Child Advocate in Orlando, Florida at Harbor House of Central Florida

JOB SUMMARY: The Child Advocate maintains a safe, nurturing, developmentally appropriate environment for the children in the child care program who reside in the shelter.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provides safe, developmentally appropriate care for children survivors/witnesses of domestic violence.
• Plans and initiates developmentally appropriate activities.
• Establishes rapport with each child, interacting consistently with positive reinforcement methods.
• Assists each child with their personal care as needed including lifting children into highchairs and cribs, changing diapers, feeding, etc.
• Supports non-violent, no spanking philosophy of Harbor House and uses active listening skills with parents and children.
• Maintains a clean environment by following strict hand washing and sanitation guidelines.
• Maintains updated bulletin boards to help keep parents informed of the most current information relating to the childcare program.
• Ensures that the childcare center, materials, and displays are supervised properly and remain intact.
• Records and compile statistical data on clients and services that will be submitted to the Children's Services Manager.
• Occasionally provide coverage for the shelter, other youth departments and its residents. This includes notification and implementation of safety procedures in the event of threats to clients and/or the shelter facility.
• Ensure the developmental needs of all children are being met.
• Conduct developmental assessments as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

MARGINAL DUTIES

• This position description has excluded the marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of essential job duties. Employee(s) will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of child growth and development.
• Ability to provide effective and immediate crisis intervention for clients.
• Ability to plan, organize and conduct learning activities.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work in a Shelter/Child Care center environment with normal to moderate noise levels.
• Basic computer knowledge and skills.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Frequently standing, sitting, and walking.
• Some stooping, lifting and bending.
• Talking, hearing, seeing, repetitive motions.
• Ability to lift and hold 50 pounds.
• These requirements may not be all inclusive. All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Education: Minimum of a High School Diploma or GED, Associate's Degree or higher preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of one year experience in child care.
• Credential: Current Child Development Associate credential (CDA) preferred.
• Discretion: Professional experience may be substituted for formal education at the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer.
• Licensing: Valid Florida Driver’s License with a clean record for the past 5 years. Must be 21 years or older to meet agency insurance requirements.
• Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Ability to learn organization-specific software, including databases and content management systems. Strong professional writing and communication skills. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment with attention to detail.
• Training Requirements: Completion of CORE Competency training within 90 days of hire. Department of Children and Families 40-hour Introductory Child Care training (comprised of Part I and Part II courses), and 5-hour Early Literacy within 1st year of employment. Completion of the state required annual 10 hours training. Additional mandatory training is required on an annual basis per Agency Policies & Procedures.