Family Services & Community Director

Position is 238 workdays and 14 paid Holidays; a typical work week Monday \- Friday with a

minimum expectation of 40 hours per week. Some evenings and occasional Saturdays are required.

Able to work from home (remote) 2 days per week.

POSITION SUMMARY:

Responsible for providing leadership and direction agency\-wide to ensure the delivery of

comprehensive family and community services to enrolled children and their families. Ensures

delivery of services in accordance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards, the 2007

Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act, the Parent, Family and Community Engagement

Framework and supports the agency's school readiness plan.

Develops, coordinates, implements, monitors, and evaluates all aspects of the ERSEA and Family \&

Community Services area. This includes directing how the program determines eligibility, enrolls

children, and tracks attendance. Develops and implements a selection criteria, and carries out

recruitment and enrollment efforts; maximizing community awareness of services, building

community partnerships, promoting parent and male engagement activities, providing Parent

Committee and Policy Council support, overseeing the publication of a monthly parent newsletter, as

well as other communication with parents.

Designs family services in a way most likely to achieve the outcomes articulated in the PFCE

Framework. Ensures families receive required home visits, engage in a family partnership process,

and are made aware of community resources and are encouraged to utilize them to meet their human

service and health needs in order to move families toward PFCE outcomes.

Functionally supervises the Family and Community Services Coordinator, Parent Engagement and

Transitions Coordinator, ERSEA Coordinator, and service area Administrative Assistant.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Ensures Head Start Program Performance Standards and indicators outlined in the 2007 Improving

Head Start for School Readiness Act in areas of oversight are being met on an ongoing basis and

supports the agency's school readiness plan. Develops and updates the service area policies,

procedures, and training plans and monitors ongoing compliance and implementation of Family

Services policies and procedures.

• Collaborates with the Leadership team to write grants for program services
• Annually participates in the creation of the program Self\-Assessment and annual

report. Uses Community Assessment and Self\-Assessment data to identify

community strengths and needs related to family services.

• Participates in the development of program goals, outcomes, and intended impacts,

and creates family service objectives and activities to support their achievement.

• Helps in the preparation of the Head Start grant and other grants as requested by the

Executive Director.

• Directs the implementation of the Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework

agency wide.

• Works with the Parent Engagement and Transitions Coordinator to articulate

program\-wide that parent engagement is a shared responsibility with all those who

support children's learning and directs the agency's focus on positive family

engagement outcomes and tracks agency's progress to that end.

• Works collaboratively with the Education and Child Development Director and

Health and Nutrition Services Director to develop strategies and direct the work of

engaging parents and families in their children's development, learning and health

and nutritional needs.

• Directs the process by which Family Advocates form goal\-oriented, positive,

culturally responsive and respectful relationships with families.

• Participates in the development of an annual budget for the services and programs in which

the Family \& Community Services Director is primarily responsible and manages service

area budgetary expenditures.

• Assures procurement activities are consistent with fiscal policies and procedures.
• Collaborates with the Finance Director to assure service area expenses are reasonable,

necessary, allowable and allocable.

• Assures service area Coordinators are monitoring expenses of Family Advocates

related to family activities and Parent Committees and that expenses are reasonable,

necessary, allowable and allocable.

• Collaborates with HR to ensure that staffing needs are being met by determining needs,

interviewing and training new FS staff.

• Ensures Family Service staff are receiving ongoing training, coaching and professional

development.

• Collaborates with FS Coordinators to develop an annual training plan which meets all

training requirements of the HSPPS and ensures FS staff have the skills and

knowledge necessary to be successful in their positions.

• Provides annual pre\-service trainings for FS team and entire agency.
• Provides monthly in\-service trainings for FS team and overseas monthly community

partner trainings.

• Ensures that appropriate documentation is maintained of all FS trainings.

e. Oversees the annual Individual Professional Development Plan creation for all FS

staff and ensures regular follow\-up is occurring.

• Provides ongoing supervision and coaching for FS coordinators and FS

Administrative Assistant.

• Supports service area coordinators in their supervisory responsibilities with Family

Advocates.

• Assures file reviews and/or electronic data records and other ongoing monitoring of

direct services is conducted and documented.

