Playgroup Mentor Assistant

Job Type
Part-time
Description
Job Summary:
Playgroup Mentor Assistant supports creating and guiding cohort-based developmentally adaptive and inclusive play-based experiences for young children and their families to unlock each child's curiosity, imagination, and potential in the Let's Be Friends playgroup program. Builds positive relationships between parents and children, by creating a sense of belonging and a community of support through various family engagement activities. Responsible for the data collection, data entry and the data accuracy of the project.
Essential Functions:

• Use relationship-based strategies, responsive to family language, culture and context to "meet families where they are" in developing an understanding of family values, strengths, current service needs and goals.
• Participate and assist in the planning, preparation, set-up and clean-up of playgroup activities to meet the developmental needs of all ages of children attending the playgroup and ensure those are reflective of best practices for playgroup and universal learning principles.
• Plan a variety of early learning and early literacy activities based on play. Recognize both individual and group needs and make adjustments to ensure all children and families are fully engaged and participating in an meaningful way that is purposeful for them.
• Create a warm, welcoming, and safe environment for all children and their families in the program. Welcome and orient each family with a "meet and greet" before the first session of the Let's Be Friends Playgroup program to review program schedule, dates, expectations, answer any questions parents may have, give them a tour of the space, and complete enrollment.
• Promote inclusion, accept and ensure each child's and family's needs are met so that they can fully participate in a way that meaningfully suits their goals for being in the playgroup.
• Establish rapport with each child and family and display empathy and understanding of others' perspectives, needs, concerns, and culture.
• Ensure toys are cleaned on a regular and ongoing basis. Team members practice and promote consistent hand washing.
• Develop and maintain a supportive relationship with parents and caregivers; facilitate their engagement with their child's participation in playgroup activities.
• Be a resource for parents by coaching and modeling on developmental appropriate interactions with children, including redirecting children's behavior and providing behavior support strategies as needed.
• Responsible for data collection, data entry and data accuracy.
• Conduct outreach so that community, partner agencies, and other programs at EPU have current information about Let's Be Friends programs activities.
• Meet with parents during "office hours" before and after playgroup sessions to support enrollment and transition out of the playgroup services.
• Plan and coordinate 1-2 family engagement activities per cohort (8-10 week long per cohort; length of cohort may be modified based on program needs and participant feedback) with Let's Be Friends' participants.
• Provide families with information and supportive referrals to needed early childhood and family strengthening resources in the community.
• Promote community awareness by sharing various family friendly community events and information as appropriate.
• Supply a healthy light snack (assist with purchase of a snack when requested, prepare, serve and clean up), unless a different process is otherwise agreed upon.
• Follow the establish referral monitoring system to reinforce proper documentation and follow through.
• Attend and participate in a variety of assigned meetings, committees, trainings, in-services and/or special events to improve program implementation.
• Exhibit professionally appropriate interpersonal skills including but not limited to tact, patience, flexibility and courtesy.
• Operate a variety of office equipment, including but not limited to a computer and assigned software applications.
• Work collaboratively and maintain effective working relationships with staff and community partners.
• Assure adherence to the agency policies and procedures by program staff and maintain proper confidentiality at all times.
• Maintain, manage, and process records, files and information in a confidential manner that meets HIPAA and other applicable confidentiality regulations.
• Manage petty cash assigned to the program and follow agency's established protocol for maintaining backup documentation for expenses.
• Must hold valid California Driver's license and good driving record with no serious violations for the previous two-year period and be able to provide proof of current automobile liability insurance. Must have reliable transportation for use in local travel.
• EPU facility hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Position may require working some early evenings to increase access for families (i.e. 9:00 - 6:00 pm).
• May perform other duties as assigned by the Sr. Program Manager of Early Intervention Services, Program Director and/or Chief Executive Officer.

Requirements
Knowledge, Skill and Experience:
Education: Must have a High School diploma or equivalent. Associate's Degree in Child Development, Special Education, Psychology or related field preferred; 3-6 college units in Early Intervention will be desired.
Skills:

• Ability to communicate and maintain friendly relationships with children, parents, other caregivers and community members.
• Exhibit strong leadership skills and feel comfortable facilitating play-based activities in front of a group.
• Must have strong written and verbal communication skills, information gathering, summarization, listening comprehension, goal setting, multi-tasking, initiative taking, and able to make independent decisions within guidelines, code of ethics.
• Must have warmth and sensitivity for working with children and their families.
• Creative, team-oriented, reflective, and effective in time management.

Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years' of experience in Early Childhood, Early Intervention/ Special Education, Parenting Program, or Social Work.
• Experience in customer services, including dealing with people with disabilities, diverse background; have the capacity to engage families and yet maintain the boundaries of a helping relationship.
• Computer literate, knowledge of Microsoft Office products.
• Bi-lingual, bi-cultural is a plus.

Physical Demands:
Typical Working Condition: Position works at the EPU facility. Staff works in a classroom setting at the EPU facility. Must be able to sit on floors, squat, stand, stoop, and bend at waist, twist and turn to work with children.
Equipment Used: Personal vehicle for local travel, computers, printers, telephones, and fax machines.
Essential Physical Tasks: Working with children and their families require the ability to sit on floors, reach, twist, turn, kneel, stand, stoop, crawl, lift, carry, push and pull. Eyesight corrected or uncorrected sufficient to read a variety of materials including but not limited to fine print. Hearing with or without use of hearing aid(s) sufficient to hear any conversation with others; understandable voice and speech patterns.
This position description may not be an exhaustive list of all duties, knowledge, or abilities associated with this classification; however, it is intended to accurately reflect the principle job elements. Related duties, knowledge, or abilities to those expressly stated may also be required for successful performance of the position.