Family Advocate/Center Assistant Job Opening

POSITION AVAILABLE: Wyoming Child & Family Development, Inc. – Gillette is now scheduling interviews for a Family Advocate/Center Assistant. This is a full time position with excellent benefits. We look forward to visiting with you!

This institution is an equal opportunity provider

JOB DESCRIPTION

TITLE OF POSITION: FAMILY ADVOCATE

LOCATION: Gillette

SUPERVISED BY: Center Coordinator

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY: Responsible for the recruitment and enrollment of children in the Early Childhood Center. Responsible for identifying the needs of the child and his/her family. With the assistance of other staff members, takes appropriate action to meet those needs and furnish appropriate referrals and follow-up. Promotes Parent, Family and Community Engagement activities in the center, community and in the child’s home. Responsible for individual assistance to children and families in the areas of child development, health, nutrition, and school readiness.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Prefer an Associates or Baccalaureate in social work, human services, family services, counseling, or a related field. Wyoming Child & Family will only accept college degrees from accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Staff who work directly with families on the family partnership process must have within 18 months of hire, at a minimum, a credential or certification in social work, human services, family services, counseling, or a related field.
• Ability to identify and understand the needs of others.
• Must be able to interact with and engage children and adults.
• Must be able to have or to gain knowledge of available services in their community as well as be able to provide families with appropriate information and/or referrals to address the family’s strengths, needs and/or challenges.
• Must be able to develop positive collaboration or working relationships with other staff, professionals and agencies in the community.
• Must be able to effectively engage a variety of families, to include, but not limited to, fathers, partners, grandparents, and significant others in all aspects of their child’s education.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Recruits children for the program within the guidelines established by the Department of Health and Human Services and Wyoming Child and Family Development, Inc.
• Visits each child’s family in the program a minimum of four times a year, of which two will be scheduled in the child’s home. The Family Services Assistant must work closely with the parents in order to jointly identify individual family needs and help to identify solutions to meet the needs and follow-up, as appropriate.
• Assists parents in finding the available resources they need. Visits to community agencies, to establish and maintain contact, are required.
• Responsible for establishing and securely maintaining child and family information/records in ChildPlus, and in paper files, as appropriate. Must ensure all necessary data is obtained from families and accurately entered into ChildPlus. If information is incomplete or missing, must contact parents or guardians for completion or to provide additional information. Must keep all family and child data current in the ChildPlus system, including Family Partnership Goals and Outcomes, child health and screening information, notes regarding contact, etc. Documents, such as Enrollment Paperwork and Inkind, must be kept in files and maintained on a consistent basis.
• May assist and attend Health Services Advisory Committee and Human Resource meetings.
• Organizes and helps to facilitate Family Engagement Activities and parent meetings, including trainings, with input from parents. Actively encourages families and community members to volunteer and be engaged in children’s education.
• Ensures that screening has been completed on all children, including hearing, vision, and development, and keeps up-to-date and accurate individual health records on all enrolled children in ChildPlus, within the allotted time frame as stated in the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Works with educational staff to inform parents of any medical or oral health needs or problems of their child, makes referrals for medical and oral health care, and assists with follow-up.
• Informs other staff member of health and/or social service needs for the child or family.
• Assists the family in securing a medical and/or oral health home, helps make appointments and arranges transportation, as needed. Assists families with obtaining health insurance. When necessary, transports children and families to appointments with approval of the Center Coordinator.
• Assists with monthly screenings at the center and within the community, as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Board or its designee.

ALL REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS POSITION WILL MEET THE HEAD START PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, DFS LICENSING, NAEYC STANDARDS, WYOMING DIVISION OF DISABILITIES RULES AND REGULATIONS, AND WCFD POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. ALL EMPLOYEES WILL ADHERE TO THE MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES OF WCFD, INCLUDING PROGRAM GUIDANCE CONTAINED IN THE MASTER MANUAL.

STANDARD JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have a valid driver’s license, safe driving record and liability insurance as required by Wyoming State Law. Driving records are reviewed annually.

• Wyoming Child and Family Development requires an initial statement of health from a licensed healthcare provider and a renewed statement every 5 years.

PHYSICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be able to work with families and children birth through age 5.
• Must possess proper stress management techniques.
• Must possess visual acuity and stamina to read technical material for extended periods of time, including computer work, email, etc.
• Be able to sit, stand, or walk for long periods of time without fatigue or discomfort.
• Must be able to travel to site locations, meetings and trainings, both in and out of state.
• Must be willing to drive in a variety of weather conditions.
• Must be able to hear and process in-person and telephone conversation.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with staff, children, families, and community.
• Must be able to tolerate air-conditioned buildings and fluorescent lights.
• Must be able to climb stairs, stoop, kneel, crouch and/or reach, to retrieve materials and supplies from ground level to a height of at least 5 ft.
• Must have upper body strength to lift and carry the equivalent of 50 pounds.
• Must be able to assist a child to safety in case of an emergency.
• Must be able to work in a flexible daily routine and change as required.
• Must be able to work in a variety of temperatures, including hot and cold weather.
• Transportation staff requirements:

• Able to tolerate possible exposure to biohazards, i.e., body fluids, etc.
• Ability to recognize mechanical problems that would require stopping of bus to prevent damage or a potential accident while driving.
• Able to read gauges on dash of bus and recognize indicator of problems.
• Able to tolerate possible gas and diesel fumes.
• Able to tolerate dust and gravel.

JOB DESCRIPTION

TITLE OF POSITION: CENTER ASSISTANT

SUPERVISED BY: Center Coordinator

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY: Under the direction of the Center Coordinator provides general support and assistance in all aspects of the program, which include, but are not limited to: assisting in the classroom and/or the bus, maintenance of child files, public relations and recruiting, answering phones, data entry, and maintenance of building and grounds. Must be able to meet timelines and manage multiple priorities. Must be reliable, organized and detail oriented. Must have interpersonal skills and be able to meet the public and work with program staff.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Prefer Associates degree in early childhood education, elementary education, special education, home economics, child development, or a closely related field. A Child Development Associate credentials (CDA) and experience in early childhood education and supervision of others is desired. A minimum of a high school diploma is required. Wyoming Child & Family will only accept college degrees from accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Implements all administrative directives in center operations, ensuring activities carried out in the center meet the Head Start and other funding source guidelines.
• Serves as a “floating substitute” to ensure child staff ratios are maintained at all times.
• Assists with WCFD ChildPlus database, including running and interpreting reports.
• Ensures the safety of all enrolled children and families while participating in the WCFD programs, including transportation to and from center when required and necessary.
• Assists in the collection of the non-federal share or “in-kind” required from his/her community.
• Edits a newsletter on center activities for parents.
• Attends Parent Group Meetings and activities as assigned.
• Able to communicate effectively
• Recruits children for the program within the guidelines established by Department of Health and Human Services and Wyoming Child and Family Development.
• Must perform other duties as assigned by the Board or its designee.

ALL REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS POSITION WILL MEET THE HEAD START/EARLY HEAD START PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, DFS LICENSING, NAEYC STANDARDS, WYOMING DIVISION OF DISABILITIES RULES AND REGULATIONS AND WCFD POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. ALL EMPLOYEES WILL ADHERE TO THE MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES OF WCFD.

THESE ARE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS, NOT PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF THE PERSON(S) PRESENTLY IN THE JOB. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU MUST MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE JOB.

STANDARD JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have a valid driver’s license, safe driving record and liability insurance as required by Wyoming State Law. Driving records are reviewed annually.

PHYSICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be able to work with families and children birth through age 5.
• Must possess proper stress management techniques.
• Must possess visual acuity and stamina to read technical material for extended periods of time.
• Be able to sit, stand, or walk for long periods of time without fatigue or discomfort.
• Must be able to travel to site locations, meetings and trainings, both in and out of state.
• Must be willing to drive in a variety of weather conditions.
• Must be able to hear and process ordinary conversation and telephone conversation.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with staff, children, families, and community.
• Must be able to tolerate air-conditioned buildings and fluorescent lights.
• Must be able to climb stairs, stoop, kneel, crouch and/or reach, to retrieve materials and supplies from ground level to a height of at least 5 ft.
• Must have upper body strength to lift and carry the equivalent of 50 pounds.
• Must be able to assist a child to safety in case of an emergency.
• Must be able to work in a flexible daily routine and change as required.
• Must be able to work in a variety of temperatures, including hot and cold weather.
• Transportation staff must:

• Be able to tolerate possible exposure to biohazards, i.e., body fluids, etc.
• Have the ability to recognize mechanical problems that would require stopping of bus to prevent damage or potential accident while driving.
• Be able to read gauges on dash of bus and recognize indicator of problems.
• Be able to tolerate possible gas and diesel fumes.
• Be able to tolerate dust and gravel.