Mental Health and Disabilities Coordinator

Salary begins at $48,200 annualized based on background and experience. * $2,000 * Hiring Bonus for external candidates (50% after 90 days of employment and 50% after one year of employment).

Illinois Action for Children (“IAFC”), has been a local, state and national leader in the early childhood care and education sector for over 50 years. IAFC programs, services, and advocacy improve learning and life outcomes for children and families, including reducing the effects of poverty. IAFC works to ensure that every child in Illinois – particularly those in need – have access to the necessary resources to succeed in school and in life.

Along with our mission, IAFC is committed to building and maintaining a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist culture. We are dedicated to this pledge through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and servicing our staff and clients. IAFC staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our essential work. The Mental Health and Disabilities Coordinator leads the agency’s efforts to promote mental wellness for children and families and to support children with special needs in achieving their full potential. This individual will collaborate closely with the agency’s Mental Health Consultant will manage and promote relationships with local school districts and Early Intervention providers.

This incumbent will be expected to promote and adhere to the workplace core capabilities of: accountability, customer focus, continuous quality improvement, communication, competent people and clear priorities. All work to be completed with minimum supervision and in accordance with organizational standards.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include but are not limited to the following. The organization reserves the right to add to, delete, change or modify the essential duties and responsibilities at any time.

Content Area Leadership:

• Leads all program functions related to mental health and disabilities services across all program options, ensuring compliance and advancing best practices. Develops guidance and partners with Early Learning managers to provide ongoing professional development to program staff responsible for implementing each component.
• In partnership with the Mental Health Consultant, develops an annual plan for mental health services that reflects parent input and staff needs.
• In partnership with the Lead Family Engagement Specialist, develops guidance and provides embedded professional development for family engagement staff to ensure that families receive information, resources and support needed at every stage of the referral process.
• Partners with Education Manager to ensure that social-emotional learning best practices and individual supports for children with special needs are embedded into the curriculum across program options.
• Partners with the Education Manager to identify and plan intentional professional development to support education staff in meeting the unique and individual needs of children.
• Implements and reviews program policies and procedures to ensure that processes for mental health and disabilities are followed. Proposes revisions based on program needs and identified challenges.
• Conducts ongoing monitoring of disabilities and mental health compliance through on-site visits, review of screening data, program records and review of program-level COPA data. Reviews implementation of systems to identify safety or compliance risks, determine root causes and implement a comprehensive strategy, including training, resource development and measures for accountability.
• Identifies areas of non-compliance and implement a plan to resolve those concerns in partnership with department management.

Operations and Partner Relationships:

• Partners with Family Engagement Specialists to ensure that identified children are effectively referred for mental health observation or special education evaluation as appropriate.
• Ensures that all mental health and disabilities referrals, evaluations and services are tracked using the COPA database. Uses COPA reports to identify and resolve potential issues. Ensures that case notes fully document the status of all cases.
• Cultivates and maintains effective partnerships with Early Intervention and all service area local education agencies to support the special education referral process from all IAFC program options.
• Partners with Parent Involvement Coordinator to schedule and plan workshops for families addressing mental health, rights and responsibilities of families with special needs and other areas of the disabilities component as needed.
• Identifies and pursues opportunities to represent IAFC to external groups/organizations to promote the agency and increase utilization of services through events, presentations and/or day-to-day contact.
• Ensures confidentiality of parent and provider information received and managed by IAFC.
• Executes our workplace core capabilities of: accountability, customer focus, continuous quality improvement (CQI), communication, competent people and clear priorities.
• Independently works on multiple tasks effectively in support of department.
• Other Functions: The organization may assign other functions to the job at its discretion

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, child development, special education, social work or a related field required, with significant coursework related to the goals of this position. Experience managing mental health and disabilities services in a Head Start or other early childhood program strongly preferred.

Benefits of Working at IAFC:

Working with passionate team members that are driven by our Mission: Illinois Action for Children is a catalyst for organizing, developing and supporting strong families and powerful communities where children matter most.

We strive to foster and implement a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion across our organization. We know it is not only critical to the success of diversity initiatives - but instrumental in creating an unbiassed and inclusive workplace It not only relates to the diverse clients we serve but also creates a positive employee experience.

We offer an extensive benefits package that adds value to your total compensation. Our benefits include:

• Health, dental and vision insurance plans with company contribution of 95% for single coverage
• 401k with company match
• Generous PTO – first year-23 days, the second year-28 days, the third year and on - 35 days
• 11 Paid Holidays and 1 Floating Holiday
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Flexible Spending Account
• STD & LTD insurance
• Company paid Life Insurance

While we desire for this job posting to be comprehensive, all aspects of the position may be amended at any time at the discretion of IAFC including job duties, work location and/or work schedule.

This position will work in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. IL Action for Children is EEO/M/F/V/D employer.