Child Care Action Council

Job title- Family Support & Health Specialist

Reports to- Family Engagement & Health Supervisor

FLSA status- Non Exempt

Pay Range- $23.21- $28.36

Position Summary

The Family Support & Health Specialist is an integral member of the ECEAP comprehensive services team and is responsible for coordinating family support, family engagement, and child health services in alignment with Washington State ECEAP Performance Standards, Child Care Action Council policies, and ECEAP contract deliverables. This position exists as a dedicated role to ensure family support and health responsibilities are manageable, consistent, well documented, and completed within required timelines.

This position provides direct support to children and families through relationship-based family partnerships, health coordination, referrals, follow-up, classroom connection, and community resource navigation. The Family Support & Health Specialist partners with families to identify strengths, needs, goals, and barriers; ensures required health and family support documentation is complete and current; and supports children's healthy development, regular attendance, family well-being, and school readiness.

Working alongside teaching staff and program leadership, the Family Support & Health Specialist strengthens the connection between home, school, and community. This position spends regular time in the classroom supporting children and staff with daily classroom duties because it is integral for the specialist to know the children well in order to support families, health coordination, attendance, referrals, and comprehensive services effectively. The role ensures that ECEAP requirements for family engagement, family partnerships, child health, developmental follow-up, transition support, confidentiality, and comprehensive services are implemented with fidelity and professionalism.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Family Partnerships and Support

• Build authentic, respectful relationships with families using strengths-based, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and family-centered practices.
• Partner with families to identify strengths, priorities, needs, goals, and resources through ongoing communication, family conferences, family support visits, and individualized planning.
• Support families in developing, reviewing, and making progress toward family goals that promote child development, family stability, well-being, and school readiness.
• Help families navigate community services and resources, including health care, dental care, mental health, developmental services, housing, food access, transportation, employment, education, and other identified needs.
• Complete, document, and follow up on family support contacts, family conferences, family support visits, referrals, resource connections, and goal progress in accordance with ECEAP Performance Standards and program timelines.
• Encourage and support meaningful family engagement in classroom activities, program events, parent leadership, policy council opportunities, transition activities, and shared decision-making.
• Support families in understanding their role as their child's first and most important teacher and provide information that strengthens home-school partnerships.
• Maintain confidentiality and protect family privacy in all verbal, written, electronic, and community-based communication.

Building Relationships with Children and Supporting the Classroom Community

• Develop trusting, responsive relationships with children through daily interactions and participation in classroom activities.
• Support children's sense of belonging, emotional safety, and connection within the classroom environment.
• Regularly participate in classroom routines, learning experiences, transitions, meals, activities, and other daily classroom duties to support children and staff.
• Collaborate with teaching staff to support children's individual strengths, interests, and developmental needs.
• Use knowledge of each child’s classroom experiences, relationships, strengths, routines, and needs to provide informed support to families and to coordinate health, attendance, referral, and comprehensive service follow-up.
• Promote positive child guidance practices and support children's social-emotional development.
• Contribute to creating a welcoming, inclusive, and culturally responsive learning environment.

Health and Comprehensive Services

• Coordinate, monitor, and document child health requirements, including medical, dental, vision, hearing, immunization, developmental screening, health history, and follow-up documentation.
• Track required health and developmental information to ensure records are complete, accurate, current, and entered by required program timelines.
• Partner with families to identify health, dental, developmental, mental health, nutrition, attendance, and access-to-care needs and support timely referrals and follow-up.
• Collaborate with families, teachers, program leadership, health consultants, and community providers to address barriers that impact children's health, attendance, participation, or learning.
• Support families in obtaining well-child exams, dental exams, immunizations, screenings, treatment plans, and other services needed to meet ECEAP health expectations.
• Monitor referral outcomes and document follow-up actions until services are completed, declined, no longer needed, or otherwise resolved.
• Provide health education, safety information, nutrition resources, and prevention-focused materials that promote children's overall well-being.
• Communicate concerns promptly and professionally to the appropriate supervisor or team member when health, safety, attendance, family support, or documentation issues require additional support.

Collaboration and Program Support

• Work collaboratively with Lead Teachers, Assistant Teachers, and ECEAP support staff to provide coordinated services.
• Participate in child and family planning meetings as part of the comprehensive services team.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of family contacts, referrals, health information, and services provided.
• Participate in program planning, continuous quality improvement activities, and professional development.
• Support recruitment, enrollment, family engagement events, and community outreach activities.
• Other duties as assigned

ECEAP Contract Deliverables and Compliance

• Understand and implement assigned ECEAP Performance Standards and contract deliverables related to family support, family engagement, health, comprehensive services, documentation, confidentiality, referrals, and follow-up.
• Maintain organized systems for tracking required family support and health tasks, deadlines, documentation, and follow-up needs.
• Review records regularly to identify missing, incomplete, or overdue items and take timely action to resolve gaps.
• Prepare information for monitoring, reporting, file review, supervision, and continuous quality improvement activities as requested.
• Communicate proactively with supervisor or the Director of ECEAP Early Learning Programs regarding risks to contract compliance, unmet deliverables, family needs, documentation concerns, or barriers requiring support.

Professionalism, Communication, and Positive Team Culture

• Model professionalism, reliability, discretion, and ethical conduct in all interactions with children, families, co-workers, supervisors, community partners, and visitors.
• Maintain a positive, solution-focused attitude, especially during busy periods, changing priorities, family needs, or compliance deadlines.
• Communicate respectfully, clearly, and promptly; seek clarification when needed; and address concerns through appropriate supervisory and team channels.
• Contribute to a collaborative team culture by being dependable, prepared, flexible, and willing to support shared program goals.
• Receive feedback professionally, participate in reflective supervision, and demonstrate openness to learning, growth, and continuous improvement.
• Use respectful language and maintain professional boundaries when discussing children, families, staff, and community partners.
• Represent Child Care Action Council and the ECEAP program in a manner that reflects the agency's mission, values, commitment to equity, and focus on children and families.

Qualifications

Required

Associate degree in Early Childhood Education, Human Services, Family Studies, Social Work, Public Health, or related field.

2 years xperience working with young children and families in an early learning, education, social service, or community-based setting.

Knowledge of child development and family-centered practices.

Ability to build respectful relationships with families from diverse backgrounds.

Strong communication, organization, and collaboration skills.

Commitment to equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive practices.

Preferred

Experience working in ECEAP, Head Start, or another comprehensive early learning program.

Knowledge of Washington State ECEAP Performance Standards.

Experience coordinating health services or community resources.

Bilingual or multilingual skills.

Physical Requirements

Ability to actively participate in a preschool classroom environment.

Ability to sit on the floor, kneel, bend, lift, and engage physically with young children.

Ability to travel for home visits, community meetings, and program activities as needed.

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Paid Leave
• Sick Leave
• Retirement Plan
• Tuition Assistance
• Professional Development

• Health insurance (80% employer paid,) dental and vision are provided starting the 1st day of the month following hire. Employer paid retirement plan, paid sick, personal days, and holidays provided.

Child Care Action Council is a non-profit agency whose mission is to promote and nurture early learning communities where families and children thrive. We have programs to support both childcare providers and families. At a local, regional, and state level, our staff collaborate with a diverse group of individuals and organizations working on behalf of and in partnership with children and their families. Through these relationships, we are better able to address our goals for equity, inclusion and social justice. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to building a diverse team. 

www.ccacwa.org