Preschool Family Services Assistant (Gardena/Montebello-Commerce) (4312)

## Description

**YMCA OF METROPOLITAN LOS ANGELES**

The LA Y is the Center for Community Well-Being in Los Angeles, committed to building stronger communities by providing equitable programs and services to empower all. We are focused on fighting food insecurity, providing equity in education, making sure every child has the opportunity to experience the joy of sports, ensuring kids and teens have a safe place to grow, learn and live a healthy lifestyle. The LA Y’s health and wellness initiatives offer medical and mental health resources to ensure everyone has access to basic health needs. Our mission is to provide services and resources that contribute to the well-being of our community. The LA Y operates 29 Centers and over 200 program sites across LA County.

**POSITION SUMMARY**

Under the direction of the Family Services Engagement Coordinator the Family Services Assistant will recruit and enroll families; support families to meet all the requirements of CCL, CSPP, Head Start and Early Head Start prior to and throughout enrollment (e.g., health requirements, nutrition requirements, immunizations, etc.); provides support to families in accordance with their specific needs; support families with other service areas as needed, such as health, nutrition, education, mental health, and disabilities.

The Family Services Assistant helps families to attain self-sufficiency through goal setting and family engagement activities. This role is more of a support and collaborative partner with the health and nutrition coordinator and other service areas plus they will be supported by the Operations Executive.

**ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS**

• Manage caseload of HS and EHS families in assigned sites.
• Carries out Head Start Performance Standards, requirements of the Head Start Act, the requirements of the LACOE contract and the requirements of the California Department of Education (CDE). and including program information reporting and data entry.
• Attend Coordinator meetings in the absence of the Family Services Engagement Coordinator, at LACOE and any other LACOE meetings as needed
• Responsible for Data entry, such as inputting information into LACOE's ChildPlus database and maintaining information.

**Essential Function: Enrollment & Recruitment**

• Conducts ongoing outreach and recruitment to ensure site enrollment for assigned Head Start/State Preschool (CDE) programs.
• Completes enrollment (Head Start, Early Head Start, CSPP, CCTR) and family assessments with families assigned to their caseload and other families as needed
• Reports enrollment vacancy and classroom attendance information in a timely manner to maintain full enrollment at always assigned sites for both LACOE and CDE contracts.
• Participates in recruiting events, tabling events, coordinating recruitment events, recordkeeping of recruitment.
• Establishes and maintains current individual files for each child and family.

**Essential Function: Family Support**

• Completes strengths and needs assessment for assigned families.
• Provides families goal-setting opportunities and assists with attaining milestones that result in self-sufficiency.
• Facilitate parent activities and workshops/training to promote parent advocacy and involvement in partnership with Site Directors and Teachers.
• Enhances parent’s skills and understanding regarding parental engagement and activities that promote literacy.
• Collaborate with the Site Directors to plan and implement monthly parent meetings.
• Ensure effective communication with families.

**Essential Function: Community Connections**

• Provides resources and referrals for families.
• Establishes and maintains partnerships with community-based organizations to ensure families have access to comprehensive support services.
• Collaborate with the Operations Executive of Early Education on Family and Community Engagement service areas to maintain resources for families.
• Invite community-based programs to monthly parent meetings in response to parent-identified needs/interest.

**Essential Function: Health and Nutrition**

• Provides health-related services to children, including hearing and vision screenings and growth assessments, ensuring all screenings are completed within required timelines.
• Works with families to obtain, review, and document required medical and dental information at enrollment and throughout the program year to ensure all Head Start health requirements are met
• Provides families with all required health-related forms and information regarding medications, allergies, and other health needs
• Works with Health and Nutrition Coordinator to ensure the site allergy-alert list is up to date and posted as required.
• Ensures all child health (medical and dental) records are complete, current, and accurately entered into ChildPlus in a timely manner, ensuring required deadlines are met.
• Communicate with Site Director and teachers regarding health/nutrition needs of enrolled children.

**Essential Functions: Record Keeping, Monitoring, and Data Analysis**

• Completes follow-up with assigned cases/families based on reports for ERSEA, FCE, and Health/Nutrition.
• Maintains up-to-date child/family files and disseminates information, as needed.
• Develops and maintains appropriate case notes and other records and prepares periodic reports as required.
• Monitors and completes reporting related to attendance, absences and follow-up case notes with families.
• Entry of data and program information reporting in various databases.

**Essential Function: Integrated Service Delivery**

• In collaboration with the Family Services Engagement Coordinator, submits referrals for support services such as disability and mental health
• Participates in Multidisciplinary Team meetings
• Facilitates the exchange of information between assigned families and content area specialists; through the referral process and participates in MDT meetings.

**Other Essential Function**

• **Attend** staff meetings and training as required.
• **Uphold** YMCA policies for safety, supervision, mandated reporting and risk management.
• **Demonstrate** the Six Pillars of Character (Trustworthiness, Citizenship, Respect, Responsibility, Caring and Fairness) as well as the YMCA Core Values of Caring, Respect, Honesty and Responsibility, in all dealings with members, guests, volunteers and fellow staff.
• **Demonstrate** competencies in and willingness to develop in the Cause Driven Leadership areas of mission advancement, collaboration, operational effectiveness and personal growth.
• All other duties as assigned by your supervisor.

**YMCA LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES**

The Y’s Leadership Competency Model is comprised of multiple leadership competencies (leadership knowledge, skills, and behaviors required for success in the Y), organized by the four disciplines of cause driven leadership:

• **Advancing Our Mission & Cause:** Provide visionary leadership to the organization and ensure that all resources are mobilized to adapt to new challenges and needs in the community.
• **Competencies Include:** Change Leadership, Engaging Community, Philanthropy, & Volunteerism
• **Building Relationships:** Connect people to the Y’s cause by developing inclusive relationships, partnerships and collaborations so that Ys can co-create solutions to pressing social needs.
• **Competencies Include:** Collaboration, Communication & Influence, Inclusion
• **Leading Operations:** ensure relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of the organization so that we can continue to fulfill our promise to the community.
• **Competencies Include:** Critical Thinking & Decision Making, Fiscal Management, Functional Expertise, Innovation, Program/Project Management
• **Developing & Inspiring Others:**support the holistic development of self and others so that everyone can embrace the Y’s cause, sustain the Y’s culture, and inspire others to take individual and collective action to further our impact.
• **Competencies Include:** Developing Self & Others, Emotional Maturity

**While all competencies are significant the following are critical to success in this position:**

• Engaging Community