Bridges Family Literacy And School Engagement Manager

Children's Home Society of Florida

Since opening our doors in 1902, CHS became a part of Florida's history.

ANNUAL SALARY: $62,000

CHS has been committed to growing and evolving to provide the right services and solutions to address the needs of children and families throughout the changing times. Every day, our team works with parents and kids to empower them and encourage them. With innovative technology solutions and a dedicated, experienced team throughout the state, we're changing the face of foster care and positively impacting children and families' lives for generations to come.

Join our team to continue to do good and create history serving Florida's children and families!

The Family Literacy and School Engagement Manager oversees system-wide strategies that strengthen family literacy outcomes and partnership between BRIDGES linkage and partner schools. The position provides coordination and support to increase school readiness, academic success and access to educational resources for children and families. Overall, the Family Literacy and School Engagement Manager contributes to CHS's strategic objective of reimagining what true community impact means by creating the foundation for every child, every dream, every future.

WHY JOIN CHS?

• Uplifting mission-driven work culture
• Make an impact in your community and become a part of Florida's history!
• Growth and professional development opportunities
• Great benefits package, including generous paid time off and holidays

Primary Job Functions

1. Oversees system-wide strategies that strengthen family literacy outcomes and partnership between BRIDGES linkage and partner schools. The position provides coordination and support to increase school readiness, academic success and access to educational resources for children and families.

Program Management

• Lead system-wide family literacy, school engagement, and educational success initiatives.
• Develop and implement programs helping families prepare children for kindergarten success.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate new programs and initiatives that align with organizational goals.
• Facilitate strategic planning, goal setting, and collaborative efforts with internal and external stakeholders.
• Prepare reports and program updates for BRIDGES leadership to support planning, decision-making, and program evaluation.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of BRIDGES and organizational goals.

Family Engagement

• Build strong relationships with parents, caregivers, and families.
• Encourage family participation in school activities, conferences, and decision-making.
• Identify and address barriers to family engagement by connecting families with community resources.
• Design and facilitate parent workshops focused on kindergarten readiness and early childhood development.

School Partnerships

• Collaborate with school administrators, teachers, and staff to align family engagement initiatives with school goals.
• Coordinate events such as literacy nights, family learning workshops, and parent education sessions.
• Serve as a liaison between families, schools, and community organizations.
• Build and maintain collaborative partnerships with schools to strengthen linkages, foster positive relationships, and support program outcomes.
• Represent BRIDGES in community, education, and cross-sector partnership initiatives.

Literacy Development

• Provide guidance and technical assistance to staff on family literacy and school readiness strategies.
• Support current literacy initiatives, including the Summer Reading Program, and coordinate monthly capacity-building workshops.
• Organize workshops that help families support children's literacy and academic success at home.
• Design or coordinate literacy programs providing families with educational materials, reading strategies, and literacy resources.
• Promote early childhood literacy and lifelong learning by supporting evidence-based literacy practices, fostering family engagement, and encouraging a culture of reading and learning both at home and in the community.

2. Contribute to a positive, engaging work environment.

• Develop a strong knowledge base and stay current on job-related issues and trends.
• Participate actively in departmental meetings, training and education, as well as the quality process.
• Comply with CHS's code of conduct, policies, procedures and other obligations.
• Assist with training other team members and providing back up when necessary.
• Pick up projects on the fly; perform other duties as assigned from time to time.
• Demonstrate the CHS Common Bond values in the performance of all job duties.

Job Qualifications

Education, Licenses & Certifications:

Required- Bachelor's degree in Education, Early Childhood Education, Social Work, Human Services, Public Administration, or a closely related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted. Florida Driver's License within 30 days from hire with daily access to a reliable and insured vehicle, required.

Preferred- Master's degree in Education, Social Work, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field. Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors (AP-OD) Facilitator Certification, Certified Family Life Educator, or other relevant professional certifications. Training in family engagement, literacy development, school readiness, early childhood education, and trauma-informed practices preferred. Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish or Haitian Creole preferred.

Experience:

Required- Minimum of five (3) years of progressive experience in family engagement, education, literacy initiatives, early childhood development, school-community partnerships, community outreach, or human services. Demonstrated experience building and maintaining collaborative relationships with schools, community organizations, and diverse stakeholders.

Preferred- Experience developing, implementing, and evaluating programs or initiatives focused on educational success, family engagement, or community impact. Experience facilitating groups, delivering training, or providing technical assistance to staff, families, or community partners. Experience using data to monitor outcomes, evaluate program effectiveness, and support continuous improvement efforts. Experience working with culturally diverse populations and families facing economic, social, or educational barriers.

Competencies

Knowledge of:

Child & Family Development, BRIDGES program general principles, practices, and performance standards. Various community resources and networks to enhance client experiences and results. General confidentiality requirements and ethical standards in handling sensitive client-related and other data.

Skills/Ability to Demonstrate CHS Core Behaviors:

• Caring- Demonstrate active empathy, kindness, and compassion in every interaction, while setting healthy limits and boundaries with clients.
• Client-Focused- Provide high levels of customer service, exercising discretion/diplomacy while acting to protect clients when necessary.
• Curious- Exhibit willingness to explore/reframe problems as opportunities, using good judgement to solve practical problems.
• Committed- Manage multiple priorities while taking initiative to achieve to desired results and outcomes.
• Accountable- Meet critical deadlines, while maintaining high attention to detail and accuracy.
• Proficient- Undertake job duties with minimal supervision, using general office tools, including MS Office Suite and Teams.
• Resourceful- Accomplish tasks with available resources, stewarding CHS resources appropriately.
• Team Player- Collaborate and work well with colleagues, contributing to positive morale and spirit within the team.
• Coalition Builder- Establish internal and external connections to collaborate on shared goals.
• Inclusive- Interact effectively with others, being sensitive to differences in attitudes, styles, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Excellence-Driven- Is present and prepared, delivering high quality work.
• Leader- Exhibit a professional presence, demonstrating strong interpersonal and communication skills with unwavering Respect, Integrity, and Dedication to the CHS mission.

Schedule Expectations

The incumbent will work a standard scheduled week, which may include weekends, holidays, and evenings. The ability to work flexible hours is required to meet business needs. If working remotely, incumbent will be required to be available by telephone and email during specified hours.

Travel will be on an as-needed basis to conduct business-related activities; may be required to work at a CHS location, when necessary. In the event of a declared disaster or emergency, this Essential Services Delivery position will be required to provide for the overall welfare of CHS clients when interruption of services could endanger their life, health, or personal safety.

All applicants are subject to background screening through the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). For more information, visit https://info.flclearinghouse.com

Together, good can be done.