Health & Abilities Specialist-Early Head Start

SAL Community Services

Moline, Illinois

JOB DETAILS
SKILLS
Alliance/Partner Management, Calendar Management, Cancer, Case Management, Child Support, Child and Youth Services, Childcare, Community Development, Community Health, Community Support, Community and Social Services, Compensation and Benefits, Consulting, Content Management, Contract Management, Cross-Functional, Data Management, Dietetics, Disability Accommodations, Diversity, Early Childhood Education, Emergency Procedures, Environmental Health, Federal Laws and Regulations, Funding, Genetics, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), HIV/AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), Health Education, Health Plan, Healthcare, Healthcare Providers, Home Care, Homeless Services, Insurance, Interviewing Skills, Leadership, Legal, Licensing, Maintain Compliance, Medical Conditions, Medical Equipment, Medical Records, Medication Administration, Medications, Military, Needs Assessment, Nutrition, Patient Care, Policy Implementation, Prescription Drugs, Preventive Medicine, Primary Care, Procedure Implementation, Project/Program Coordination, Psychiatry and Mental Health, Records Management, Regulatory Compliance, Safety Process, Safety/Work Safety, Service Delivery, Social Work, Staff Policies, State Laws and Regulations, Training/Teaching, Treatment Plan
LOCATION
Moline, Illinois
POSTED
1 day ago
Health & Abilities Specialist-Early Head Start

BASE WAGE $25.01-$27.49

JOB TYPE Full-Time

DESCRIPTION
Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships, part of SAL Community Services, is the Quad Cities areas leading provider of early childhood care and education. We provide a safe, secure and supportive environment centered on how playing can charge the mind of the children we care for.

The Early Head Start Health & Abilities Specialist is responsible for coordinating and monitoring children’s health, oral health, nutrition, mental health, and individual abilities services for the Early Head Start program. The position advocates for children’s health and development by promoting optimal health habits, interpreting health records and data, coordinating individualized supports, and ensuring appropriate preventive and primary health care for children and families in accordance with Head Start Performance Standards and local, state, and federal regulations. The Health and Abilities Specialist works in conjunction with other program content areas, consultants, families, and community partners to ensure a holistic approach, including coordination of mental health and disability services, confidentiality practices, transition planning, and compliance requirements. The position also collaborates with the early childhood and education team to ensure the implementation of safety practices and inclusive services in compliance with Head Start Performance Standards, Caring for Our Children, Public Law 94-142, HIPAA, PII requirements, and applicable local, state, and federal regulations.

All Early Head Start employees will serve as an advocate for Early Head Start families and partner with parents and families as they become lifelong educators by observing, guiding, promoting and participating in the everyday learning of their children at home, school and in their communities.

We are passionate about building and sustaining high quality working and learning environments for all children, families, staff, and our communities. We believe every member on our team enriches our diversity by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design and deliver solutions.

As SAL Community Services' Early Head Start Health & Abilities Specialist you will have the opportunity for meaningful work including:

