Higher Education and Workforce Development Navigator - Child Care Connection

SAL Community Services; Peoria (IL); On-site; USD 31,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Health benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401(k) with employer contribution

Pet insurance

Job summary

SAL Community Services is seeking a Higher Education and Workforce Development Navigator to connect the incumbent Early Childhood Education workforce with higher education programs at 2- and 4-year institutions, supporting attainment of degrees, licenses, and credentials.

The role focuses on cross-system collaboration to strengthen the child care workforce, facilitating outreach, and guiding candidates through education opportunities and barriers to access.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university and at least two years in early childhood care and education, counseling/social work, family support, adult education, or higher education.
• Preferred degrees include Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Child Psychology/Behavioral Sciences, Family Consumer Sciences, Social Work, Elementary Education, Child Welfare, Family Services.

Responsibilities

• Plan, publicize, and facilitate informational/educational sessions on higher education, scholarship, and financial aid for incumbent Early Childhood Education workforce.
• Provide support to incumbent workforce on assessing needs, sharing information, and connecting them to higher education opportunities via phone, email, or meetings.
• Build relationships with staff at Early Childhood Education programs at 2- and 4-year colleges to identify candidates from incumbent workforce.
• Conduct outreach to members of the Early Childhood Education workforce regarding recruitment, technical assistance, and informational outreach.
• Collect information on barriers to higher education experienced by incumbent workforce members.

Skills

Communication

Public speaking

Organization

Recruiting

DEI focus

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Education/Child Development/Social Work

Job description

Position: Higher Education and Workforce Development Navigator - Child Care Connection

Location: Peoria, IL

Job Id:522

# of Openings:2

Higher Education and Workforce Development Navigator

BASE WAGE

$22.61-$24.77 per hour based on education and experience.

JOB TYPE

Full-Time

DESCRIPTION

SAL Community Servicesconnects the community to services that ensure every child can succeed in school and life, and every adult has access to basic human needs like food, counseling, child care, and housing. We do this by listening, learning, and acting to help individuals and families navigate the barriers that prevent them from moving their life forward in a positive way.

The Higher Education Navigator’s principal function is to create positive impacts in the early care and education field through recruiting and connecting the incumbent workforce with Early Childhood Education programs at 2- and 4-year colleges and universities and supporting attainment of additional degrees, licenses, and credentials. By facilitating cross-system collaboration efforts, the Higher Education Navigator will advance our mission to support and strengthen the child care system to attract and build the child care workforce so that families have access to affordable, quality care and education. You will:

• Plan, publicize, and facilitate informational/educational sessions on higher education, scholarship, and financial aid processes/opportunities for incumbent Early Childhood Education workforce.
• Provide support to incumbent workforce on assessing needs, sharing information, and connecting them to higher education opportunities through phone calls, email, in-person / virtual meetings.
• Build relationships with key staff at Early Childhood Education programs at 2- and 4-year colleges and universities to understand programs and help identify appropriate candidates from incumbent workforce.
• Conduct outreach activities to members of the Early Childhood Education workforce in matters related to the recruitment of interested members of the incumbent workforce, technical assistance, and informational outreach.
• Collect information on barriers to higher education experienced by incumbent workforce members.

We are looking for team members who:

• Believe that early childhood education is the first step to a child’s successful future;
• Have great attention to detail while working quickly and are great communicators;
• Are passionate about building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for all, and,
• Are professional, kind, and don’t take themselves too seriously!

Salary, benefits and perks

Our entire compensation package includes paid time off and paid holidays; health, dental, and vision benefits; 401(k) with employer contribution; and pet insurance. A full list of benefits is available on our website at salcommunityservices.org .

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.A full list of job responsibilities will be provided prior to an interview. This position must obtain required background clearances. Requests for reasonable accommodation as required under applicable law will be considered.

Education and Experience

Required: Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum of two years of work experience in early childhood care and education, counseling/social work, family support, adult education, or higher education. Preferred: Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in one of the following related fields (Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Child Psychology/Behavioral Sciences, Family Consumer Sciences, Social Work, Elementary Education, Child Welfare, Family Services)

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION Mission

SAL Community Services (SAL) strengthens children, families, and individuals to build and enhance thriving communities.

About Us

At SAL Community Services, we provideSupport,Advocacy, andLearning in our communities—from childhood to adulthood. Our mission is to strengthen children, families, and individuals to build and enhance thriving communities. Founded in 1970, we have a history of listening to the needs of our community and responding. We have grown from an organization focused on providing quality child care to low-income working families to one that meets a wide variety of needs, from early care and education to crisis assistance and stabilization services. Today, SAL has a bi-state 17 county regional footprint from the Quad Cities to Central Illinois area. We advocate with and for the people we support, the communities we serve, and the solutions we champion, and we offer an inclusive, welcoming community for the people we serve—and our employees. Learn more on our website atwww.salcommunityservices.org/about-us .

EOE STATEMENT

SAL Community Services is an equal opportunity employer and believes in equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. Accordingly, all employment decisions are based on the principles of equal opportunity. These decisions include recruitment, selection, promotion, transfer, discipline, compensation, benefits, training and other personnel actions involving persons in all job titles and shall occur without regard to actual or perceived race, creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, religion (or for requesting an accommodation for a religious belief), sex, age, ancestry, national origin, genetic information (as defined in Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA)), military status or discharge status, veteran status, qualified disabled veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, transgenderism, marital status, citizenship status, familial status, physical or mental disability (or for requesting an accommodation for a disability), association with a disabled person(s), medical condition (including HIV or AIDS status, cancer related or genetic characteristics) arrest record (unless doing so violates contractual, funding, or licensing requirements), order of protection status, pregnancy (including conditions related to childbirth or breast feeding), homelessness or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.