ABOUT US

The Primary School is expanding the boundaries of traditional education. Our holistic model weaves together education, health, and family support services to ensure underserved children have the system of care they need to lead meaningful and emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy lives. We received seed funding by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a major national philanthropy.

Our approach has three defining characteristics:

• We start early. We start working with parents and enroll children into our program as early as 18 months of age to reach them at their most critical stage in development.
• We work with - not around - families. We know that parents and caregivers are the most important people in a child's life. We partner with them to enhance the education and health of their children.
• We integrate multiple systems to serve the whole child. Our unique model brings together health care and education, building a multi-disciplinary team and holistic system of care around a child's full needs.

In 2016, we opened our flagship school in East Palo Alto, California, with our first class of four-year-olds. We have grown to serve nearly 250 children and their families. In the fall, we will have classes for children in Pre-K3 (3 year-olds), Pre-K4 (4 year-olds), Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade. We will continue to open a new grade every year through eighth grade.

Our ultimate goal is to create a game-changing system of care for children that can be replicated across the country. To that end, we are building a model that can be effectively implemented in diverse communities and sustained on public funding. In 2019, we plan to both expand our student and family population in East Palo Alto and pursue opening our next site in the Bay Area. It's an exciting time to join the team!

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Bilingual Family Engagement Associate works in partnership with families to support their well-being and their child's healthy development. The Bilingual Family Engagement Specialist will work 1:1 with families, co-facilitate parent and parent-child groups, and organize and participate in school wide/program events.

Responsibilities

• Partner with parents to complete evidence-based developmental questionnaires, such as the ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE 2.
• Share developmental screening information with the child's medical home.
• Facilitate Children's Circles in partnership with the Parent Coach and other team members.
• In partnership with the family, make referrals to external service providers for further evaluation and/or services, this includes following up with families and providers as needed to ensure that children receive the necessary evaluation(s) and support. Identify and document gaps and barriers to accessing services.
• Facilitate parent-child and parent groups in English and Spanish focused on supporting the wellbeing of the family and the child's preschool readiness skills.
• Communicate regularly with other stakeholders supporting the family/child (including but not limited to, medical providers, social service workers, therapists) to coordinate developmental supports.
• Support families to successfully transition from Early Start to Special Education services.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external partners.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records.
• Support with organizing and participating in family events including but not limited community nights and other events.
• Support enrollment of incoming cohorts. This includes supporting information sessions, collecting enrollment forms and meeting 1:1 or in small groups with families to answer questions and/or provide support to complete paperwork.
• Participate in and contribute to the universal activities of the 0-3 experience at The Primary School.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state HIPAA regulations and guidelines.
• Other duties consistent with the role may be required and/or requested by the manager, for example: creating a monthly family newsletter, visuals, and other materials to support children and caregivers at home and in groups.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

• Being at child's eye level for extended periods of time (possibly through sitting, crouching, kneeling) while a child plays on the ground or at a table
• Following children quickly around an indoor or outdoor space
• Lifting up to 50 lbs
• Repeated bending over from standing position, then straightening up
• Ability to use body to demonstrate actions (follow the leader games, music and movement type activities, etc)

ABOUT YOU

Professional skills + experience

• Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Development, Social Work, Psychology or a related field preferred
• You have 2 or more years experience working with families and children birth to five years
• You have experience facilitating parent and parent-child groups for children birth to five
• You value the importance of the parent as the child's first teacher
• You posses strong oral and written communication skills in English and Spanish
• You are proficient using Google Suite and comfortable learning new programs, applications and tools
• You have an ability to work with a high degree of independence and as part of a team

Personal qualities

• You speak fluent English and Spanish and feel confident communicating with children and families in both languages.
• You see yourself as a life-long learner, you approach your work with curiosity, you value collaboration and are excited to work with and learn from all families and The Primary School team members.
• You are respectful, warm and welcoming with parents: able to foster an environment that is a safe space.
• You believe in the mission of The Primary School and that all children and families are capable of extraordinary things.
• You are able to communicate clearly and in a timely manner via multiple modes of communication (phone, email, in person, etc)
• You recognize that working with families will require occasional work on evenings and weekends.
• You are a natural problem solver and possess a "Can do attitude."
• You are reliable and a self-starter.
• You are able to balance multiple priorities - meeting with families, preparing for sessions, entering data - gracefully and with practiced personal organization and time management.
• You embody empathy and embrace cultural differences; you recognize and know how to navigate groups and individuals representing a range of needs, abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• You enjoy crafting written communications suited to the audience, whether a concise text or a visually appealing newsletter
• You demonstrate flexibility and an ability to adapt to meet the needs of families and the program

Compensation

Annual starting salary range begins at $63,000. Compensation is commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health benefits, 401k retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), dependent care FSA, and generous paid time off, including a competitive paid parental leave benefit.

HOW TO APPLY

The Primary School values diversity; people of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Please complete the following application and submit your most recent resume. These short-answer questions are designed to replace a cover letter, so take your time with them and copy in your answers from a separate document. If you feel that the questions do not accurately capture what you have to offer The Primary School, you are also welcome to attach a cover letter. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis so we encourage you to submit yours soon. We look forward to reading your application!

The Primary School provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.The Primary School complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.