Home-based Administrative Assistant/Floating Home Visitor at Casa Central – Chicago, Illinois

Casa Central’s Early Learning Academy provides high quality, comprehensive early childhood services for young children and families, prenatally to five. The Home-Based program option offers weekly home visits focused on work with children and their families.

The Home-Based Administrative Assistant/Floating Home-Visitor performs a variety of administrative tasks, in addition to supporting home visitor vacancies. This position generates programmatic orders, handles small program projects, drafts program documents (i.e., flyers, surveys). This role will support the EHS home visitors, and their related services such as preparing and planning home visits, ensure the implementation of family engagement services, when the caseload of a vacant home visitor position cannot be carried by another home visitor or beyond the capacity for the Home-based Supervisor.

Include the following, other duties as assigned:

General Administrative Tasks

Approve timesheet and ensure compliance with agency and funder guidelines, ensuring that daily activities are within the allowable activities approved by the agency. Prepare and maintain records and reports necessary for the program. Maintain office and program area in manner appropriate to the standards of the organization. Ensure materials, supplies, food, etc., are ordered and readily available for program use. Interpret and act on administrative decisions and policies. Read and prepare reports on breakdowns of data and summarize information to facilitate review by the administration. Examine and check reports and databases for completeness and accuracy; determine compliance with established requirements and conduct follow-ups on discrepancies. Give information to the public and staff members on questions not requiring the attention of administration. Establish and maintain a complete and detailed filing and data management system. Take meeting minutes.

Program-Specific Activities

Ensure compliance with all Early/Head Start Program Performance Standards, including as interpreted by Start Early, as well as with relevant federal, state, city, and accrediting/licensing body regulations and requirements. Engage in Active Supervision strategies to support the safety, well-being, and appropriate supervision/oversight of children at all times. Act in accordance with the program’s Standards of Conduct, building respectful relationships with families, honoring parents/caregivers as their children’s first and most important teachers, and maintaining strict child, family and staff confidentiality at all times. Provide appropriate information and referrals on phone inquiries ranging from routine matters to complaint problems of a delicate nature. Conduct a minimum of bi-weekly home visits for each assigned child/family. Prepare and plan for home visits with families and monthly socializations when assigned by the Home-based Director and/or Supervisor. Complete home visit observation documentation, ensuring comprehensive services are implemented as required by Head Start Performance Standards in the Early Head Start Home-based option. Ensure proper documentation is entered into ChildPlus including home visits, socializations, attendance, and other necessary documentation per assigned child/family, as needed. Participate in team meetings with home visitors to receive feedback regarding data, team lesson planning, planning for socializations, and team activities. Participate in reflective supervision with program director.

Program Support

Assist program director to successfully fulfill their role as leader, manager and overseer of resources at the site. Support with socialization and parent meeting activities, including scheduling, ordering food and supplies, welcoming participants, etc.

Performance & Quality Management

Nurture positive and collaborative working relationships with other agency staff and outside stakeholders and partners. Implement the agency mission, philosophy, and core values to direct daily work and decision-making. Adhere to agency policy. Cultivate a professional and respectful work environment. Be actively involved with, and knowledgeable about, the agency’s Performance Quality Improvement (PQI) structure and process.

Community Outreach

Actively and enthusiastically support recruitment efforts to ensure that the program is fully enrolled year-round, including periodically attending health fairs, resource fairs, and community events, including evening and weekend events to connect with families and share information about early childhood programming.

Sensitivity to cultural diversity is required. Will be subject to drug and alcohol screening, as well as aptitude and skills testing. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to perform the essential functions.

Associate degree in early childhood education, Social Work, Business Administration, or a related field. At least 2 years of experience working in early childhood/family support, or home visiting programs. Knowledge of modern office practices, procedures, business equipment and of English, spelling and math. Familiarity with elementary principles of business and accounting. Good judgment in making decisions, recognizing established procedures and resourcefulness in addressing challenges. Ability to work effectively under pressure. Ability to handle administrative details independently. Ability to establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with others and the public. Careful attention to detail required.

Language Skills:

Bilingual in Spanish required.

Word processing; spreadsheets; internet skills; data entry skills and in managing Microsoft applications to facilitate communication. Preferred knowledge of ChildPlus or other online database systems.

Ability to work within an interdisciplinary team as a cooperative and supportive team member. Ability to establish relationships with families from diverse backgrounds. Acts as clerical assistant to the Administrator establishing and maintaining daily schedule, screening calls, mail, and unscheduled visitors, as well as handling routine inquiries. Shows initiative and otherwise relieves supervisor of clerical detail and minor administrative matters while acting only on general instructions. Knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards preferred.

Not eligible for remote work. A personable mobile phone is required and therefore is eligible for mobile phone reimbursement.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the employee in this position. The content of this job description is not intended to be constructed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of a person in this position.