Family Support Specialist

Brightpoint; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision insurance

3+ weeks paid time off in year 1

11 paid holidays

401(k) with match

Leadership development opportunities &

One-on-one mentorship

Job summary

El Hogar Del Niño, now part of Brightpoint, seeks a Family Support Specialist in Chicago to recruit families for early childhood services, validate eligibility, and coordinate enrollment. You will build trusted relationships with families, work with a multidisciplinary team, and monitor attendance to ensure program success.

The role emphasizes bilingual communication, documentation accuracy, and collaboration to extend services while supporting family wellbeing in the Pilsen community.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, human services, family studies, or related field required.
• Gateways Family Specialist Credential Level 4 required.
• Two years related outreach or casework experience preferred.
• Valid driver's license, auto insurance, and daily access to reliable transportation required.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Recruits families for enrollment in the program, including evening/weekend events.
• Completes documentation to validate eligibility and secures required forms.
• Coordinates placement of eligible children in center or home-based programs.
• Establishes trusting, nurturing relationships with clients/participants.
• Partners with multidisciplinary team to provide aligned services based on needs.
• Monitors attendance and creates participation plans as needed.
• Reports absences and coordinates follow-up actions for center/home-based programs.
• Supports parents, providers and partners to meet funding requirements.

Skills

Bilingual (English/Spanish)

Driver's license

Education

Bachelor's degree in Social Work / related field

Gateways Family Specialist Credential Level 4

Job description

El Hogar del Niño, now part of Brightpoint, has been a leader in providing high-quality early childhood care and education services, with an expert focus on the needs of Latinx and newly arriving families in the Pilsen community for 50 years. Brightpoint and El Hogar Del Niño believe that family is the most important asset for child and youth wellbeing, which is rooted in each organization’s commitment to early childhood care and education. Our greatest strength is our shared commitment to support strong families which create thriving children and communities.

The Family Support Specialist serves as the first point of contact for families who apply for center-based Early Childhood services at El Hogar del Niño. The Family Support Specialist is responsible for participant eligibility, identifying the needs of children and families, and coordinating, enrolling and tracking participation in services to maximize the child and family’s well-being. As a Family Support Specialist, you will recruit families with children for enrollment in the program, complete and obtain all essential documentation to validate eligibility, coordinate the placement of eligible children and establish trusting, nurturing relationships with program participants.

Candidate Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, human services, family studies, or a related field required.
• Gateways Family Specialist Credential Level 4 required.
• Two years related experience in outreach or casework preferred.
• Valid driver's license, auto insurance, and daily access to reliable transportation required.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

(Candidates without the required degree/credentials may be considered with an approved educational plan).

Job Responsibilities

• Recruits families with children for enrollment in the program, engaging in scheduled recruitment outings on a regular basis, including evening and weekend recruitment events (in-person and/or virtual).
• Completes and obtains all essential documentation to validate the eligibility of all applying families and secures all essential documentation, including the selection criteria form, to ensure that the most eligible families are enrolled in the program.
• Coordinates the placement of eligible children, in the center or home-based program, with the assigned Supervisor, Manager and/or Director.
• Establishes trusting, nurturing relationships with clients/participants.
• Participates with the multidisciplinary team to ensure that all support services are extended to families based on their needs.
• In alignment with the attendance protocol, monitors absenteeism/participation of children, contacts parents and/or conducts team meetings with parents to discern justification for absenteeism/ participation and creates participation plan, as appropriate.
• For Center Based Only: Reports absences of three days or more to Family Support Services Supervisor or assigned Site or Program Supervisor for further follow-up recommendations. For Home-Based only: Reports two consecutive missed visits to Family Support Supervisor or assigned Site or Program Supervisor.
• Provides support to parents, providers and partners to ensure all funding requirements are effectively implemented

Job Details

• Compensation: Hourly: Range is between $20.19-$23.24 per hour, offers are commensurate with experience and bilingual candidates may receive additional compensation. The salary range provided represents our current estimate for this role at the time of posting and is subject to change. The final salary will be determined based on a range of factors, including but not limited to, a candidate's relevant experience, education, qualifications, skills, certifications, and alignment with organizational needs. We are dedicated to fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to fostering a diverse workforce while providing equal opportunities for all candidates.
• Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance, 3+ weeks paid time off in the first year including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day (PTO increases with tenure); 11 paid holidays, supplemental insurance options, 401(k) with match (more benefits details here).
• Location: El Hogar Del Niño.
• We don't just hire talent - we grow it: Emerging Leaders will have access to leadership development opportunities and one-on-one mentorship.
• Schedule: Full-time, hourly; general business hours with some flexibility required for special projects and evening/weekend recruitment events.