Home Visitor - Bilingual

Description

Start Early (formerly known as the Ounce) is an energized, future-focused organization committed to providing quality early learning and care across the country.

Our desire to close the opportunity gap and build more equitable early learning experiences for our youngest learners guides everything we do. As a leader in early learning and care, we scale our deep expertise across program, policy, and research through partnerships across the country.

We are recruiting individuals who want to join us in this mission and share a commitment to our core values of appreciation & respect, empowerment, diversity, excellence, learning, and communication. Become part of our rewarding, mission-driven culture. We want our employees to feel empowered, motivated, energized, and passionate about the work they do.

The Bilingual Home Visitor is responsible for providing comprehensive case management services to enhance the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development of participating children and families in the Head Start / Early Head Start home-based program. Arrange and provide a variety of educational experiences for parents and children to reduce isolation, integrating them into the larger community, expanding social networks, and improving parenting skills. Ensures compliance with Head Start / Early Head Start guidelines and regulations. 

Responsibilities:

• Serves as an advocate for Head Start families and as a liaison between families and the program. Make referrals to the appropriate services and conduct follow-up to assure delivery of needed assistance. 
• Provide in-home information and support to parents and children to enhance the parents’ ability to fill the role of primary nurturer for their child. 
• Work jointly with parents to develop and implement 90-minute weekly home visit plans based on each child’s assessment and identified family needs that offer a variety of stimulating, creative, engaging learning experiences for parents and children that are developmentally appropriate. 
• Engage and encourage parents to participate in program activities such as parent-child activities during home visits, socialization, parent meetings, and other training events as appropriate. 
• Observe, assess, and document each child’s health, skills, behavior, growth, and development. Participates in case management screenings and staffing’s. 
• Maintain documentation of all services in the individual family files and ensure up-to-date program files for each family and child. Maintains and preserves a confidential family file. 
• Participates in ongoing training and staff development provided by Start Early, other consultants, workshops, and conferences.
• Attend regularly scheduled staff meetings, education meetings, social service meetings, and health meetings. 
• Implements procedures for recruitment and actively recruits for the program. 
• Attend recruitment events. 
• Assists in identifying children with special needs and supports the process of necessary referrals. 
• Integrates other components, i.e., health, nutrition, mental health, parent involvement, and special needs/individualization into the home visit. 
• Works collaboratively to provide children with group socialization experiences in conjunction with the peer Home Visiting team. 

Requirements

• An Associate’s degree in Social Work, Child Development, or a related field is required. Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Child Development, or a related field preferred.   
• A Home Visitor CDA is required at Hire or within 1-year of hire. 
• Fluent in both English and Spanish is required (Must be able to read, write, and speak Spanish proficiently).
• Minimum of one to three years of experience working in early childhood/family support or home visiting programs.
• Must have reliable transportation and the ability to travel regularly throughout Chicagoland and the surrounding suburban areas. 
• Knowledge of theories and principles of healthy child growth and development. 
• Experience in creating comprehensive developmental activities for parents and children, program development, and assessing the quality of services. 
• Working knowledge of community resources, family welfare, and government assistance programs. 
• Communicate effectively and function well with families, children, staff, and various professional community groups. 
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to establish supportive, meaningful relationships with pregnant women, families, and their infants. 
• Knowledge of principles and practices of infant and child development and family practice. 
• Ability to use reflective supervision. 
• Ability to work within a team. 
• Knowledge of community resources and the capacity to develop community cooperation to ensure that pregnant women receive comprehensive services. 
• Good written and verbal communication skills. 
• Basic knowledge of computer software and functions commonly used in general business settings. 
• Effectively establish and maintain relationships with colleagues/clients and gain their trust and respect.
• Comfort and experience in handling risk and uncertainty to move work forward.
• Deep commitment to advancing diversity and incorporating them into interpersonal routines and practice.
• Efficiently establish and handle relationships with colleagues/clients and gain their trust and respect.
• Relief and experience in handling risk and uncertainty to move work forward.

Physical Requirements: 

• Ability to perform essential job functions, including walking moderate distances and navigating a variety of environments such as residential and community settings. 
• Must be able to safely ascend and descend stairs as part of routine job duties. 
• Regularly positions self (e.g., kneeling, crouching, sitting, and standing) to assist children during activities, including getting up and down from the floor. 
• Frequently move classroom furniture and equipment, including desks, chairs, tables, easels, and children’s toys. 
• May be required to lift and carry up to 25 pounds to support program and event needs. 
• Frequently works in outdoor environments and varying weather conditions. 
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Salary: $53,000.00 - $55,000.00

Our generous benefit plan includes:

Comprehensive Health Plans, Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion, Holistic Wellness Program, Professional Development Program, 401k Contribution, Paid Volunteer Days, 6 months paid parental leave, and much more.

Start Early is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to our core values by creating an inclusive environment for all staff.