Director of Family Partnerships & Eligibility Services (StarrZapata) at AVANCE Inc – Rio Grande City, Texas

Job Overview

The Director Family Partnerships & Eligibility Services is chiefly responsible for oversight and full implementation of all aspects of the Head Start program’s family and community engagement and ERSEA (Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance) services, with the goal of executing high-quality two-generation strategies to support the families of young children, build nurturing environments to promote their children’s school readiness and healthy development.

Through direct supervision, coaching, professional development, monitoring, data analysis, governance reporting and community partnerships and other tasks, as needed, the Director of Family Partnerships & Eligibility Services provides expertise in all aspects of family assessment, engagement and support as well as AVANCE’s two-generation family service approach; which includes four core strategies: promoting family life practices to increase school readiness, identifying and providing more intensive support for vulnerable families, promoting family self-sufficiency and providing strength-based, culturally responsive services to families. The Director will ensure that full enrollment and sustained enrollment is maintained and ensure compliance with eligibility verification and documentation requirements are met, The Director will work with partnering school districts for coordination of comprehensive service delivery. The Director will have a central office location and travel will be required for each of the centers.

Job Responsibilities:

• Child Growth and Development
• Implement AVANCE’s Parent-Child Education Program with a focus on coordination and collaboration with the Early Learning team, extending the classroom curriculum into the family's home, modeling high-quality adult-child interactions.
• Communication and Service Coordination
• Developing and managing systems for eligibility, recruitment, selection, and enrollment/intake process for returning and new families.
• Developing a comprehensive recruitment plan that will lead to full enrollment and sustained enrollment requirements. Develop a comprehensive attendance plan to support absenteeism, improvement plans and attendance family goals.
• Developing and managing internal systems and external partnerships for Family Partnership Agreements and Family Goal setting.
• Develop and maintain Memorandums of Understanding with key community-based organizations to support adult education, employment and career pathways and referrals. Coordinate and build partnerships with local community agencies to support two-generation approach. Collaborate with Local Education Agencies to support transitions to kindergarten.
• Establish and support Center Parent Committees and assist the Deputy Director in forming an active Policy Council. Coordinate Policy Council governance training and provide family engagement data reports.
• Coordinate with partnering school districts for family partnerships and eligibility services for dual-enrollment children.
• Record Keeping, Reporting and Confidentiality
• Ensure all child and family files meet Head Start and local licensing requirements.
• Maintain secure and confidential documentation systems.
• Monitor the quality and reliability of data at family, coach, center, and program levels. Conduct audits and review data trends to ensure program compliance with standards and policies.
• Ensure compliance with confidentiality policies and mandated reporting compliance.
• Report and monitor monthly enrollment data to ensure accurate and timely submission for OHS enrollment reporting.
• Fiscal Oversight & Regulatory Compliance:
• Oversee assigned content area budgets, monitor expenditures to ensure fiscal responsibility and compliance with federal cost principles.
• Review and approve content area approved purchases in alignment with approved budgets, procurement procedures, and internal controls.
• Ensure accurate inventory management of equipment and materials.
• Support licensing compliance by ensuring program spaces meet Child Care Licensing standards, including capacity, safety, health, and environmental requirements.
• Assist with licensing process for new classroom spaces and support licensing corrective action responses as needed.
• Ongoing Monitoring/Self-assessment
• Identify promising strategies to strengthen work and engage in quality improvement processes to achieve child and family outcomes.
• Monitor and assess program strategies' execution through audits and data reviews to ensure compliance with Head Start Performance Standards.
• Analyze trends in enrollment, attendance, family goal progress, and community referrals
• Develop supportive intervention plans as needed
• Participate in Self-Assessment and Community Assessment processes.
• Prepare documentation for federal reviews-FA1, FA2, ERSEA Focus Area Reviews)
• Planning, Implementation & Staff Development
• Implement tools, policies, and procedures to support program implementation during transitional phases and ensure high-quality service delivery.
• Support the quality of family engagement efforts through professional development, supervision, and coaching.
• Establish and maintain a safe, healthy, and positive learning environment
• Support and train staff on mandated reporting laws, child abuse & neglect, and oversee documentation of concerns and referrals.
• Establish policies and ensure follow up within required timelines for unexplained child absences.
• Establish and monitor authorized release procedures and monitor dismissal documentation.
• Coordinate with Child Protective Services and community agencies when required.
• Support the social and emotional development of children.
• Cross departmental collaboration in the implementation of classroom strategies, behavior plans, observations, interventions, IFSP and IEP alignment, developmental screenings, and crisis response policies.
• Ensure families are emotionally supported, parenting practices promote regulation, mental health referrals are timely, and vulnerable children are prioritized.
• Other Duties
• Participate in assigned meetings, events, and training as required.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding staff and family information.
• Fulfill the role as mandated reporter under the Child Abuse and Neglect Policy.
• Perform any other work-related duties as requested by your supervisor.
• Be present at work to provide consistency of services.
• Be a contributory team member in a positive/productive manner
• Demonstrate commitment to mission, values, and policies in daily duties.
• Supervise assigned department personnel, including hiring, training, scheduling, and evaluating.
• Educate direct reports on policies and procedures.
• Meet with assigned staff regularly to resolve problems and track goals.

