Family Advocate

Essential duties and responsibilities:

• Assist families in the development of Family Partnership Goals and monitor progress.
• Document and track follow-up needs such as health, dental, nutrition, hearing and vision concerns, and Family Partnership Goals.
• Conduct Family Needs Assessments and secure support resources.
• Create and promote family involvement through classroom activities, parent meetings, field trips, and policy council.
• Advocate and collaborate with Guadalupe Centers Inc. and other community agencies to support child, family, and agency outcomes. 
• Attend professional development meetings and training opportunities.
• Make at least two home visits per family (virtually or in-person) each year.
• Maintain ongoing contact with teaching staff to share relevant family information. 
• Understand the Dual Language Curriculum and support families in their understanding of program curricula.
• Participate in the referral and Special Education processes as needed.
• Maintain a professional relationship with staff and families.
• Maintain confidentiality of information at all times.
• Attend and complete required professional training, classes, meetings, and workshops.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualification Requirements: To perform this job successfully, an individual must perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Qualifications:

• BA or Certification in Social Work required
• Two (2) years of experience working in Early Childhood Education preferred
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) oral and written required
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in both languages.
• Strong organizational and active listening skills
• Medium to the expert level in Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Medium to expert level on Google emails, hangouts, sheets, documents, calendars, etc.
• Strong sense of empathy and social perceptiveness 
• Pass a background check and drug screening required.
• TB test required
• FBI and MO State fingerprint clearance required
• Knowledge of community diversity and cultural dynamics. 
• Ability to work in a non-judgmental way with a diverse range of people maintaining a respectful and inclusive culture.

Work Environment:

This job operates in an early childhood school and professional environment. This role continually uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines. Guadalupe Centers serves a diverse population, including children, adolescents, and adults, who may have mental or behavioral health problems. Consequently, all GC staff must demonstrate appropriate daily behavior, appropriate expression of emotions, and appropriate role modeling.  Hostility, aggression, unnecessary or inappropriate physical actions, and inappropriate emotional expression are not acceptable behaviors for our employees.

Physical Requirements:

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

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, talk, or hear. The employee is also frequently required to walk, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 45 pounds. The employee must occasionally push items of 45 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and depth perception. The employee is directly responsible for safety, well-being, and work output.

This job's specific abilities include close vision, such as reading handwritten or typed material and adjusting focus. The position requires the individual to meet multiple demands from several people and interact with the public and other staff.

Equal Opportunity Employer

GCI is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, creed, ancestry, age, sex, gender, national origin, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship, disability, genetic information, veteran status, service member status or any other category protected by federal, state or local law. Preventing discrimination is the responsibility of every employee in the way employees treat and interact with one another. Therefore, GCI expects all work relations to be business-like and professional, free of bias, prejudice, harassment and/or discrimination.

GCI's policy of Equal Opportunity extends to all conditions of employment including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, placement, training, compensation, discipline, transfers, separation, layoff, recall, leave of absence and promotion. GCI will not tolerate any discrimination in the workplace, and it is expected that any employee who believes they  have been subjected to any practice that appears to be inconsistent with this policy will contact Human Resources.  Improper interference with the ability of GCI's employees to perform their expected job duties is not tolerated.

GCI encourages reporting of incidents or concerns regarding discrimination to the Director of Human Resources, so that prompt and constructive action can be taken.  There will be no retaliation or adverse action against an employee for raising an issue or complaint pursuant to this policy.  The report will be investigated to determine what, if any, responsive action is necessary and appropriate.  Any employee found responsible for an inappropriate or discriminatory act will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including separation.