Family Wellness Specialist (Early Childhood Education)

The Family Wellness Specialist is responsible for ensuring overall health and nutrition needs of the participating families are met in accordance with the Head Start regulations. The primary duty of this position is to ensure optimum overall health and nutritional status of each client. The Family Wellness Specialist will link program participants to health and nutritional services via internal and external collaborative efforts.

1. Works with the Senior Family Wellness Coordinator and Child Nutrition Specialists to plan appropriate programming in health and nutrition.
2. Assists Sr. Family Wellness Coordinator with meeting all reporting responsibilities for Head Start requirements.
3. Provides internal monitoring of locations to ensure compliance with Head Start Performance Standards in content area.
4. Provides training to staff related to Head Start Performance Standards policies, procedures and processes to ensure clear understanding of contract compliance issues.
5. Ensures appropriate health screenings are completed on all children enrolled in Early Head Start/Head Start. Ensures all children are up to date on immunizations, EPSDT and other medical requirements through case management and binder reviews.
6. Works in collaboration with Student Support Services to refer children for further evaluation of health concerns as appropriate.
7. Work in collaboration with Family Development Worker to link families with any health and insurance resources throughout the community for which the family is eligible.
8. Promotes awareness of health-related issues to staff, children and parents through the distribution of materials, provision of training and nutrition activities and nutritional counseling. Encourages parent and community involvement in the health program by involving them in the development, decisions and evaluation.
9. Assists in the preparation for monitoring of the Head Start Monitoring Protocol by federal authorities.
10. Performs other duties as assigned.
11. Travel between sites/campuses is required