Tucson - Early Childhood Education Liaison

Job Description

Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest is a non-profit organization with Corporate Offices in Phoenix and Tucson and additional offices throughout Arizona.

Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest administers programs and services to help build collaborative Community Partnerships and strengthen individuals, families, and communities.

Working for our organization is a positive, challenging and rewarding experience with opportunities for personal and professional development.Exempt: NonexemptBase Wage: $21.50Reports to: Program SupervisorDepartment: Refugee and Immigration ServicesProgram: Refugee and Immigration ServicesLocation: Tucson, ArizonaPosition Type: RegularDate Reviewed: March 2024

General Description:

In concert with the Supervisor, this position is tasked with effectively integrating and educating

refugee children, ages birth to five, through the RSI Program. This involves maintaining

eligibility documentation, managing referrals, and facilitating enrollment into RSI-funded

activities using the ARRPODS system. The Education Liaison develops and implements

specialized support programs for eligible refugee children and families. These programs include

services like English language training, early childhood education resources, school readiness

activities, and early childhood development tracking support. Additionally, they offer assistance

to refugee families navigating the U.S. early childhood education system, including schoolspecific orientations, cultural navigators, and language access support. Overall, the Education

Liaison's role is to ensure the smooth operation of the RSI Program, from coordinating services

and managing referrals to collaborating with early childhood providers and stakeholders to meet

the needs of refugee children and families.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:WEIGHTDESCRIPTION50Training and Activities

1. Provide activities under the Refugee School Impact (RSI) Program to

effectively provide early childhood education resources including connections

with early childhood providers in the community.

2. Maintain eligibility documentation and manage referrals for eligible children in

ARRPODS.

3. Create mechanisms for tracking, managing, and reporting on services provided

to refugee children.

4. Develop and implement an annual Refugee early childhood education strength

and needs assessment to guide program decisions and services to children and

families.

5. Provide assistance to families navigating the U.S. education system through

orientations, cultural navigators, and language access support. Assess, design,

develop, and update training materials such as training schedules agendas,

guides, handouts, case studies, role-plays, visual presentations and so forth for

use in training workshops.

6. Follow-up with clients on attendance, progress in workshops, and address any

special needs that may arise.45Children and Family Educational Services

1. Liaise with early childhood education programs and school districts in

consultation with case managers to address any concerns and advocate for

refugee children including assisting case managers and children with special

needs.

2. Working closely with the RSIG team at other agencies to ensure participation of

LSS-SW clients in RSIG activities.

3. Contribute to capacity development for school systems to address unique needs

of refugee children and ensure access to necessary resources.

4. Coordinate and consult with case managers for school enrollment and early

childhood education referrals.

5. Coordinate and supervise extended cultural orientation

experiences/programming for refugee children and families.

6. Developing and conducting the training of staff on critical issues involving

refugee children and families.

7. Collaborating with the Community Integration Team to network and support

professional partnerships with multiple agencies for the clients' benefit

including attending meetings, community events, presentations, etc 5Extra duties as assigned:

1. Maintain an established work schedule, including a high level of self-direction

and responsibility. May include State and National travel.

2. Follow internal protocol immediately regarding safety, health, and the

environment of the member and employee workspace and workplace

equipment.

3. Maintain status for professional credentials.

4. Present a professional attitude and always wear professional attire.

5. All other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to perform each essential duty

satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or

ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with

disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor's degree in early childhood education, social work, psychology, sociology or a

closely related field is preferred. Four years related education or social service experience,

preferably working with immigrant populations, and/or training; or equivalent combination

of education and experience may substitute for a bachelor's degree.

• Prior experience working with children, schools, or educational programs is strongly

preferred.

• Must be at least 21 years of age.

• Provide and maintain a current certification in First Aid and CPR.

• Provide and maintain a current Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card, clear the Department

of Economic Security Central Registry Background Check and a criminal background and

motor vehicle screening; must maintain valid AZ Driver's License, a clear driving record and

reliable transportation for the duration of employment.

• Must have a clear driving record for at least 36 months.

• Must maintain a clear driving record during the time of employment.

• Must have reliable transportation, a valid AZ driver license and current automobile

insurance.

• Ability to work independently with high initiative.

• Ability to travel throughout the state or nationally as requested by supervisor.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Proficient computer skills and knowledge of Outlook and Microsoft Office Programs (i.e.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

• Skills in English/ Spanish composition, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations.

• Ability to relate well with families of varied lifestyles, backgrounds and ethnicities.

• Experience in cultural diversity.

• Ability to assess family's strengths and weaknesses.

• Ability to recognize signs of abuse/neglect.

• Ability to participate as a member of a team, including collaboration, cross-training, and

mutual assistance.

• Participate in ongoing Professional Development Training. Training must be relevant to

position.

• Ability to work independently with high initiative.

• Ability to travel throughout the state and provide own transportation as requested by the

Supervisor.

Language Skills:

Ability to communicate clearly. Ability to listen and perceive need. Ability to work with people

from diverse backgrounds non-judgmentally. Ability to effectively present and represent LSSSW and the program's needs to religious and community groups as well as others in the social

services community. Fluent in English, both spoken and written; bilingual ability in one of the

predominant languages of the local client base is preferred.

Mathematical Skills:

Good ability to calculate figures.

Reasoning Abilities:

Ability to define problems, collect data, evaluate information, draw conclusions, and take

appropriate action based on this information. Ability and confidence to make decisions when

appropriate and when to solicit guidance from the Program Manager.

Physical Demands/Work Environment:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics here are representative of those that

must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the

essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to sit or stand for

long periods of time.

• The employee frequently is required to use hands to hold objects and operate office

equipment.

• The employee is required to be able to listen and communicate effectively.

• The employee may be required to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

• The noise level in the work environment varies with the activity level of the facility.

• Maintain valid AZ Driver License, vehicle insurance and reliable transportation.

• Ability to work within the mission of LSS-SW.

All positions at Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest require a background check.

Job Posted by ApplicantPro