Education / Special Needs Manager

Description:

~~The Puerto Rican Family Institute (PRFI), founded in 1960, is a nonprofit, multi-program family-oriented health and human service agency whose primary mission is to prevent family disintegration and enhance the self-sufficiency of the Latino community. PRFI offers a comprehensive array of social and health care services that are culturally and linguistically relevant. Our core services include mental health treatment, crisis intervention, child placement prevention, adult residential care facilities, and Head Start programs.  Our programs operate in New York City and in Puerto Rico and are available to clients of all races and ethnic backgrounds.

PRFI is currently seeking an Education and Special Needs Manager for the Bronx Head Start Program. Under the supervision of the Head Start Program Director, the Manager will be responsible for the overall management, supervision and evaluation of the Education and Special Needs Services, working closely with staff, parents, service providers, and community partners to ensure the effective delivery of curriculum, special needs services, and achievement of program outcomes.

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Supervisory Duties:
• Oversees and is ultimately responsible for the daily activities and operations for the education component.
• Plans, implements, and coordinates education component to maintain program compliance with federal standards, state laws, and local grant goals and objectives.
• Provides counsel, assistance, and support the Director in areas of education program planning and management. Reviews and assess, with program director, component activities, and interrelationships with other components; identifies possible solutions for problems and makes recommendations; interacts with other coordinators; coworkers, staff, and parents.
• Perform record keeping and internal and external reporting tasks in a timely and objective fashion.
• Prepares and submits accurate reports including PIR, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
• Responsible for auditing all files, claims, paperwork from the education component; to ensure complete compliance with all Federal, State, and Agency regulations and guidelines.
• Contributes to and participates in strategic planning, program self-assessment, community assessment, and other efforts to improve program services and agency responsiveness to families; solicits community professionals to serve on the program assessment team.
• Assist in planning and implementing changes in the program.
• Develops, monitors and evaluates progress on component goals and objectives; reporting progress on action plan.
• Make decisions and acts based on family support principles, theories, practices, and code of ethics.
• Reviews, updates, and submits the written component plan to management team, staff, and PRFI-HS annually.
• Provides guidance and direction to assigned education staff, evaluates performance, assesses, and secures training opportunities and resources for staff development.
• Provides parents with relevant information and/or training regarding education activities.
• Makes routine visits (at least quarterly) to each classroom, visits each classroom for annual observation.
• Facilitates the completion of licensing application process with the New York City Department of Health and reviews licensing site reports and oversees the correction of non-compliances in a timely fashion.
• Ensures that education component adequately addresses child outcomes.
• Provides leadership to the education staff and program staff overall on developing, designing curricula around, and responding to child outcomes.
• Ensures that education component activities follow performance standards at all sites.
• Organizes and participates in child screening process; scores, records and reviews results to assure appropriate application and follow-up planning.
• Actively participate in securing in-kind contributions from families, professionals, and community members.
• Engages parents in volunteering, community service, and other ways of contributing to program activities and services.
• Provide opportunities for children and families to participate in family literacy services.

Special Needs Services:
• Developing a disabilities service plan providing strategies for meeting the special needs of children with disabilities and their parents in accordance with Head Start principles.
• Serving as the contact person for disabilities trainings and conferences
• Coordinating developmental screening with Health and/or Education managers.
• Meeting with parents to discuss children’s needs.
• Assisting staff in implementing the disabilities service plan.
• Coordinating with Puerto Rican Family Institute’s other early childhood programs in order to ensure the continuation of services the children and families are receiving.
• Coordinating the annual updating of the disabilities service plan.
• Coordinating training efforts for staff and parents regarding children with disabilities.
• Maintaining records of families involved in the process.

Head Start Duties:
• Coordinating Head Start IEP meetings if preschooler does not qualify for LEA services.
• Attending educational and social services meetings.
• Participating in Health Advisory Committee meetings.
• Attend IEP Transition Meetings.

General duties:
• Recruiting and supervising any volunteers, student teachers, or interns (in the special needs field) and provide the necessary training, support, and feedback necessary for their professional growth.
• Intervening in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, as mandated by Federal and State law.
• Maintaining confidentiality of family records and information.
• Encouraging and promoting the family’s achievement of self-sufficiency.
• Special projects as deemed necessary by the Program Director.

Qualifications: