Family Engagement Advocate

Family Engagement Advocate, Full-time 12 months. Hours: 8:30A.m. – 4:30 p.m. and can vary and include evenings and weekends. This position is located at the Orange, NJ site. The Family Engagement Advocate utilizes knowledge of the principles of family engagement to support families in their role as their child's first teacher, encouraging parent/child interactions that promote school readiness and healthy development and enhancing family well-being.

The Family Engagement Advocate promotes family development and advancement and helps parents and caregivers achieve family goals and build social networks to improve family leadership and advocacy skills through participation in the agency governance, such as becoming class parents and/or members of the Policy Council, as well as other agency and community-based leadership opportunities.

Duties include: Develop and maintain ongoing outreach strategies to inform families and the community of services and activities at the center; Form community partnerships; Promote parent engagement/involvement in both home and center-based activities; this includes encouraging meaningful parent volunteer opportunities; Establish and maintain accurate, updated records for each child in organized and completed files, upload files to the Child Plus Data system, and meet established productivity standards for the program; Maintain family records and complete all necessary family services documentation within established program time frames.

Assist parents by formulating and maintaining family partnership agreements; must offer parents opportunities to set goals and deliver the resources to meet them; Encourage, help, and support parents in achieving self-sufficiency (acquiring a GED diploma or a college degree, finding a job, or locating secure housing, etc.)

by establishing family partnership agreements and monitoring families' progress toward reaching their goals; Provide presentations at meetings.

Qualifications

Bachelor's or Master's degree in social work, psychology, counseling, or sociology preferred, or Associate's degree in social work, human services, early childhood education, or in a field the agency considers to be equivalent combined with three years of relevant experience and credentials; or High school diploma/GED and five (5) years of related experience; Skills and Abilities: Strong knowledge of human service resources in Essex County; Familiarity with the social issues and barriers that hinder low-income people from achieving economic stability and social equity; Knowledge of effective school readiness strategies and positive parenting skills; Ability to interact with and work effectively and sensitively with persons of all economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds and adapt to diverse environments.

Strong ability to form empathetic relationships and empower families; Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing in English and Spanish or Haitian Creole is required. Ability to present to community organization groups and facilitate parent curriculum. Strong team orientation and experience with collaboratively resolving problems.

High integrity, clear boundaries, and a mature approach to interpersonal relationships; Able to develop practical, flexible, and creative solutions. Skilled in Microsoft Office and Google Platform; familiarity with standard social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram); Ability to quantify service area outcomes and lift to 35 lbs.

Available for evening or weekend hours; Must have a valid NJ driver's license, automobile liability insurance, and an automobile fit for work-related tasks.