Head Start Family Advocate

The Opportunity Alliance is seeking a Family Advocate in Portland. Join the Head Start team and make a difference in the lives of children and families in your community.  

Head Start promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through high quality, culturally appropriate early care and education experiences. Classrooms implement a responsive curriculum with a strong focus on social-emotional well-being with a low teacher to child ratio to support growth and learning in all domains. Head Start centers families in their children’s education and care through meaningful engagement. All staff are supported to identify and work towards their professional goals through a combination of ongoing supervision, coaching and training. 

The Family Advocate supports family well-being and school readiness through whole family coaching. They work with participants to identify strengths and goals and provide connections and referrals to community-based resources. The Family Advocate also promotes child health and wellness by supporting families to navigate the health care system to access preventative and follow-up care.  

The Opportunity Alliance is seeking Family Advocates to join our Head Start in Portland, Maine.  

Head Start promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through local programs. Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age 5. 

The Family Advocate is responsible for engaging families in supporting their child’s school readiness & healthy development by conducting needs assessments, collaboratively creating family goals, connecting families to community resources, gathering health information, and facilitating community-building & parent involvement in center/program activities following the Family and Early Childhood Education program plan, Head Start Performance Standards, State of Maine licensing rules, and NAEYC Accreditation Standards. This role supports families to identify and reach their goals, including goals related to housing, employment, education and parenting. 

Schedule: This is a full time, 40 hour per week, year round position.

Location: Portland, Maine

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s in Social Work, Human Services, Counseling or related field required. 
• ----- May be able to candidate in obtaining a CDA certificate if they do not have a formal degree.
• 1-3 years of social services/human services experienced required.  1-3 years of family services experience preferred.
• Knowledge of the important role that culture plays in child & family development, and an ability to adapt interventions accordingly.
• 1-3 years of experience effectively navigating complex systems and connecting families to needed resources, preferred.
• Flexible, enthusiastic and self-motivated.
• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communications skills. 
• Computer proficiency with Microsoft Office and Outlook required.  
• Ability to respond calmly to rapidly changing situations and adapt teaching approach to maintain a positive learning environment.
• Must have a distinct comfort level for working independently, while remaining mindful of role as part of a team. 
• Must be able to able to successfully pass a criminal background, child protective service check & sex offender check and must not be on the state or federal suspension and disbarment list.
• ECE employee must be able to pass pre-employment physical and TB screen and must be current on MMR and TDAP immunizations.
• Must be able to exert moderate physical effort with occasional standing, walking, reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, crouching, typing and frequently lift and carry small children or material weighing up to 25 pounds. 
• Driving may be necessary to attend meetings and trainings but is not a primarily and essential job responsibility.

Benefits: Our benefits include but are not limited to:

(offered to full-time and part-time employees)

• Generous paid time off accrual
• 9 paid holidays per calendar year and up to 3 floating holidays per calendar year 
• Excellent medical benefits at very reasonable cost 
• Dental and Vision insurance options 
• Agency paid basic life insurance and STD & LTD disability insurances 
• 403(b) retirement with a generous agency match (all employees are eligible)
• Tuition Reimbursement – offered once per year through an application process
• The Opportunity Alliance (TOA) is a qualified employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

To learn more about our benefits please visit, https://www.opportunityalliance.org/explore-our-benefits

Who we are…

The Opportunity Alliance is “Helping People Reach for a Brighter Future”.

Mission: The Opportunity Alliance works with people to build better lives and stronger communities. We provide advocacy, leadership, and support to identify the goals and address the needs of individuals, families, and communities.

The Opportunity Alliance (TOA) is a dynamic, results-focused Community Action Agency providing approximately 50 integrated community-based and clinical programs serving more than 20,000 people annually throughout the state of Maine. With over 50 years of experience, TOA draws from a comprehensive set of programs which address issues such as mental health, substance use, homelessness, lack of basic needs, and access to community supports. Through an extensive array of services, TOA provides opportunities for individuals to stabilize fragile situations and then works with them to achieve self-sufficiency. TOA is client-focused with extensive experience working with diverse client populations. TOA programming includes four key sectors of service:

• Mental Health & Wellness
• Community Building
• Family & Early Childhood Education
• Economic Resources

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The Opportunity Alliance is an affirmative action / equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you are viewing this posting on a third-party site, please visit our website at https://opportunityalliance.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/Careers to apply.

Please submit a cover letter and resume along with your application.

Thank you!