Lincoln Families is a workplace that is committed to strengths-based, culturally responsive, attachment-centered, and trauma-informed care.

POSITION: Early Childhood Educator / Case Manager

PROGRAM: Mandela Family Resource Center

HOURLY RATE: $27.00

Text 'MFRC938' to (510) 901-5627

The West Oakland Mandela Family Resource Center (MFRC) at Lincoln Families is a community hub where children, youth, and families receive individualized and responsive services and supports. It is a place for community members to gather, lift up empowerment efforts, and act to power improvements in family and neighborhood life. Our staff work together to ensure the delivery of programs and services that reflect the needs of the community and impact root causes of poverty and trauma. Services include:

• Early Childhood - Building on parents’ strengths to support their children’s development, and providing access to supports to ensure their children are ready for kindergarten and academic success, including family literacy activities, play groups, and coaching;
• Parent Leadership - Centering the agency of the caregiver by offering a myriad of workshops, skill development and career exploration spaces to assist caregivers in identifying tangible and self-affirming life goals;
• Health & Wellness - Providing access to case management services as well as workshops/classes to build skills for healthy living and self care;
• Resource Navigation - Linking families to health care and other needed community resources;
• Community Action - Building capacity for engaging in community service and advocacy about issues that affect West Oakland families, including employment, neighborhood safety, and housing/tenant rights.

POSITION SUMMARY: Reporting to the Program Supervisor, the Early Childhood Educator is responsible for creating and implementing inclusive classes designed for parents/caregivers and children ages 0-5 to participate in together. (Please note this is not a childcare facility.) The Neighborhoods Ready for School (NRFS) initiative is a place-based collaborative, multi-year partnership between the Mandela Family Resource Center (MFRC) and First 5 Alameda County that supports equity and neighborhood-led investment, programming, and policy related to early childhood development, family health and well-being, and kindergarten readiness.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provides case management services to families in a tiered management model.
• Creates and provides daily family literacy, early learning opportunities, and parent education classes.
• Creates and provides pre-K transition programming that includes parent education and parent-child interactive classes that simulate preschool experiences. Programming is designed to help families transition their children to high-quality preschool programs.
• Researches and develops curriculum based on best practices and evidenced-base early childhood programs. Also researches new programs based on target population needs.
• Attends trainings on early literacy and parenting education to grow craft and understand best practices.
• Provides support to families who come to the Mandela FRC and communicate with families as necessary to facilitate consistent attendance at classes.
• Connect with local preschools, office of education, and other professionals in the preschool field to stay current with pre-K trends, issues, and educational strategies.
• Conduct outreach and recruitment activities to the targeted population to effectively promote program services.
• May develop agency material including project flyers and other outreach materials.
• Complete and maintain all service documentation and statistics as required.
• Participate in agency meetings and community meetings as directed.
• Requires driving to conduct meetings at homes or other sites and may include transporting youth or families. (The Early Childhood Educator must have a valid CA driver’s license, personal automobile insurance and satisfactory driving record.)

POSITION REQUIREMENTS: A positive, service-oriented team player who is committed to working with youth and families, is passionate about the mission of the Neighborhood Ready for School initiative and children ages 0-5, and has knowledge of community resources. Demonstrated awareness of, sensitivity to and competence in dealing with cultural and socioeconomic diversity of client population with proven success working with people with different perspectives and backgrounds. Must be creative, friendly, and nurturing while also maintaining professional boundaries. Excellent interpersonal and communication (oral and written) skills with the ability to work independently, collaborate with others, and ask for help when necessary. Must be sensitive to the needs of the parents/caregivers and children, and be able to adapt the curriculum as needed. Proven capability to create, implement, and reflect on effective Early Childhood education lessons and understanding of early literacy strategies as well as adult learning strategies to encourage participation and retention of information.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Public Administration or related field preferred
• High school diploma or equivalent required
• Minimum of 12 units in Early Childhood Development
• Bilingual Skills - Arabic/English - highly desired, but not required
• Experience working in a learning environment with adults and children second-language learners
• Strong computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft programs and Google suite
• Bilingual language skills (English/Arabic) a plus

WHY JOIN LINCOLN FAMILIES:

• Hourly Rate: $27.00

  • Bilingual Skills: Up to an additional $2.50 per hour (contingent upon results of language proficiency test)

• Time Off: 4 weeks of vacation, 18 sick days and 10 holidays (including 2 flex); Vacation and sick time begin accruing from day one of employment.

• Benefits: medical, dental and vision with 90-95% employer subsidy for employee premiums; we also offer 50% for dependents. Additional Benefits include flexible spending accounts (FSA), life insurance, disability insurance, commuter benefits, retirement & pension plans.

• Supervision: Weekly individual and group supervision.

• Affinity Groups, Equity Teams and Advocacy: we currently have an Employee Equity Council, a Management Equity Team and staff-run Affinity Groups.

• Self Care: Lincoln Families encourages and supports self-care for all employees so that staff are able to sustain themselves in this work and better serve our families. Staff create self-care plans and receive funding they can use each year towards those plans. Employees also have paid time away for self-care each week.

• Professional Development/Training: Each year, employees can be reimbursed for expenses related professional licensing and other fees, as well as for professional development opportunities. Employees who have been at Lincoln Families for one year are also eligible to participate in advanced training series.

• Student Loan Forgiveness: We are a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit approved site. By working with Lincoln Families, staff are eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

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