The Opportunity
As the Northeast Program Specialist, you will have the unique opportunity to help shape the future direction of Reach Out and Read (ROR) Northeast. This is a relationship-oriented position, both within a tight-knit virtual team, and when working directly to support our medical and clinic partners. It requires a commitment to equity combined with the ability to influence without direct authority and diagnose systems challenges, while respecting and supporting clinic and family cultures. By establishing collaborative relationships with medical providers and staff at multiple program sites and providing ongoing programmatic support, the Northeast Program Specialist provides the guidance needed to adhere to Reach Out and Read best practices. The Northeast Program Specialist has frequent contact with their assigned programs through in-person and virtual visits, phone and email, and develops champions for the Reach Out and Read program among medical providers and staff. This role reports to the Northeast Program Manager.
The Regional Program Specialist serves as a member of the Reach Out and Read Northeast team. While most teamwork is accomplished virtually, the Northeast Program Specialist will have a strong connection to other team members and a commitment to common processes and goals tied to the team’s collective success. This individual also acts as a liaison to the Reach Out and Read National Center, especially in support of public relations/communications and federal and state funding initiatives that National Center senior staff cultivate to support Reach Out and Read programs in the Northeast Region.
Candidate must have own transportation and live in the New Hampshire and Vermont region which currently includes the following counties: Coos, Grafton, Carroll, Sullivan, Merrimack, Belknap and Strafford NH and Chittenden, Washington, Lamoille, Caledonia, Addison, Orange, Rutland, Windsor, Grand Isle, Franklin, Essex, and Orleans VT.
Your Key Responsibilities Will Include:
Programmatic Assistance and Quality Assurance Support (60%)
- Develop and maintain relationships with clinical and administrative staff and cultivate Reach Out and Read champions and advocates from each clinic’s medical providers and staff.
- Provide regular and ongoing technical assistance and support to all programs to assess site adherence to the ROR (Reach Out and Read) program model, assign quality ratings, and identify additional site needs.
- Conduct in-person and virtual site visits to assigned programs with a frequency appropriate for sites’ identified needs and quality rating.
- Create, implement, and update quality assurance or quality improvement plans to support sites’ efforts to maintain or reach a higher level of program quality.
- Support programs’ implementation of program quality improvement processes by monitoring progress, and reassessing, in partnership with program sites.
- Support site leaders to identify and overcome barriers that negatively impact their program’s quality and sustainability.
- Ensure all programs have training processes in place for their providers, so that existing and new providers can provide a high-quality program.
- Develop and implement efforts to prioritize and expand programs in clinics serving high BIPOC and/or Medicaid populations in alignment with organizational goals.
- Guide new programs through the process of applying, training providers, and implementing ROR.
- Collaborate with the Regional Executive Director and members of the Programs Team to discuss best practices to support and enhance program quality, strategize effective implementation, and implement best practices within the Reach Out and Read team.
- Support sites to establish literacy-rich environments and help them obtain new and gently used books (including occasionally moving, storing, and delivering books).
- Offer professional development and continually assess opportunities to provide additional services and support to programs, providers, and staff.
- Identify opportunities for health system engagement through interactions with site contacts, build relationships with system leaders, and articulate best practices for program sustainability.
Program Data and Reporting (25%)
- Assure completion of twice-yearly progress reports. Analyze, understand, and address barriers to accurate completion.
- Continually track and document quantitative and qualitative site data, using established tools and databases.
- Maintain accurate data within the myROR database.
- Gather, analyze, and report data from myROR as needed to support funding applications, partnership development, and advocacy activities, as requested.
- Collect anecdotal data, stories, testimonials, photos from ROR programs for use in development and communications.
Book Support and Funding (5%)
- Support sites in selection and ordering of books to meet the needs of their patients.
- Provide support for efficient tracking processes to support accurate data collection and reporting.
- Identify programs in need of book funding support and collaborate with the Regional Program Director to use an equity lens in the allocation of funding to individual sites.
- Provide information and support to sites regarding partnership opportunities that help sustain and enhance their programs long term.
Community Connectivity (5%)
- Assist the Regional Program Director in implementing local, regional, and statewide partnerships to help ROR programs integrate with existing statewide early learning and family support systems.
- Develop and maintain relationships and collaborate with other early education and care organizations in the region on issues of literacy and Early Childhood Development. Attend periodic networking meetings and share Reach Out and Read materials.
Other (5%)
- May be assigned other administrative or programmatic duties to support the overall success of Reach Out and Read Northeast Region.
- Assist with and attend special events/workshops held within the region.
- As funding allows, assist health centers, clinics, and private practices to apply and become a Reach Out and Read program, with the goal of making Reach Out and Read universal in clinical settings serving the region’s youngest children, especially those living in poverty.