• Directs and oversees the recruitment/enrollment process to ensure the timely enrollment of

eligible children. With ERSEA Coordinator:

• Ensures the enrollment selection criteria is approved by the Policy Council and Board

of Directors and is in\-line with Head Start Performance Standards and fully supported

by community assessment data.

• Ensures that the income verification process meets Head Start Performance

Standards.

• Ensures that all staff members verifying income receive required training and pass

reliability testing prior to taking or reviewing eligibility. Ensures that ERSEA training

is provided to all other parties required by HSPPS.

• Certifies that only children meeting eligibility and enrollment criteria are enrolled.
• Collaborates with the Disabilities and Mental Health Director, Manager and

Coordinators to participate in the child\-find process and ensure at least 10% of

cumulative enrollment slots are designated for children with disabilities. Collaborates

on actions to support children with extreme behavioral concerns.

• Works collaboratively with the Education \& Child Development Director, Disabilities

and Mental Health Director and Coordinators to assign children into classes and

establish initial class lists.

• Oversees ongoing enrollment to fill slots that become vacant within 30 days.
• Works with the Health and Nutrition Services Director and Coordinator for health and

nutrition needs of children as it pertains to enrollment and short\-term exclusions.

• Ensures that program is at 100 % funded enrollment throughout the program year.
• Prepares monthly enrollment and attendance status reports for Board and Policy

Council and enters end of month enrollment data on the Head Start enterprise system

or delegates report to ERSEA Coordinator.

• Supports service area coordinators and Family Advocates in their work monitoring child

absences to ensure overall classroom attendance does not fall below 85% in each month, and

that children whose cumulative attendance falls below 90% are supported in improving

attendance. Ensures reasons for absences are investigated and recorded in Child Plus.

• Directs the process by which Family Advocates form Family Partnership Agreements with

each family.

• Maintains comprehensive, accurate, and confidential records of all enrolled children

and families and ensures all efforts to assist the family are entered in Child Plus.

• Develops data collection methodologies to measure family outcomes.
• Supports Family Advocates in their efforts to provide professional case management and

prevention services to assist each Head Start family in becoming self\-sufficient and having

the resources to meet their human service and health needs. With the Family and Community

Services Coordinator ensures Family Advocates:

• Assess individual families' strengths and needs.
• Conduct required orientations and home visits to assigned Head Start families.
• Provide and document the appropriate follow\-up of assessed needs.
• Discuss and support parents in the goal setting process and track status of those goals
• Oversees and monitors bi\-monthly Parent Committee meetings and activities and monthly

Parent Committee Officer Planning meetings. Maintains complete written reports of

Committee activities. Works with Parent Engagement and Transitions Coordinator to:

• Assure Parent Committees are formed early in the year and are constituted as

required by regulations.

• Assure that Parent Committees elect Parent Committee Officers, with special

attention to filling Policy Council (PC) representatives and alternates at each site.

• Provide annual orientation training to Parent Committee Officers
• Assure Family Advocates attempt to replace PC representatives and alternates in a

timely fashion when a vacancy occurs and that they are providing support to parents

to meet their responsibilities as PC members.

• Assure parent committee planning meetings are properly documented for parent

volunteer in\-kind hours on a monthly basis

• Ensures that Parent Committee budgets are utilized in accordance with program and

federal fiscal policies and procedures.

• Work with the Parent Engagement and Transitions Coordinator to promote parent and male

engagement in the Head Start program according to Head Start Performance Standards.

• Supports service area Coordinators and Family Advocates with the planning,

preparation and participation of Head Start family activities.

• Strategizes innovative ways in which parents are encouraged to volunteer in the

program and to participate in Head Start activities.

• Assures Family Advocates are providing support for documenting parent volunteer

time including time at home or the classroom.

• Oversees and directs the provision of the elected parenting curriculum in collaboration with

the Disabilities and Mental Health team.

• Reviews monthly parent newsletters prepared by the Parent Engagement and Transitions

coordinator and ensures that program information is communicated to parents in their

primary language whenever possible.

• Works collaboratively with the Education and Child Development Director to develop and

implement a systematic procedure for transferring, with parental consent, Head Start program

records for each participating child to the parent or the school in which such child will enroll.

• Supports the work of Family Advocates and Teachers in their collaborative efforts to

help parents (including grandparents and kinship caregivers, as appropriate) to

understand the importance of parental engagement in a child's academic success

while teaching them strategies for maintaining parental engagement as their child

moves from Head Start to elementary school.

