Family Support Specialist - Bilingual

Brightpoint; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 33,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

PTO 3+ weeks

11 paid holidays

401(k) with match

PSLF eligibility

Job summary

Brightpoint is seeking a Family Support Specialist in Chicago to serve as the first contact for families applying for Early Childhood services. You will determine eligibility, identify needs, and coordinate enrollment to optimize a child and family’s well-being.

The role requires recruiting families, obtaining documentation, and arranging placement in center or home-based programs, while building trust with participants and working with the care team to provide needed services.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in social work, human services, family studies or counseling.
• Gateways Level 5 Family Specialist Credential or equivalent required.
• Minimum one year working with culturally diverse families preferred.
• Knowledge of child growth/development and parent-child relationships preferred.
• Valid driver’s license, insurance and a reliable vehicle required.
• Ability to communicate in English and Spanish required.
• Candidates may be considered with an approved educational plan if degree/credentials are missing.

Responsibilities

• Recruits families for enrollment, including evening/weekend events.
• Completes and secures essential documentation to validate eligibility.
• Coordinates placement of eligible children in center or home-based programs.
• Establishes trusting, nurturing relationships with clients.
• Collaborates with multidisciplinary team to extend support services.
• Monitors attendance and creates participation plans as appropriate.
• Reports absences for center-based programs when required.

Skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

Child development knowledge

Driver's license

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or related field

Gateways Level 5 Family Specialist Credential

Job description

Brightpoint invites you to join our team of mission-driven staff who share a common vision: an equitable world where all children and families thrive in strong communities. As a leader in the human services sector for 140 years, we aim to advance the well-being of children by investing in families and strengthening communities through data-informed, collaborative, and preventative solutions.

The Family Support Specialist serves as the first point of contact for families who apply for center-based Early Childhood services at Brightpoint. 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 and Consumer Science, Family Studies or Counseling required.
• Gateways Level 5 Family Specialist Credential or equivalent Family Development Credential required.
• A minimum of one (1) year of experience working with culturally diverse families preferred.
• Knowledge and understanding of normal child growth/development and parent-child relationships preferred.
• Valid driver's license, insurance, and a reliable vehicle required.
• Ability to communicate in both English and Spanish required.

(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.

Job Details

• Compensation: Hourly: Range is between $24.04 - $28.40 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: Center Based (1701 West 63rd Street)
• Schedule: Full-time, hourly; general business hours with some flexibility required for special projects and evening/weekend recruitment events.
• We don’t just hire talent—we grow it: Emerging Leaders will have access to leadership development opportunities and one-on-one mentorship.
• Student Loan Forgiveness: Brightpoint is an approved agency for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).