(The above statements in this job description are intended to depict the general nature and level of work assigned to the employee(s) in this job. The above is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of accountable duties and responsibilities required).
Qualifications and Experience:
There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. We’ll honor your lived and professional experience as key aspects of your candidacy for the role and prioritize applicants with experience dismantling the structural inequities that disproportionately impact children and families with traditionally marginalized identities. We are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:
- Ability to prioritize multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and adapt flexibly within a growing organization and a changing healthcare and political environment.
- Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written skills to interact effectively with medical staff, providers, and colleagues.
- Self-motivated, independent worker who functions effectively in a virtual work environment, while being an enthusiastic, collaborative team member.
- Demonstrated ability to take both initiative and direction, maintaining a focus on mission and collective team impact.
- Education and/or experience in health care, early childhood systems, literacy, parenting support or related fields.
- Ability to effectively use electronic communications systems as primary work processes, including database systems, internet use, and MS Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint.
- Excellent customer service skills with a desire to solve problems and work with doctors, nurses, and medical practices.
- Demonstrated success cultivating and sustaining partnerships and relationships among diverse stakeholders and organizations.
- Ability to coach, influence, mediate, and deliver results through others.
- Access to dependable and regular transportation for frequent travel within assigned region is necessary.
Additional desirable qualifications (not required)
- Experience with practice change efforts and Quality Improvement processes in a healthcare setting.
- Experience working with diverse populations and underserved communities.
- Database management.
Position Specifications:
Part-time, 25 hours per week, non-exempt, position located in New Hampshire and Vermont. The Northeast Program Specialist will work regularly from a home-based office but travel to all clinic sites within the assigned region is required. Candidate MUST have own transportation and live in the New Hampshire and Vermont region which currently includes the following counties: Coos, Grafton, Carroll, Sullivan, Merrimack, Belknap and Strafford NH and Chittenden, Washington, Lamoille, Caledonia, Addison, Orange, Rutland, Windsor, Grand Isle, Franklin, Essex, and Orleans VT. Attendance at quarterly region-wide team meetings and 1-2 national meetings a year is also required.
Compensation and Benefits:
The compensation range for this position is $23-$26/hour, commensurate with experience. As a part-time employee, you will be eligible for prorated vacation, personal and sick leave based on hours worked.
Commitment to Diversity:
Reach Out and Read is committed to building an organization that embraces diversity, pursues equity, and fosters an environment of inclusion. ROR sits at the intersection of health and education, uniquely positioned to play a critical role in addressing systemic disparities and inequities in the public health framework. ROR strives to be an antiracist organization, using its influence to fight against social injustice by supporting a culture of learning, empowerment, equity, and a deep appreciation for the unique experiences that we each bring to our communities. And, we believe that changing the world begins with holding ourselves and our workplace to that same standard.
About Reach Out and Read:
Founded in 1989, Reach Out and Read is a national non-profit organization working to ensure all families have the opportunity to create meaningful everyday moments through shared reading aloud and building relationships. By leveraging pediatric care to champion the positive effects of reading daily and distributing books, Reach Out and Read gives young children a foundation for success and reaches 4.4 million children across the county – half of whom identify as BIPOC and two-thirds of whom come from low-income families.
Reach Out and Read’s tens of thousands of trained pediatric providers use books as a diagnostic tool during regular check-ups, and teach parents how to engage their child with a book to promote positive parent-child interactions during the rapid brain growth between birth and age five. The daily practice of reading aloud with a parent supports children’s literacy and math skill development, their social-emotional development, and prepares them for future success in school. Working together with our sites and providers, we leverage our three decades of expertise, build on our literacy foundations, and engage our shared networks as a catalyst for change, focusing on equitably strengthening and deepening our impact on the children, families, and communities we serve.
The Impact
- Reach Out and Read program sites are located in 6,200 clinics, safety net hospitals, medical systems, and other healthcare settings in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Reach Out and Read serves 4.4 million children and their families annually.
- More than 7.1 million new, developmentally appropriate books are integrated into well-child visits with families annually.
- 36,000 clinicians currently participate in Reach Out and Read
- Our peer-reviewed body of evidence demonstrates that Reach Out and Read parents are two-and-a-half times more likely to read regularly to their children, and that children experiencing Reach Out and Read show enhanced language development.
To learn more about Reach Out and Read, visit www.reachoutandread.org.
ROR is an Equal Opportunity Employer:
Reach Out and Read is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status. Reach Out and Read is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and we are committed to making special accommodations for your interview or work as a member of our team. If specific accommodations are needed, please email HR @ reachoutandread.org and our HR team will work to accommodate your needs.
