HEAD START FAMILY SERVICE WORKER

Eoc Nassau; Town of Hempstead (NY); On-site; USD 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Eoc Nassau is seeking a dedicated Family Service Worker in Hempstead, NY, responsible for coordinating the health and enrollment of children in the Head Start program. This role requires a proactive approach in engaging families, ensuring compliance with performance standards, and promoting educational opportunities.

The ideal candidate should possess a high school diploma, experience in human services, and a commitment to working effectively with diverse populations. Collaboration with parents and community resources will be key to successful outcomes.

Qualifications

• Ability to relate well to children and adults of various ethnic cultures.
• One to two years’ experience working in the human service field.
• Willingness to work as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate compliance with Head Start Performance Standards.
• Coordinate recruitment and enrollment of children.
• Manage health screenings and referrals for children.

Skills

Ability to work with diverse populations

Collaboration skills

Child engagement

Education

High School diploma or equivalency

Family Development Credential

Job description

The Family Service Worker is under the direct supervision of the Site Supervisor and is responsible for the following assigned tasks which include but are not limited to;

Responsibilities

1. Must demonstrate the ability to carry out all program requirements in meeting compliance as outlined in the Head Start Performance Standards regarding Head Start Service areas; with specific regard to Health, Nutrition, Family and Community Partnerships and Program Governance.
2. Responsible for ongoing recruitment and enrollment of children, making sure that at least 10% of children enrolled are children with disabilities.
3. Responsible for coordinating all applications and supporting documents to determine eligibility and facilitate child selection processes on annual and as needed basis. Must create a Master Roster of all enrolled children and submit to Head Start Grantee Office and Executive Office as required.
4. Responsible for recruiting, coordinating and maintaining a prioritized waiting list of eligible children/families to ensure the consistency of funded enrollment.
5. Responsible for following up with parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of selected children to complete all enrollment requirements (i.e.-all applicable consent forms, medical forms, dental forms, child/family history).
6. Must assist Head Start Site Supervisor with coordination and implementation of parent orientation (start of program year and as needed). The Family Service Worker must participate in the overall parent orientation process.
7. Responsible for implementing and follow-up on children’s health screenings, medical/dental appointments and needed referrals. Must familiarize parents with all health and developmental procedures administered through the program and obtain parent or guardian authorization for all necessary procedures (i.e.-Blood Pressure Screenings, Vision Screenings, Hearing Screenings, Height/Weight Screenings-BMI results and Dental exam administered by Farmingdale State College).
8. Cfr-1304-40 – Must consult with parents immediately when child health or developmental problems are suspected or identified.
9. Responsible for follow-up on children’s attendance, absenteeism and lateness. The Family Worker must secure documentation from parents for all absences occurring three (3) consecutive days or more. In this position you must work with parents whose children have habitual absences and/or lateness, assisting parents in understanding the importance of consistent attendance patterns. You must work with parents to ensure maintenance of a minimum of 85% attendance on a monthly basis.
10. Must engage in a process of collaborative partnership-building with parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to establish mutual trust and to identity family goals, strengths, and necessary services and other supports. This process must be initiated as early after enrollment as possible and it must take into consideration each family’s readiness and willingness to participate in the process. Must offer parent(s) or legal guardian opportunities to develop and implement individualized family partnership agreements and Family Development Plan to describe family goals, responsibilities, timetables and strategies for achieving these goals as well as documentation of progress in achieving goals.
11. Responsible for organization, maintenance and ongoing updating of health and social service records.
12. Must work collaboratively with all participating parents or legal guardian(s) to identify and continually access, either directly or through referrals, services and resources that are responsive to each family’s interests and goals, including: Emergency or crisis assistance in areas such as food, housing, clothing, and transportation, education and other appropriate interventions, including opportunities for parents to participate in counseling programs or to receive information on mental health issues that place families at risk, such as substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, and domestic violence.
13. Opportunities for continuing education and employment training and other employment services through formal and informal networks in the community.
14. Must work with parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) to increase family access to materials, services, and activities essential to development of family literacy.
15. Must assist Head Start Site Supervisor in coordination and implementation of monthly parent meetings and sub-committee meetings. Must encourage ongoing involvement of parents and be available to attend meetings as scheduled.
16. Must make all required home visits and must be flexible in being available for evening and/or weekend visits as needed.
17. Must develop health and social services resource lists and make available to parents. Lists must be updated as needed.
18. Responsible for preparation and submission of the health and social services monthly report to the Head Start Grantee office.
19. Responsible for first-aid and working with other program staff to promote ongoing safety measures in the Head Start program.
20. Must participate in all required trainings, webinars, seminars and staff development activities as identified by direct supervisor, CAP Director and/or Head Start Grantee Office.
21. Any other duties as assigned by the Chief Executive Officer, Designated Senior Management, CAP Director and/or Direct Supervisor inclusive of ensuring adult/child ratios in Head Start Centers (i.e.-providing adult supervision in classrooms as assigned, assisting with daily classroom routines).

Qualifications

• Must possess a positive attitude and have the ability to relate well and work well with diverse populations; specifically, children and adults of all ethnic cultures.
• Willingness to work as part of a team to promote harmony and productivity in achieving all required tasks assigned by Site Supervisor or CAP Director
• Willingness to work with community groups and organizations.
• Must be familiar with Nassau County.
• High School graduate or have an equivalency; Family Development Credential is a plus.
• One to two years’ experience working in the human service field.
• Able to engage pre-school children (3-5 years of age) in classroom / playground setting, and/or other areas as assigned.