Health and Safety:
  • Collaborate with the Early Head Start Child Care Partnership Director and content area managers on the development of health, environmental health and safety, nutrition and emergency policies and procedures ensuring compliance with local and state regulations, with appropriate input and engagement from consultants, staff, Policy Council, board and the Health Services Advisory Committee.
  • Provide health education to parents of children enrolled in the program by participating in parent meetings, home visits, or other methods determined effective.
  • Coordinate contracts and services with the Mental Health Consultant and Dietitian to support health, nutrition, mental health, and disability service delivery.
  • Provide assistance to parents to enable them to learn how to obtain any prescribed medications, aids, or equipment for medical and dental conditions.
  • Develop relationships with community partners who provide health and nutrition services to the families served by the Early Hea Start Child Care Partnership program in order to maximize resources, inter-agency collaborations, and avoid duplication of services.
  • Promote environmental health and safety within child care centers, contracted Home Child Care Network family child care homes, socialization events, and within the children's homes.
  • Monitor the implementation of safety policies and procedures.
  • Perform on-site visits as needed.
  • Plan and schedule visits to child care centers, family child care homes, and socializations in coordination with family visitors, and home visits to the child’s home as needed to observe children who have been referred for health concerns.
  • Participate in multidisciplinary teams upon request to help determine medical follow-up, assist in inclusion of children with health issues and to support parents in their role.
  • Schedule and chair multidisciplinary team meetings to coordinate services, review child needs, support inclusion, and ensure appropriate follow-up for children with disabilities, mental health concerns, or other identified needs.
  • Plan and implement procedures for transitioning children with disabilities out of the program, including coordination with families, receiving programs, school districts, and community partners as appropriate.
Data and Records Management:
  • Review, evaluate, and interpret health/nutrition/oral health records following standards, rights and privacy, legal, and confidentiality requirements.
  • Monitor for completion of health/nutrition/oral health requirements and to ensure children have received health/nutrition/oral health services.
  • Ensure that each child is up to date on age-appropriate preventative and primary health care.
  • If applicable, meet with or conduct a phone interview with families regarding health findings, and assist families in understanding medical information and the need to complete prescribed treatment plans.
  • Assist families in obtaining needed medical care by making referrals to appropriate community health care providers.
  • Use pertinent health records and parent communication to develop and implement individualized health plans (IHPs).
  • Track children with health care needs and those that require medication administration at the Early Head Start CCP sites.
  • Monitors height/weight measurements and ensures plans are developed for children whose growth is of concern or not within normal range.
Meetings, Training, and Other
  • Provide training and education to staff, children, and/or families.
  • Attend monthly case conference meetings to discuss treatment plans for children with identified health plans.
  • Coordinate Health Services Advisory Committee, minimum of two meetings per year.
We are looking for an Early Head Start team member who:
  • Provides compassionate leadership and accountability across teams for high quality programming. 
  • Is passionate about building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for all.
  • Is innovative, strategic, and dedicated to contributing their skills and energy to a dynamic and growing mission-focused agency.
Salary, benefits and perks
Our entire compensation package includes paid time off and paid holidays; health, dental, and vision benefits; 401(k) with employer contribution; and pet insurance. A full list of benefits is available on our website at salcommunityservices.org.

Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. A full list of job responsibilities will be provided prior to an interview. This position must obtain required background clearances. Requests for reasonable accommodation as required under applicable law will be considered.

Education and Experience Required: Bachelor’s Degree in related health field, social services, or early childhood education along with two plus years of related experience with child and family health, to include prevention concepts. Preferred: Experience in Head Start or Early Head Start programs.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
 
Mission
SAL Community Services (SAL) strengthens children, families, and individuals to build and enhance thriving communities.

About Us
At SAL Community Services, we provide Support, Advocacy, and Learning in our communities—from childhood to adulthood. Our mission is to strengthen children, families, and individuals to build and enhance thriving communities. Founded in 1970, we have a history of listening to the needs of our community and responding. We have grown from an organization focused on providing quality child care to low-income working families to one that meets a wide variety of needs, from early care and education to crisis assistance and stabilization services. Today, SAL has a bi-state 17 county regional footprint from the Quad Cities to Central Illinois area. We advocate with and for the people we support, the communities we serve, and the solutions we champion, and we offer an inclusive, welcoming community for the people we serve—and our employees. Learn more on our website at www.salcommunityservices.org/about-us.

EOE STATEMENT SAL Community Services is an equal opportunity employer and believes in equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. Accordingly, all employment decisions are based on the principles of equal opportunity. These decisions include recruitment, selection, promotion, transfer, discipline, compensation, benefits, training and other personnel actions involving persons in all job titles and shall occur without regard to actual or perceived race, creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, religion (or for requesting an accommodation for a religious belief), sex, age, ancestry, national origin, genetic information (as defined in Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA)), military status or discharge status, veteran status, qualified disabled veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, transgenderism, marital status, citizenship status, familial status, physical or mental disability (or for requesting an accommodation for a disability), association with a disabled person(s), medical condition (including HIV or AIDS status, cancer related or genetic characteristics) arrest record (unless doing so violates contractual, funding, or licensing requirements), order of protection status, pregnancy (including conditions related to childbirth or breast feeding), homelessness or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.  

LOCATION SAL Community Services Administration Office/ Moline, IL 

EXEMPT/NON-EXEMPT Non-Exempt  

About the Company

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SAL Community Services