Family Advocate

SUMMARY: The Family Advocate provides direct services to the Head Start children and Families by helping families create a family partnership agreements, if needed, help them to work on their goals, conduct absent home visits. Advocate for all Head Start families and program. To work with numerous supports and resources available within and outside Head Start to secure appropriate services for families.

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Family Advocate duties include helping families create a family partnership, conduct absent home visits. Advocate for all Head Start families and program. Other duties may be assigned.

Family Advocate:

• Help Families complete their Family Partnership/goal making
• Link families to Community Providers
• Maintain a current directory of Community Resources
• Completes filing and keeps the office files up-to-date and orderly (replace and destroy old forms as needed; destroy papers that are over three (3) years old; maintain and add to resource files).
• Keeps the Center Album; Correspondence and Confidential Binder up-to-date.
• Completes the monthly reports with the teaching staff for the program and sends to the Central Office by the 5th of each month.

Assure that all program inventories; surveys are filled out and sent to C.O.

• Becomes familiar with the Program Operations Manual; Head Start Performance Standards; rules and regulations, and the AVCP Head Start Service Plans.
• Ensures all paper work listed on the Program Operations Calendar are completed.
• Maintains child files (ensures accuracy and completeness of all forms including physical exams, complete document checklist, inform staff of needed actions for the children’s files, destroy files more than 3 years old).
• Conducts income verifications when a child’s application is turned in
• Maintains enrollment roster for the full program.
• Ensures that empty slots in enrollment are filled within 30 days of the child exiting the program.
• Reviews and analyzes records; identifies which children need home visits and track reasons for absence.
• Conducts absent home visits
• Assists the staff with child screenings when necessary; provides notices to parents of upcoming screenings.
• Maintains Referral Tracking Form; keeps calendar of referrals and checks to make sure they are complete.
• Participates in the classroom for 30 minutes each day to provide center staff members with the time to complete the required written observations.
• Helps in the classroom when needed and acts as a substitute when no other substitute staff are available.
• Keeps Parent Bulletin board attractive and up-to-date.
• Develops a monthly newsletter for the site and sends one article to the Central Office on a monthly basis for a program wide newsletter.
• Contacts parents and community members by creating and distributing flyers and other means of advertisement for upcoming events.
• Sends notices to parents regarding screenings, field trips and other classroom, home visitor or group socialization activities.
• Keeps the Community Resource List up-to-date.
• Helps to sanitize the classroom on Fridays.
• Keep the office neat and organized.

QUALIFICATIONS: The individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Must have strong computer skills. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This position requires a thorough understanding of the culture and the needs of the Tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region. Strong written, oral, organizational, computer and analytical skills are required. Bilingual Yup’ik/English preferred. Demonstrated ability to work in rural bilingual and intercultural programs. Demonstrated commitment and respect for the health and welfare of young children and families. Must be able to travel in and out of region as required in small aircraft and to use the Headstart Center for lodging when traveling. Ability to attend workshops and trainings as they are made available. Must pass a Physical Examination, TB test and criminal records background check. Past or present Headstart parent. Must be a minimum of nineteen (19) years of age. Native Hire Preference.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: High School graduate or GED required. Two (2) years minimum experience training and/or supervising Home-Based Personnel. Noted experience working with young children and families in rural Alaska.