Family Advocate Head Start

About The Centers

The Centers fights for equity by healing, teaching, and inspiring individuals and families to reach their full potential. We provide health, family, and workforce services at 11 locations throughout Greater Cleveland, creating life-changing solutions for people to lead healthier and more successful lives.

Our Early Learning Centers and programs provides high-quality care for children during the critical first 2,000 days of life by operating seven high-quality early learning centers, serving children birth through five years old, in Cleveland and the inner-ring suburbs. Because of our high standards, all sites achieved a 5-Star rating on the Step-Up-To-Quality Rating and been recognized and selected to be part of Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) and PRE4CLE.

We strive to be an equitable, anti-racist, and service-oriented workplace that pioneers and co-creates solutions while fostering an inclusive community where our team members thrive.

Wellbeing and Benefits

Providing quality benefits for our staff is important to us. Just as important is our staff’s well-being. That’s why we offer several choices from medical to dental to vision plans to meet the different needs of our staff.

· Choice of medical and dental plans · Health Savings Account · Flexible Spending Account for Health and Dependent Care · Vision · Support for continuing education and credential renewal · Life Insurance · Retirement Savings (401k) with a company contribution · 457(b) Savings · Mental Health Support · Employee Assistance Program · Calm Subscription · Short and Long-term Disability

Job Summary

The Family Advocate serves as a liaison between families, The Center staff, service area personnel, and community resources.  Develops positive relationships with caregivers and provides high quality, responsive direct services to promote the achievement and well-being of each family member directly involved in the life of children enrolled in the Early Learning program.  Responsible for facilitating Family and Community Partnerships and assistance with Program Governance and ERSEA (Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance) activities.   The Family Advocate is assigned to support a specific Early Learning center and is an active member of the Family Support Team and has a dotted line supervision to the Family and Community Engagement Manager.

Job Qualifications

• BA/BS degree in Human Services related field.
• Experience in social work setting preferred.
• Able to work occasional evening / weekend hours.
• No record of child abuse or moral turpitude as determined by background check based on fingerprints.
• Valid Ohio driver’s license and access to an insured vehicle is required. 

Essential Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Link families enrolled in the Early Learning program to The Centers and community resources; provide or make referrals according to need.
• Complete family assessment within 90 days of enrollment and facilitate the Family Partnership Agreement process.  Assist parents in setting goals, check status according to required timelines. 
• Conduct home visits as needed to address attendance concerns, complete enrollment, and/or family services paperwork.
• Support families in making a smooth transition into programs; connect them with appropriate staff, assist them with obtaining publicly funded childcare benefits and navigating the Electronic Child Care system.
• Create opportunities for parent and family engagement and integration across all service areas
• Lead monthly parent activities, in conjunction with the Site Manager, plan and support parent leadership.
• Establish cooperative relationships with local businesses, agencies and community organizations to create linkages for the families to community resources, produce enrollment opportunities, solicit support of the program and many activities and create opportunities for volunteering and employment for families.  Maintain current Community Partnership Agreements.
• Proactively lead recruitment efforts to ensure funded enrollment goals are met at both the site and throughout the agency; engage staff and parents for site-specific and organizational-wide efforts.
• Support families in achieving attendance goals and participating in volunteer opportunities.
• Complete all enrollment documentation including those related to eligibility determination.
• Maintain complete and accurate child and family files in a timely manner, log contact notes, record family health information.
• Track and report attendance daily to ensure average daily attendance can be analyzed and reported monthly.  Provide support to ensure barriers are removed for families with an average daily attendance rate below 90%.
• Maintain center compliance in the Family Support service area and submit all documentation to the Family & Community Engagement Manager and other service areas as needed.
• Assist with maintaining cleanliness and sanitation practices throughout the site, mainly within common areas.
• Assist with laundry responsibilities within the assigned site – washing, drying, and folding, as needed.
• Meet and greet parents at the entrance during drop off to complete the health screen, including temperature checks and screening questions for all visitors entering the building.
• Assist with pick up procedures by escorting child from classroom to parent at the entrance.
• Assist with other site related responsibilities, including but not limited to meal delivery, classroom breaks, sanitizing and cleaning throughout the site.
• Other duties as assigned.

Core Competencies

• Collaboration: Capable of developing and sustaining positive relationships with family members, staff, and community partners.
• Resilience & Adaptable: Must have the ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team within the public-school environment.
• Verbal and Written Expression: Ability to communicate in clear language and to adjust one’s use of language to the audience’s level.
•  Flexibility: Adapts effectively to change by accepting changes in processes readily and with an optimistic perspective of the resulting benefits.
• Integrity: Maintains confidentiality and meets own commitments.

The Centers is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.