Family Education Navigator in West Bloomfield, Michigan at Jewish Family Services

Family Education Navigator

Position Summary

The Family Education Navigator support provides wraparound educational support to students and families through the Ambinder-Lyness Learning Abilities Program and Opening the Doors.

This role helps families and schools identify student needs, navigate evaluation and referral pathways, access appropriate supports, and implement recommendations that promote student success. The Family Education Navigator helps ensure students receive support before, during, and after the evaluation or referral process, while serving as a bridge between families, schools, professionals, and community providers.

Key Responsibilities

Coordinate referrals, intake, scheduling, documentation, communication, and follow-up for students and families seeking educational evaluation, navigation, or intervention support.Serve as a central point of contact for families, schools, evaluators, clinicians, tutors, learning specialists, and community providers.Help families understand learning, emotional, behavioral, developmental, and school-based concerns, as well as available support options.Guide families through evaluation pathways, including psychoeducational, psychological, neuropsychological, educational, and related assessments.Support families in understanding student rights, Section 504 plans, accommodation supports, special education processes, public school service eligibility, and community-based resources.Coordinate communication among families, schools, evaluators, and service providers to promote continuity of care and clear next steps.Provide referrals to appropriate services, including tutors, therapists, psychiatrists, learning specialists, evaluators, intervention programs, and community supports.Collaborate with schools to understand student needs, gather relevant information, and identify realistic classroom-based supports and interventions.Help families and schools understand evaluation results and translate recommendations into practical, actionable support plans.Support the implementation of assessment recommendations through tutoring, accommodations, intervention planning, referrals, and school collaboration.Build and maintain strong relationships with school administrators, teachers, social workers, counselors, learning specialists, student support teams, and community partners.Promote a family-centered, strengths-based, culturally responsive, and collaborative approach to student support.Maintain accurate, confidential records, referral logs, case notes, program tracking systems, and follow-up plans in accordance with agency policies.Support program evaluation, reporting, outreach, and continuous improvement efforts for both programs.Provide education and consultation to families and schools on topics related to learning differences, accommodations, evaluations, eligibility criteria, intervention strategies, and service options.

Qualifications

Required

Bachelor’s degree in social work, education, psychology, counseling, special education, human services, or a related field.Experience working with children, youth, families, schools, educational systems, social services, or advocacy settings.Knowledge of learning differences, student support services, school-based interventions, and educational evaluation processes.Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills.Ability to manage multiple referrals, timelines, priorities, and communication streams.Commitment to confidentiality, ethical practice, family empowerment, and inclusive student support.

Preferred

Master’s degree in social work, education, psychology, counseling, special education, or a related field.Experience with psychoeducational evaluations, special education processes, Section 504 plans, accommodation supports, or public school service eligibility.Familiarity with Jewish day school environments and community culture.Experience working with multidisciplinary teams, evaluators, clinicians, educators, and community-based service providers.

Skills and Competencies

Family-centered advocacy and supportEducational systems navigationStrong written and verbal communicationCase coordination and documentationCollaboration with schools and service providersAbility to translate complex evaluation information into clear next stepsCultural humility and sensitivitySound judgment, discretion, and professionalismStrengths-based and student-centered problem-solving

Work Environment

This position includes office-based work, school collaboration, family meetings, community meetings, and communication with evaluators, educators, clinicians, tutors, and service providers. Occasional evening meetings with families or schools may be required.