Mentor, Family Development Specialist

Overview

Job Summary

The Mentor Family Development Professional provides home visits to families eligible for Early Head Start and Head Start (ages 0-5) through the Smart Start Home Visiting Program. The professional is responsible for recruitment, enrollment, planning, care coordination, and implementation of essential curriculum components. They also assist assigned families in identifying, accessing, and utilizing community resources while encouraging and promoting each family’s empowerment and self-sufficiency and reinforcing positive self-help skills.

Additionally, this role acts as a coach and resource to Family Development Professionals, builds positive relationships with caregivers, and offers high-quality, responsive direct services to support the well-being and success of each family member involved in the lives of children enrolled in the Smart Start Home Visiting program. The professional also serves as a Smart Start Home Visiting Program Staff Mentor.

• BA/BS degree in Early Childhood Education or related field.
• Minimum of two years’ experience as a Family Development Professional or one year of home visiting and three years of classroom experience with The Centers. The ability to travel between home visits and group socialization independently

• Act as a resource to new employees during onboarding to assist with a seamless transition into the Family Development Professional role, practices of the Early Learning program, and agency.
• Provide support and mentorship to Family Development Professionals by offering advice, feedback, and direction to help Family Development Professionals achieve their goals, be a positive role model, share their knowledge, experience, and wisdom, and act as an inspiration and motivation.
• As a member of the Smart Start Home Visiting Program Team, collaborate with the Family Development Professionals to ensure families and children are served and safe.
• Assist with curriculum implementation and training.
• Provide shadowing experiences to Family Development Professionals.
• Provide coaching opportunities to Family Development Professionals.
• Assist with building skills such as organization, discipline and professional development
• Serve as a member of the Smart Start Program Home Visiting team.
• Provide feedback on policies and procedures and innovative ways to engage families.
• Conduct two group socializations per month in collaboration with Family Development Professionals and families.
• Model and demonstrate family engagement, education, health, dental and nutrition and special services best practices as described in the Head Start Performance Standards.
• Conduct home visits as needed to address attendance concerns and model curriculum.
• Attend agency-sponsored in-service training or seminars, training sessions, and meetings outside the agency as a method of gaining more experience and knowledge.

• Certification in CPR/First Aid, Communicable Disease, Child Abuse, and Neglect Prevention is required upon hire.

• Other duties as assigned.

• An additional $1.50 to current pay rate.

The Centers provide health, family, and workforce services at 11 locations throughout Greater Cleveland, creating life-changing solutions for people to lead healthier and more successful lives. We strive to be a service-oriented workplace that pioneers and co-creates solutions while fostering belonging in a community where our team members thrive.

Our Early Learning Centers and programs provides high-quality care for children during the critical first 2,000 days of life by operating seven high-quality early learning centers, serving children birth through five years old, in Cleveland and the inner-ring suburbs. Because of our high standards, all sites achieved a 5-Star rating on the Step-Up-To-Quality Rating and been recognized and selected to be part of Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) and PRE4

CLE.

Providing quality benefits to our staff is important to us. Just as important is our staff’s well-being. That’s why we offer a number of choices to meet the different needs of our staff.

• Choice of medical and dental plans
• Health Savings Account
• Flexible Spending Account for Health and Dependent Care
• Vision
• Support for continuing education and credential renewal
• Life Insurance
• Retirement Savings (401k) with a company contribution
• Mental Health Support
• Employee Assistance Program
• Calm Subscription
• Short and Longterm Disability

The Centers is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.