POSITION SUMMARY:
The Family Engagement Manager is responsible for engaging families of young children, prenatal to age 8 throughout Guilford County to ensure family voice is consistently and intentionally represented in all Ready for School, Ready for Life and Get Ready Guilford Initiative (GRGI) work. In this role, the Family Engagement Manager will convene the Guilford Parent Leader Network to co-design and implement a plan with families that reflects GRGI values and creates opportunities for families to share their perspectives, engage in the design of solutions, and foster family capacity to become change agents for their children. The Family Engagement Manager reports to the Director of Engagement and Literacy Initiatives.
The Manager will:
Align work strategies to Ready for School Ready for Life’s Values and Principles.
Maintain a strong knowledge of applicable early child development and family engagement strategies.
Possess strong written communication skills to prepare program documentation.
Have the ability to communicate orally with families and team members in a manner that encourages trust and respectful, ongoing two-way communication.
Have the ability to incorporate the unique cultural, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds of families in the program and community.
Use sound judgment in the protection of confidential information.
Have the ability to organize and prioritize duties and responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
Work a flexible schedule. The position requires the flexibility to work evenings and weekends to meet the scheduling needs of families.
Be adept at working independently.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Collaborate with parent leaders, program staff and community partners to develop and implement family engagement strategies, including individual activities and special events.
Supervise Parent Liaisons and/or Lead Parent and work closely with the GPLN Steering Committee.
Retain current families and attract new ones in order to grow the network of families served by Ready for School, Ready for Life.
Develop innovative two-generation approaches that address needs identified by families that leverage community partnerships or other funding sources.
Implement intake and family assessment procedures to identify family strengths and needs related to the family engagement outcomes including family well-being, parent-child relationships, families as lifelong educators, families as learners, family engagement in transitions, family connections to peers and the local community, and families as advocates and leaders.
Develop trainings for the Guilford Parent Leader Network (GPLN) in accordance with the CSSP family engagement framework, and ensuring training is reflective of the needs voiced by parents.
Engage with the Center for the Study of Social Policy’s Parent Leader Network
Utilize the Manifesto for Race Equity & Parent Leadership in Early Childhood Systems in your work with parent leaders.
Attend relevant conferences and trainings with local family leaders
Other Responsibilities:
Establish and implement a family partnership agreement process that is jointly developed and shared with parents in which staff and families review individual progress, revise goals, evaluate and track whether identified needs and goals are met, and adjust strategies on an ongoing basis, as necessary.
Conduct family engagement leadership convenings to ensure that all families have the opportunity to give and receive peer support in an environment in which they feel safe.
Implement procedures for education and family support staff to share information with each other to ensure coordinated family engagement strategies with children and families in the classroom, home, and community.
Promote opportunities for parents to participate in advocacy, parenting and professional skills development.
Support development of community and program assessments, grant applications, budgets, and required reports in accordance with Get Ready Guilford Initiative’s timelines and criteria for composition.
Schedule, attend, and document monthly parent committee meetings
Perform other job duties as assigned.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelors’ Degree from an accredited university in social work, human services, family services, counseling or related field strongly preferred.
3-5 years experience working with children and families
Supervision experience with staff, interns and/or volunteers.
Education, training, and/or experience related to the following:
Communication and ability to relate to diverse groups and perspectives.
Working with groups of service providers, participating in briefings and brainstorming sessions, and state/regional/national provider meetings.
Group facilitation
Leadership development
Case Management
Community organizing
Early childhood development
Ability to work as a member of a team to support both organization goals and co-workers.
Ability to effectively work with and be respectful of and sensitive to persons from various cultures, socioeconomic, ethnic, religious, and racial backgrounds.
Must have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and pass a criminal and driving background check.
Preferred Qualifications:
Bilingual (Spanish)
Parent Leader facilitation and mediation skills
Compensation & Benefits
Ready for School, Ready for Life offers a competitive compensation package, including comprehensive health benefits.
