Fast Facts

The Lead Family Advocate is responsible for engaging families to promote children’s development and strengthen family well-being, utilizing strategies of family engagement while mentoring peers.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include modeling family engagement practices, mentoring staff, facilitating community partnerships, and supporting program planning and implementation.

Skills: Required skills include experience in community engagement, peer mentoring, and effective communication with families and stakeholders.

Qualifications: Preferred qualifications include a degree in Social Work or related fields, with 2 years experience in community organizations or schools, and background working with families of young children.

Location: The job is located in MS - MS State University Coastal Research and Extension Center, United States.

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between $40,000 - $60,000.

Job Summary:

The Lead Family Advocate is responsible for working as a member of a team whose primary role is to engage families as partners to promote children’s healthy development, learning, and school readiness, as well as strengthen family well-being and health. The Lead Family Advocate uses their core

competencies and knowledge of the principles and strategies of family engagement to support their peers and colleagues, while continuing to partner with families on their assigned caseload.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Models exemplary family engagement practices for other Advocates, including but not limited to an ability to demonstrate and execute Acelero Learning’s family engagement approach and strategies.
• Provides peer mentoring and/or informal coaching to other Advocates on Acelero Learning’s family engagement approach and strategies.
• Facilitates capacity-building and learning transfer activities with colleagues.
• Provides additional, targeted support to assigned staff and/or centers for the planning of major events (i.e. Family Orientation, Recruitment Fairs, Back to School nights, SOF events, world cafes, health fairs, and health screening days).
• Joins pilot projects to test and innovate our family engagement approach, as requested.
• Participates in the onboarding of new staff.
• Co-Facilitates the execution of small group strategies with Advocates and families that build social capital (i.e. family self-sufficiency, family engagement, families experiencing similar concerns or challenges, and children’s health and well-being).
• Cultivates community partnerships with external organizations to enhance relationships and identify collaborations for on-site family engagement/support workshops, including meeting regularly with such organizations, serving on committees or advisory boards, and/or attending the organizations’ relevant community events.
• Observes and provides feedback on FEN Meetings and Family Learning Parties; supports colleagues to plan meetings as needed/assigned.
• Provides support/consultation to teachers regarding planning and implementing programs and services.
• Supports Family Services and Health leadership to monitor and troubleshoot programs and services, including direct work with the center-level staff as appropriate.
• Participates in assigned meetings, events and training as required.

Job Specifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to carry out each essential duty in a satisfactory manner. The job specifications listed are representative of the education and experience, the physical requirements, as well as the knowledge, skill and/or ability (KSAs) that are generally necessary for the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Job Requirements:

1. A high school diploma, GED, or HSED required; AA or BA Degree in Social Work, Human Services, Family Services, Counseling or a related field OR AA or BA in another field with a completed Family Development Certification preferred.

2. Minimum of 2 years of experience working in community-based organizations or schools in diverse low-income communities.

3. Experience working with families of children 0-5 preferred.

4. Flexible work schedule that may include some evenings and weekends required.

5. Physical exam and background checks are required for this position.

6. Travel required locally or long-distance up to 10% of the time for work-related meetings and functions.

7. Must have a valid driver’s license and/or reliable transportation.

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and healthy workplace.