Family Engagement Specialist
Reports to: United Way of Westchester and Putnam Director of Educational Programs
Category: Full Time
Compensation: $40,000- $45,000 + benefits
Primary Purpose
The Family Engagement Specialist encourages family/parent involvement in the program and the child’s education and provides ongoing education programs to immediate family members, parents/legal guardians of students enrolled in the 21st CCLC program. The Family Engagement Specialist supports families, staff, and community participants in their efforts to help students achieve educational excellence and bridge the gap between home, school, and community.
Qualifications
Minimum Education/Certification: Associate’s degree from an accredited university
Special Knowledge/Skills
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- Must be bilingual in English and Spanish
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- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
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- Familiarity with the community and support agencies
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- Adaptable to meet the needs of the families in the program
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- Experience with child development and effective parenting techniques
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- Experience working with families from diverse cultures and economic backgrounds
- Ability to communicate in the native language(s) of program participants preferred
- Minimum Experience
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- Minimum of two (2) years in education, social services, adult education, community organizations or related fields
Major Responsibilities and Duties
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- Plan, coordinate and implement a family engagement program at each 21st CCLC center.
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- Work closely with the center and the parent-teacher organization of its partner school.
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- Plan, organize, and lead family support service workshops.
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- Promote the involvement of parent and community volunteers at the site.
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- Work closely with at-risk students to ensure they receive continued support for their educational goals.
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- Inform families of community resources that could provide needed assistance.
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- Develop family resource centers that include periodicals, videos, books and educational games/materials for the entire family, and support engagement/Assist the site coordinator and other staff with identifying effective strategies and designing activities for involving parents/families/community members.
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- Be knowledgeable about and stay abreast of basic and advanced parent/family/community involvement and training methodology to share ideas and generate strategies to be implemented at sites.
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- Communicate and collaborate with the site coordinator(s) and 21st CCLC program director at all times regarding activities, issues, and concerns.
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- Establish and maintain productive working relationships with campus staff and parents/families/community.
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- Develop knowledge of and relationships with community resources.
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- Document program activities to identify successful practices and share and support these practices.
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- Design and conduct, with campus personnel, parent/family/community surveys to be used to develop plans and activities.
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- Serve as a member of the program planning team.
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- Assist in facilitating parent-staff conferences.
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- Serve as a resource for parent/family/community groups
Working Conditions (Mental Demands/ Physical Demands/Environmental Factors)
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- Work mainly in the school/office environment.
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- Work with frequent interruptions.
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- Maintain emotional control under stress.
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- Meet deadlines.
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- Be willing to travel frequently in the district and occasionally around the state.
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- Make visits to local homes and have personal transportation.
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- Be willing to work occasional prolonged and irregular hours on evenings or weekends.
Other Duties as Assigned
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- Perform other related duties as assigned.
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- All employees are expected to comply with lawful directives in exceptional situations and provide support when a team effort is required.
Personal Work Relationships
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- Report to the program director.
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- Consult frequently with teachers, principals, counselors, and other school-day staff.
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- Maintain regular contact with program staff, students, and families.
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- Attend monthly program staff meetings and staff development sessions.
The above statements describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and may not include all required responsibilities, duties, and skills.
To apply for the position, please send your resume and a letter of interest to Faith Butcher at [email protected].