Foster Grandparent Program Coordinator

Seniors Council; Watsonville, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 35,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off and sick leave

13-1/2 annual paid holidays

Parental leave

Life insurance

403(b) retirement fund

Job summary

Seniors Council in Watsonville, CA seeks a Foster Grandparent Program Coordinator to recruit, screen, train, and place volunteers in elementary and pre-school sites. You will work with staff and stakeholders to ensure positive volunteer experiences and successful site placements.

The role requires fluency in English and Spanish, strong documentation skills, and a proactive, team-oriented approach. Starting salary is $22.50–$24.70 per hour with a $1.00 bilingual premium and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and/or three years related experience with seniors or economically at-risk populations.
• Ability to read, write and speak English and Spanish.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and policies as needed.

Responsibilities

• Recruit, screen, train, and place Foster Grandparent volunteers at schools.
• Coordinate with staff and stakeholders to ensure positive volunteer experiences.
• Provide Spanish language interpretation for the program as needed.
• Monitor program forms and documents of Foster Grandparents in collaboration with staff.
• Lead monthly in-service training sessions and attend staff meetings.

Skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

Communication skills

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent

Tools

MS Word

Excel

FileMakerPro

Job description

The Foster Grandparent Program Coordinator works independently under the supervision of the Seniors Council Foster Grandparent/Senior Companion Program Director. Candidates should be comfortably bi-lingual in Spanish (speaking, reading, and writing). Program Coordinators recruit, screen, train, and place Foster Grandparent applicants at volunteer work sites in pre- and elementary schools. Coordinators work in collaboration with other Foster Grandparent Program staff and stakeholders to ensure a positive volunteer experience, as well as a successful placement at the volunteer work sites.

Background

The Foster Grandparent/ Senior Companions has 164 volunteers in the Program serving Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey and Santa Clara Counties. Our volunteers are women and men, 55 years of age and older who have very low annual incomes. There are currently 144 active Foster Grandparent volunteers serving at 66 school sites mentoring and tutoring 254 students. In addition, there are 35 active Senior Companion volunteers serving at 10 sites providing home assistance to support independent living for 47 frail seniors.

The FGP/SCP Programs are part of the Seniors Council of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties, which serves as the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for our region. Visit www.seniorscouncil.org for more information.

• Communicates with the Program Director and other Project staff as necessary to effectively accomplish the duties of the job and reach the goals of the program.
• Participates as an effective team member, exemplifies skills and competencies necessary to continually build and maintain a team spirit, and performs the duties of the position in this spirit with co-workers and stakeholders.
• Has competency in the operation of cell phones, e-mail, and MacIntosh computers. Preferred experience with project software including MS Word, Excel, and FileMakerPro software.
• Ensures that Program volunteers serve under the terms of their job description which is known as the list of Appropriate and Inappropriate Activities for Foster Grandparents.
• Monitors completion of all necessary Program forms and documents of Foster Grandparents in collaboration with other Program staff.
• Serves as liaison between the Program and staff of Foster Grandparent Volunteer Stations.
• Trains Volunteers on relevant Foster Grandparent policies and procedures.
• Solves problems at individual volunteer work sites in cooperation with site staff and visits volunteer work sites as necessary to assess the effectiveness of Foster Grandparent services.
• Provides Spanish language interpretation for the program as needed.
• Identifies new Volunteer Stations as potential sites for placement of Foster Grandparent volunteers.
• Leads monthly in-service training sessions.
• Attends monthly staff meetings.Provides verbal reports to the Advisory Council about relevant Program operations as needed.
• Participates with other Seniors Council Foster Grandparent staff in organizing the Annual Recognition Luncheon and other special events.
• Possesses a valid California driver’s license and up-to-date automobile insurance to provide transportation to volunteers as needed.
• Communicates effectively and respectfully with people from different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups and different backgrounds and lifestyles, demonstrating a knowledge of and sensitivity to their needs.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and/or three years related experience working with seniors and/or other economically at-risk populations; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ability to read, write and speak English and Spanish required.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and policies as needed.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
• Skill in working cooperatively with others
• Familiarity with phone, fax, computers and other office machinery
• Requires reliable transportation, valid CA Driver's License, and Proof of Automobile Insurance.

Starting Salary Range: $22.50 - $24.70 per hour, depending on experience (rate INCLUDES $1.00 per hour differential for those bilingual in English/Spanish). Salary schedule currently maxes out at $34.35 per hour.

• Health insurance
• Vision insurance
• Paid time off and sick leave
• 13-1/2 annual paid holidays
• Parental leave
• Life insurance
• 403(b) retirement fund

Schedule

• Flexible Monday to Friday schedule
• No nights
• Full-time permanent position; at least 30 hours per week.

Open until filled. Position officially starts July 1, 2026.

COVID-19 considerations

All staff are required to be fully vaccinated; clients are encouraged to wear a mask for in-person meetings; curbside drop-off of materials is encouraged, etc.

Work Location

• In-person, main office (175 Westridge Drive, Watsonville)
• In-person, multiple locations (Monterey & San Benito Counties)