Parent Advocate

JOB SUMMARY:

The Parent Advocate (including substitutes) provides high quality health, mental health, nutrition, social services to children and their families, and will use agency standards to ensure that services provided are in alignment with the Social Determinants of Health through a trauma informed care lens as defined by the agency. Will also assist in providing parent engagement activities to Head Start families that support the Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework. Assists in promoting family outcomes that enhance the family well-being, positive parent-child relationships, families as lifelong educators, families as learners, family engagement in transitions, family connections to peer and community, and families as advocates and leaders. Comply with the Head Start Program Performance Standards, the Head Start Act, Licensing Minimum Standards, and agency policies and procedures. Build partnerships with families to assist them in identifying their own goals, strengths, needed services and support systems and in developing strategies and timetables for achieving their own goals. Responsible for eligibility, recruitment, enrollment and attendance. Completes data entry into our data base and provides clerical support to the program.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:

1. Reports to: Education Center Operator or designee

2. Directs: Parents and volunteers

3. Other: Works cooperatively with all staff to accomplish the mission, goals, objectives and performance measures of the program and agency

ESSENTIAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS AND FUNCTIONS:

Required Competencies/Skills:

1. Healthcare and Human Services Environments: Ability to explain issues and advancements in the healthcare and human services industries.

2. Achievement Orientation: A concern for surpassing a standard of excellence. The standard may be one's own past performance; an objective measure; outperforming others; challenging goals, or something that has not been done previously.

3. Community Orientation: Ability to align one's own and the organization's priorities and assess and address community needs in an evidence-based and holistic manner, one that addresses the social determinants of health through a trauma-informed lens.

4. Professionalism and Ethics: The demonstration of ethics and sound professional practices, as well as stimulation social accountability and community stewardship. The desire to act in a way that is consistent with one's values and what one says is important.

5. Interpersonal Understanding: Ability to understand other people as well as to accurately hear and understand the unspoken or partly expressed thoughts, feelings, and concerns of others. It measures increasing complexity and depth of understanding of others and includes cross-cultural sensitivity through a trauma-informed care lens.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job satisfactorily, an individual must be able to perform each essential performance requirement satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the training, experience, knowledge, and skills required for this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions listed above.

Education/Training/Experience:

1. High School Diploma or equivalent.

1. Current Pediatric CPR and First Aid Certification

2. Family Service Worker Credential

3. Three years experience in delivering social services to vulnerable families.

4. Understands cultural differences and is sensitive to the implications of culture for service delivery; and able to utilize various learning techniques in the successful delivery of Family and Community Support Services.

5. Familiarity and competency with modern office equipment, software and computer systems; familiar with and working knowledge of Microsoft Office Operating Systems (word, excel, powerpoint, etc.) word processing, spreadsheets, and databases; and understanding of database systems and their utilization.

6. A parent of a current or former participant in a Head Start program, preferred.

7. Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, desirable.

8. Fluent in English and Spanish (read, write, and speak) desirable.

9. Staff will be required to submit proof of their vaccination status or may request to be exempt from vaccination due to a religious and/or medical accommodation.

10. Certificate or license, as applicable, by the appropriate State agency as a qualified practitioner.

11. State of Texas vehicle operator's license and proof of liability insurance.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. While performing the duties of this job, you must be able to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, talk and hear, and taste or smell.

2. You may be able to lift up to 10 pounds, have close vision, color vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust your focus with good hand-eye coordination.