Parentchild+ Early Learning Specialist

Location: Franklin McKinley's Children's Initiative Center, 1399 Santee Dr., Building 2, San Jose CA 95122
OVERVIEW:
The Children's Initiative (CI) was designed from the experience and learning reached through the development of the Franklin-McKinley Children's Initiative which began in 2009 as a collaborative to address the system barriers, lack of resources and alignment with the intent of creating a cradle to college and career pipeline. With the expansion of the Family Resource Center on the school campus, sharing the lessons learned of how to leverage resources, focus on place and being grounded in the community, the Children's Initiative Model has been developed.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The staff under the Children's Initiative model will leverage learning, share knowledge and best practices and practice across programs, undergo continuous program improvement processes to support the client centered delivery of service within each resource centers community and work to leverage agency and partner resources to better support families.
The Early Learning Specialist conducts home visits to aid children, families, and child care providers develop their literacy and language skills and their parents/providers to practice strategies that support language development and caregiver child interaction. The Early Learning Specialist is trained to follow the protocols, curriculum, and strategies established by ParentChild+ program and follows the evidence based curriculum with fidelity. The Early Learning Specialist supports the recruitment of participants based on program guidelines. The Early Learning Specialist will engage in network opportunities with internal and external organizations and other programs to promote and disseminate information to parents, community groups.
OVERVIEW Of FIRST5 SANTA CLARA COUNTY (First 5):
FIRST 5 Santa Clara County (FIRST 5) is a local public agency governed by nine Commissioners, individuals representing county government, public health, social services, education, and early care and education. The Commissioners are charged with upholding the intent of Proposition 10 and administering the funds to support and promote programs and services for children prenatal through age 5 and their families. Vision: FIRST 5 Santa Clara County will be a catalyst for ensuring that the developmental needs of children prenatal through age 5 are a priority in all sectors of the community. Mission: FIRST 5 Santa Clara County supports the healthy development of children prenatal through age 5 and enriches the lives of their families and communities. Core Values: Collaboration - We work cooperatively with established systems, services, and the community on common goals to maximize effectiveness for children and families. Innovation - We apply what has been proven to work elsewhere to find fresh solutions to the specific needs of our community. Excellence - We seek to attain the highest quality outcomes, measured against established evidence-based models and best practices and the most credible current research. Accountability - We are responsible and results-driven with the resources the public entrusts to us. Respect - We embrace input and assistance from all facets of the community so we can span all cultures and languages to help every child and family.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide home visits as assigned by supervisor.
• Facilitate/Observe, model play, reading, and verbal interaction behaviors/activities between guardian/provider and child.
• Outreach within the community and support in the recruitment of program participants through ongoing engagement and collaboration with other staff within the agency as well as external organizations.
• Uses effective dual language instructional methods/models according to professional standard practice.
• Understand and model age appropriate expectations, in both targeted languages.
• Complete written reports after each home visit and input data into the database/s on time.
• Support parent/provider child interaction, dual language development, early literacy, and social-emotional development of the child.
• Curriculum planning; implement educational activities.
• Prepare information to be provided as resources in the community and ensure that this information is culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate and relevant to the family.
• Help parents/providers and caregivers identify gaps, barriers, and/or issues that interfere with children's healthy development.
• Complete required assessments and collect data as assigned including ASQ and ASQ:SE, CBT and PICCOLO.
• Maintain secure and confidential records and files for each family served. Maintain confidentiality of client information.
• Participate in training related to ParentChild+ curriculum and developmental materials used for working with families.
• Attend Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County trainings, meetings, and events as required.
• With the support of the Supervisor, refer and connect families (through warm handoff and/or the use of the intra-agency referral system or other mode) to community resources and serve as a facilitator in linking participants to social, educational, and health services.
• Follow directions from the program supervisor/manager/ or director in completing duties as assigned verbally or in the work plan.
• Understand agency guidelines and policies and procedures and act in alignment with the CCSCC core values of Service, Compassion and Justice for all.
• Adhere to FIRST 5 MAA requirements and federal, state, and local requirements to ensure MAA compliance.
• Complete all other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Desire to connect with and support families with toddlers in the community is a must.
• Experience in social service in a community setting, child development, literacy program and/or Family resource Centers.
• Extensive training will be provided, those having or working towards a degree in Early Childhood Educational/Child Development and related
  fields are encouraged to apply.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Bilingual Spanish/English or Vietnamese/ English required
• Ability to work with diverse workgroups and serve families with diverse economic, social, racial, and cultural backgrounds
• Knowledgeable about local community resources
• Ability to establish and maintain personal and programmatic boundaries while providing supportive services
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to relate to individuals who may not share basic commonality, including value systems and behavior norms
• Demonstrate good writing and organizational skill; Communicate effectively
• Maintain a professional, confidential work environment
• Knowledge of child development and behavior
• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and multitask
• Serve effectively as a member of a team internally and externally
• Be flexible, proactive, adaptable and able to work in a fast-paced, changing environment
• Be professional, trustworthy, respectful of others, and display a positive attitude
• Knowledge of modern office methods and practices, including filing systems, business, correspondence, presentations and report writing
• Knowledge of the Internet, computer programs, e.g., Microsoft Word, Outlook, Power Point, Excel, etc.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• The service is sometimes physical, requiring setting up for events which may require transporting or lifting cumbersome materials, e.g., easels, flip charts, refreshments, brochures, chairs, tables, etc. Must be able to lift 25 pounds.
• Must be able to report to a service site on a regular and reliable basis. Maintain different databases based on the program's need.
• Must be able to work a flexible schedule, which includes day, evening, weekend, and holiday hours, as appropriate, to coordinate and provide services and activities for families during non-traditional hours
• Able to travel between sites and to attend offsite events throughout the county, as appropriate

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS:

• Criminal background check via livescan fingerprint.
• Must have TB test performed and submit results.
• Provide proof of COVID-19 Vaccination and booster status.
• Automobile, valid driver's license and auto insurance per agency policy; or have access to reliable transportation

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Fast paced, diverse and dynamic environment
• Work is performed both indoors and outdoors.

HOURS AND OTHER CONDITIONS:

• Standard office hours are Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• This is a full-time, non-exempt position. Some evenings and weekends may be required to meet the needs of the position.

This position description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities. The order in which duties and responsibilities are listed is not significant Because of a need to remain responsive to the needs of our clients and our Agency's operations, responsibilities may be modified at any time.
Catholic Charities is a non-profit, non-discriminatory service organization and employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation or disability. Persons seeking employment are entitled to freedom from harassment and retaliation and reasonable accommodation for qualified disabilities.