Head Start Mental Health Coordinator

Position Location and Department 

• This position is part of our Head Start Program
• This position will work at our Wyandotte County office located at 444 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS 66101.

Job Summary: Collaborates with Head Start Education/Inclusion staff to improve the social-emotional climate of Head Start partner classrooms. 

Salary Range: $42,000 - $48,000

Benefits Offered:

• Medical Insurance (The Family Conservancy offers health insurance to all full time employees working a minimum of 30 hours per week)
• Flexible Spending Accounts 
• Health Savings Accounts
• Vision & Dental Insurance. 
• Long Term Disability.
• Life Insurance.
• 403(b) Retirement Plan matching up to 2%.
• Yearly 5% employer retirement contribution. 
• Paid Vacation. 
• Sick Leave.
• Personal time off. 
• Agency paid holidays.
• Flexible work schedules (Hybrid)

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Reviews child and family case notes upon completion of the Head Start intake process to prepare for classroom visits and  completes regularly scheduled site visits to Head Start partner programs. 
• Collaborates with Head Start Education/Inclusion staff to improve the classroom climate. 
• Provides input on Head Start policies and procedures for the Head Start (HS) Mental Health (MH) Manager in compliance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) related to recordkeeping and reporting requirements for completion of child social-emotional screenings, follow-up, and family engagement. 
• Provides strategies and encouragement to empower parents to implement classroom strategies and Support Plans at home along with identifying community resources as needed to support with ongoing care and early intervention to meet child and family needs. 
• Partners with site level Family Advocates, Directors, Administrators, and the HS Education/Inclusion staff to identify and coordinate services needed to meet the needs of children and families.  This may also include engagement within the referral process for an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and/or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). 
• Responsible for recordkeeping and reporting requirements within Head Start related to child social-emotional screenings Ages & Stages Social-Emotional (ASQ-SE).
• Immediately reports safety concerns and potential hazards identified at partner sites to the Head Start Director and MH Manager. Assists with implementation of corrective action as needed to support safe environments and compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. 

Required Skills/Abilities:  

• Ability to collaborate with partners and colleagues. 
  • Respectful communication
  • Growth-oriented discussion
  • Shared responsibilities
• Commitment to growth mindset
  • Commitment to professional growth through self-reflection and ongoing education
  • Commitment to supporting partner sites through transformative change.
  • Ability to display patience, flexibility, curiosity, and resilience.
• Travel to all parts of the facility, Head Start and other locations and throughout the community.
• Maintain successful clearance on Criminal, Sex Offender, Medical, and Missouri and Kansas Child Abuse/Neglect Background Screenings.
• As a visitor in a child care setting, must maintain good physical health verified by physician and must be free from tuberculosis, as documented by TB test.
• Working knowledge of community resources required.

 Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's in Social Work required. 
• Appropriate Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board licensure. 
• Prior relevant work experience with low income and diverse populations in a community or other relevant setting preferred. 
• Knowledge of Head Start federal regulations and prior experience preferred. 
• Bilingual fluency in written and oral English/Spanish, English/Arabic or English/Somali preferred. 
• Prior experience with social-emotional screenings, such as the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) or the Ages & Stages Social-Emotional screen, preferred.

The Family Conservancy is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.  

To Apply for this position, please visit our website at: https://www.thefamilyconservancy.org/careers/