• Assures transition activities are developed by the Parent Engagement and Transitions

Coordinator to facilitate parent engagement in transitions.

• Prepares a monthly system report for the Comprehensive Services Deputy Director and the

Executive Director and presents enrollment and attendance statistical information to the

Board of Directors and the Policy Council.

• Conducts a yearly self\-assessment of the service area and collects PIR information. Develops

plans of action.

• With the leadership team, analyzes the community assessment to formulate service

area and agency goals, and together, decide what program options would best meet

the needs of the community.

• Coordinates the creation of the Family Services section of the Annual Parent Survey

and reviews it to ensure the information gathered will give data for the area

self\-assessment. Coordinates to have the survey distributed to parents at the last home

visit and Parent Teacher conference. Develops Family Outcomes report to include in

Self\-Assessment and annual report to the public

• Gathers and analyzes PIR information relative to family services.
• Supports the Parent Engagement and Transitions Coordinator's efforts in assessing and

enhancing PFCE practices in the program utilizing the Markers of Progress as a resource,

with the goal that activities be carried out throughout the entire organization.

• Participates in community activities to maintain good public relations for ELE/Mountainland

Head Start, Inc. programs, services and activities. Oversees the development and

maintenance of service area specific Memorandum of Understanding to increase families'

access to community services.

• Approves content for the areas of the website for which Family Services have primary

responsibility and assures it is up to date.

• Directs the agency's suspected child neglect and/or abuse training and reporting system and

conducts all reporting to DCFS and/or proper authorities. Works collaboratively with HR to

ensure that all staff members receive this training upon hire and on an annual basis.

• Works collaboratively with the Comprehensive Services Deputy Director, the Executive

Director and other service area Directors to resolve elevated parent concerns following ELE's

communication approach.

• Works collaboratively with the Comprehensive Services Deputy Director, the Executive

Director and other service area Directors as a leadership team to ensure all service areas are

working together to provide seamless comprehensive services and staying true to the

agency's mission and vision.

• Supports the achievement of in\-kind goals by actively participating in the solicitation of

in\-kind services and donations to the Head Start program including, but not limited to,

encouraging community members and organizational contacts to volunteer, provide donations

of professional services, supplies, and anything else needed to support the Head Start

program.

• Expected to provide temporary assistance in the classrooms to meet minimum child to staff

ratios, or to ensure the safety of children, in the absence of enough Education and Child

Development Service Area staff. Staff from any service area working or present at a center

when the need arises will be called upon first, with Administrative Office staff being utilized

if insufficient staff is present on site.

• Expected to assist the agency in maintaining safe and healthy environments for children and

staff by immediately reporting health and safety risks/concerns or potential concerns to a

leadership staff member and/or via our internal work order system and follow up with

appropriate staff in a timely or appropriate manner.

• Other job\-related duties as assigned may be necessary to carry out the responsibilities of this

position.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Services, Psychology, Family Studies, Human Services or a

related field, as determined by the agency, from an accredited college or university is

required. A Master's degree and/or CSW are preferred.

• A minimum of five years' work experience in non\-profit agency operations management

and supervision, or an equivalent combination of experience and education.

• Demonstrated ability to organize, direct and coordinate operations in personnel

supervision, communications, and budget management.

• Ability to speak Spanish is required.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Demonstrated ability to minimize defensiveness and reach mutual agreement and/or

understanding when addressing parent concerns when they arise.

• Ability to manage multiple tasks and to develop solutions to problems with limited

supervision.

• Ability to use a computer to collect, record, retrieve data and prepare reports.
• Plan, organize, coordinate, and administer activities.
• Ability to plan, formulate and execute record keeping procedures in accordance with

assigned duties.

• Ability to prioritize and manage workload and strict deadlines
• Polished analytical skills having the ability to draw conclusions based on data and the

ability to use data and sound judgment to drive decision\-making.

• Knowledge of community resources and how to access services for children and families.
• Well versed in family dynamics.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to establish and maintain effective

working relationships with staff, direct reports, Board members, community groups, and

other related agencies and people.

EARLY LEARNING ESSENTIALS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVISE THIS JOB DESCRIPTION AT OUR

DISCRETION WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE AT ANYTIME.