AVANCE Core Competencies?

• Execution & Accountability
• Problem Solving & Decision-Making
• Communication & Influence
• Collaboration & Teamwork
• Stakeholder Focus
• Adaptability & Continuous Learning

Education

Required:

• Bachelors in Family and Child Development, Public Administration, Social Work or related field.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Family Studies, or related field.

Work Experience

Required :

• 3+ years’ experience in the family and community engagement field, including experience in coaching, supervision, program management and providing technical assistance
• Expertise in community-based interventions to improve outcomes for low-income families and communities, with direct experience developing and implementing program strategies
• Experience in ERSEA, federal compliance and monitoring reviews
• Expertise assisting families of young children to partner in promoting their children’s school readiness and overall healthy development. Expertise in national family engagement models preferred
• Physical exam and background checks are required for this position

Additional Skills

• Ability to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated computer literacy skills, using MS Office applications and other basic data systems including internet navigation.
• Ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders to successfully implement program plans
• Strong analytical skills in order to quickly assess situations, identify trends, develop solutions and apply critical assessments to the larger context
• Must be honest, dependable and able to meet deadlines.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently.

Travel?

• Ability to travel to various sites: Dependable transportation is required daily with a valid driver’s license, a clean driving record (subject to annual MVR (Motor Vehicle Report) check and policy), current auto liability insurance and be bondable by AVANCE, Inc.
• Travel required up to 10% of the time for work-related site visits, meetings, and functions.

Equipment

• Standard office equipment generally used includes:
• Telephone
• Personal Computer (monitor, keyboard, and mouse) or Tablet
• Printer/Photocopy Machine
• Calculator
• Fax Machine

Working Conditions

• Work is generally performed in an office environment.
• Noise level in the work environment is moderate to occasionally loud (examples: business office with computers and printers, light to moderate traffic, human voices).
• May be required to operate a motor vehicle during the course of duties.

Mental and Physical Demands??

Maintain emotional control under stress; work with interruptions and deadlines; walking, standing, stooping, bending, pulling and pushing, use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; occasional: lifting/carrying, pulling/pushing 10-30 pounds.?Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Environmental Factors??

Occasional exposure to: biological hazards (communicable diseases, bacteria, insects, mold, fungi, etc.). Occasional expose to weather related conditions when working in outside environment /neighborhoods and events.

ADA/ADAAA Statement

AVANCE is committed to equal opportunity in employment for persons with disabilities and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as amended, and any other applicable state and federal laws. Accordingly, AVANCE does not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities in regard to application, hiring, advancement, discharge, compensation, training or other terms, conditions and privileges of employment. Moreover, it is AVANCE’s policy to provide reasonable accommodations in employment to qualified individuals with disabilities so that they can perform the essential functions of the job, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of AVANCE’s business or would change the essential functions of the position. Retaliation against an individual with a disability for utilizing this policy or seeking a reasonable accommodation is prohibited.? Individuals with any questions or requests for accommodation should contact the Human Resources Department.?