with families to ensure services were received
• Provide follow-up connections after well-child checks with local healthcare clinics
• Build positive working relationships with agency and program partners, and ensure effective, timely communication with individuals and organizations central to this work
• Track data completely and thoroughly using Growing Up Healthy’s data tracking system
• Participate alongside teammates in monitoring grant-funded project work plans and outcomes; support grant reporting
• Participate in Making Meaning of Multiple Data Sets and other data analysis exercises and support the team’s continuous process improvement activities
• Serve as an active member of the Rice County Ready for Kindergarten network
• Support other HCI-supported programs when needed; remain flexible and adapt as part of the team; maintain consistent, positive communication with team members, families and community partners

REQUIRED QUALITIES:

• Bilingual in English and Spanish or Somali
• Ability to work evening and weekend hours
• Experience working with diverse children and families
• 2-5 years of experience in community outreach, family home visiting, early childhood education, individual family support, or a related field
• Ability to meet the physical demands of the position, including lifting/carrying up to 40 pounds as well as regular sitting, typing, walking, standing, climbing stairs, bending, kneeling
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, and Excel) and Google Suite
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Highly organized with superior attention to detail
• Excellent ability to multi-task and troubleshoot issues
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and as a member of a team
• Capable of completing work on time in a fast-paced environment while maintaining a positive attitude
• Passion for equity and social justice
• Willingness to maintain the standards, carry out the purpose, and adhere to the policies of the Healthy Community Initiative
• Must possess and maintain a valid Minnesota driver’s license and auto insurance and be able to travel throughout Rice County
• Maintenance of a cell phone is an expectation of employment

PREFERRED QUALITIES:

• Familiarity with Faribault Public Schools and Rice County organizations and resources