Home Visiting Early Childhood Specialist - Professional
Why Work For Simpson?
Our Mission is to house, support and advocate for people experiencing homelessness. We believe that everybody has the right to safe and affordable housing; we strive to create a collaborative community with the individuals we serve, within Simpson, and with the greater community; and we advocate against the injustices of society that cause homelessness and poverty. On a daily basis, we celebrate and embrace the uniqueness and dignity of every person and encourage people to draw upon their strengths and promote the power of self-advocacy.
Commitment to Diversity and Racial Justice
Simpson Housing Services is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to the principles of diversity. Diversity continues to be our primary focus in staffing and hiring, as it is important to us that our staff demographics be representative of the population demographics whom we serve. As an affirmative action employer, we actively seek and encourage applications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and individuals with protected veteran status.
How Can You Contribute?
As a Home Visiting Early Childhood Specialist with the Early Childhood Family Spirit team, you will provide home visits and advocacy to families of young children in order to increase healthy parent-child interaction, promote child pro-social- emotional behavior, and advance pre-literacy skills.
This position is part of the Family Housing Team at Simpson Housing Services. The goal of the team is to provide stable housing and effective support services to homeless families in transition. Working with the parents and family advocate, this position provides strength-based family support and parenting education to support the growth of parents’ capacities through evidence based curriculum, methods and practices.
This position manages an ongoing caseload of 20-25 families with children of ages prenatal to three. Services will be provided in participant homes. Participant populations may include those with chemical abuse issues, criminal histories (drug charges, prostitution, fraud, etc.), and/or parenting issues. Employee may provide back up for SHS advocates during periods of absence or during times of increased workloads.
The Early Childhood Specialist assists families to reach the following goals:
- Parents will become more involved in their child’s overall development and education.
- Children who show developmental delays will receive the supportive services needed.
- Families that qualify for early learning programs will enroll their children in high quality centers.
Responsibilities
Provide direct home based early childhood developmental education:
- Upon completion of Family Spirit Program curriculum training, plan and teach the Family Spirit curriculum for parents with children from pregnancy through age 3.
- Follow Family Spirit program and curriculum with fidelity (this includes timing, frequency and sequence of visits).
Assess development of children:
- Conduct formal and informal observations and screenings of the infant’s/young child’s development.
- Complete ASQ and ASQ:SE questionnaires with parents of children 6 months to five years to assess age-appropriate social/emotional, cognitive, language/literacy and physical development.
- Partner with parents to ensure that health, vision and developmental screenings, assessments and evaluation and follow-up has occurred in a timely manner.
Support well-being and development of children:
- Assist parents in establishing healthy and safe environments and parenting practices that promote the optimal development of children.
- Identify individual family strengths and needs to assist families in setting individualized plans and achieving goals for child and family development.
- Provide experiences and activities to engage families to better understand social and emotional development, and promote health, physical, language and cognitive development.
- Promote parent/child communication techniques that support language/literacy skills of children.
Initiate and sustain effective community connections and resources:
- Assist parents of children with suspected developmental delays to enroll in intervention services.
- Orient, provide and refer parents to early childhood community services.
- Advocate for services needed by families.
- Assist parents to place children in high quality care and education settings.
- Collaborate with other service providers and agencies to ensure effective and coordinated services.
- Follow up with families to assure the community service referral was contacted and to assess satisfaction with services provided.
- Transport families as necessary.
Work as part of an effective team to meet goals of program:
- Recruit participants in collaboration with SHS family advocates.
- Meet with appropriate staff to share curriculum, progress and plan for individual needs of children.
- Coordinate with family advocates to support parents in implementing learned activities.
- Coordinate with family advocates to collect necessary records and documentation for reporting.
- Communicate and coordinate services with all team members. Attend weekly team meetings, other required meetings. Assist other advocates with workshops and family events as needed.
- Sort and distribute in-kind donations.
- Answer inquiries into SHS through answering the phone or greeting people at the door.
Complete accurate and thorough documentation and record-keeping in a timely manner:
- Maintain case files on family served, including case notes, resources provided, Release of Information form, etc.
- Compile statistical reports.
- Collect immunization records, birth weight and other data as needed for reporting program objectives.
- Maintain accurate records including employee time sheets and travel expenses.
- Participate with funding reports, grant writing and site visits.
- Other duties as assigned.
Provide positive representation of SHS through public relations and networking:
- Interpret and promote the program to constituents, speak to community organizations.
- Develop and maintain positive working relationships with staff, volunteers, participants, and other stakeholders.
- Network with providers of similar services.
- Participate in professional meetings, workshops, and staff meetings.
Demonstrate essential knowledge, abilities and skills:
- Ability to be nonjudgmental, objective and reflective.
- Ability to work very well independently, with excellent skills in teamwork and collaboration.
- Ability to be flexible and manage time.
- Knowledge of Harm Reduction/Housing First Model and commitment to that model.
- Ability to communicate effectively, positively and professionally with participants, providers, family members and others.
- Ability to work with individuals from very diverse backgrounds.
- Ability to perform non-traditional tasks while meeting participant needs.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Adhere to a standard framework of boundaries in all interactions with guests, volunteers, staff and public.
Job Requirements:
- High School Diploma or GED required. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Early Childhood Education or Human Services preferred.
- Demonstrate knowledge of developmentally appropriate Infant and Early Child Development, Principles and Practices of Maternal and Child Health, Safety and Nutrition, Family Dynamics and Positive Parenting Skills.
- Driver’s License and Car is required.
Desired:
- Minimum of 2 years of experience working with parents and children of age’s newborn through five, preferably in a home visit setting.
- Knowledge of mental health, chemical dependency, physical or sexual abuse.
- Training in working with low-income families, diverse populations, and those who are homeless.
Essential Physical Functions:
Employee must be able to hear and speak, in order to communicate with staff and participants in person, on the telephone and in writing. Employee must be able to move about the community and public places (such as apartment buildings).
Percentage time spent away from main office/location:
Travel includes travel within the community including but not limited to local schools, attending community meetings, accompanying participants and children to appointments. Travel for trainings with overnight stays may occasionally be needed.
Percentage time spent in direct care (Working directly with participants/individuals we support): 80%
Type of guidance and supervision received: Will participate in weekly team meetings as well as bi-weekly direct supervision meetings.