Position: Bilingual Education Liaison

Reports To: Director of Educational Programs

Category: Full Time

Salary: $50,000 / 35 hours per week annually. This is a year-round position. Please note that this is a grant-funded position.

Summary of the Position: A Bilingual Education Liaison will assist with all United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s educational programs including the 21^st CCLC afterschool educational program. The purpose of the role is to increase parent and family involvement in schools. The individual will connect parents or caregivers with students at Oakside, Brookside, or Alice E. Grady Elementary School with various human service resources. They will establish effective communication between home and school and improve community outreach and training opportunities for Hispanic parents and families of students.

About the Organization: At the United Way we believe that WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER and that it is only by being UNITED that we can change the world for the better.

In Westchester and Putnam more than 40 percent of households are living in poverty or paycheck to paycheck, what we call ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). These are often hardworking families struggling to make ends meet and provide a better life for their children. But for these families, when funds run short, they are forced to make impossible choices between childcare or paying the rent, filling a prescription, or fixing a car. They are our preschool teachers, home health aides and retail salespeople – workers essential to keeping all our communities and economies humming, yet who struggle to pay their own basic bills.

We achieve results in three ways. First, by investing dollars or essential goods in programs with proven results. Second, we also provide direct services to those in crisis (through our 211 Helpline) or supportive educational services to foster self-sufficiency. And finally, we foster collaborations with community stakeholders, leaders, and partners to change the way we look at and solve problems.

We collaborate with hundreds of nonprofit partners and governmental agencies, and our work positively impacts hundreds of thousands of individuals every year.

Our United Way has a purpose-driven culture, one that prioritizes the greater good, working hard, and getting things done, while focusing on innovation, risk-taking, high morale, and having fun.

Description: United Way of Westchester and Putnam (UWWP) seeks a Bilingual Education Liaison to assist with the organization’s educational programs and support the implementation of our 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) initiative, which is funded through the 21^st CCLC grant. Prospective applicants must be fluent in English and in Spanish, particularly in the areas of speaking, reading, and writing. They must have at least an Associate’s degree or one year of experience in community service work involved in explaining the role of the local school system and related educational programs to residents of the community.

The purpose of our 21^st CCLC initiative is to provide afterschool academic enrichment and youth development opportunities for students in the following 3 public elementary schools: Oakside in Peekskill, Brookside in Ossining, and Alice E. Grady in Elmsford. This program comprises a consortium of community partners that includes the United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Peekskill City School District, Ossining Union Free School District, and Elmsford Union Free School District. One Bilingual Education Liaison will be assigned to each partnering school.

Additional UWWP educational programs include (subject to change):

• Summer Backpack Program offers food, books, and activities to students from low- to moderate-income households during the school summer break weekly and on the last week of the program delivers a backpack with school supplies to each participating student. The program strives to alleviate food insecurity, reduce summer learning regression, and provide financial stability for families.
• Education United provides equity to students from disadvantaged communities by offering support services and resources to help them achieve academic success. The conglomerate of services includes providing books, supplies, and other essential goods; supporting tutoring and mentoring programs; offering Character Playbook, a positive character development program; and promoting mental health awareness and resources such as the 211 Helpline.
• United2Read is our early literacy initiative that gives books and literacy kits to families, so caregivers and guardians can do stimulating learning activities with their children and better prepare them for starting school.            

Qualifications

Minimum Education/Certification

• Must have at least an Associate’s degree or one year of experience in community service work involved in explaining the role of the local school system and related educational programs to residents of the community.
• Possess current certifications in and be able to perform CPR and medical first aid (or be willing to become certified upon hire)

Essential duties and responsibilities will include but may not be limited to:

• Assist in the coordination of all UWWP’s educational programs.
• Complete necessary reporting and submit to the proper entity, such as the New York State Education Department
• Coordinate 21^st Century Community Learning Centers staff as well as other educational program interns and volunteers
• Connect parents and caregivers with needed health and human service resources
• Encourage parent and family involvement in schools
• Carry out student and family outreach recruitment, and retention plans
• Build and maintain relationships with program stakeholders such as program partners, sites, parents, and community leaders. This includes meeting regularly with the program stakeholders
• Aid in the recruitment and retention of students
• Oversee the supervision of students participating in the program
• Collaborate with program staff such as teachers, students, and school principals to develop and maintain a schedule for project-based learning, academic, youth development, service learning and extra-curricular activities
• Attend mandated program meetings and required professional development trainings
• Implement operational policies and practices for the afterschool program in cooperation with staff, youth, and parents
• Secure a healthy and safe environment while overseeing the use of equipment and supplies
• Travel regionally up to 50% of the time to execute responsibilities

Skills and Knowledge

• Requires a passion and commitment to working with and helping children and their families
• Requires the individual to be flexible with work locations and work times to best engage children and families
• Requires knowledge of basic record keeping and case management processes.
• Requires knowledge of and skill at using personal computers to record information and send communications.
• Requires sufficient human relation skills to work productively and cooperatively with teachers, students, and parents in informal settings, exercise patience when conveying information, and demonstrate sensitivity to the special needs of students.
• Requires the ability to assist teaching staff and administrators with implementation of programs and activities to accomplish outreach goals.
• Requires the ability to learn and apply the goals and objectives of the 21^st CCLC Program.
• Requires the ability to interact with teachers, parents, and specialists to conduct assigned duties.
• Requires the ability to enlist parent involvement and volunteering.
• Requires the ability to relate positively to and work cooperatively with parents and students in a way that builds confidence, social skills, positive behaviors, and recognizes socioeconomic and cultural differences.

Physical Requirements / Work Environment

• Must be able to sit, stand, or walk for extended periods of time
• Must have a valid driver’s license and proper automobile insurance
• Must be able to squat or bend to communicate at youths’ level
• Must be able to lift up to 25 lbs. unaided

Other Job Requirements

• Requires fingerprinting and background check
• Submitting personal information into the NYS Office of Children and Family Services online portal as required for the 21^st CCLC Program

Interested individuals should email their resumes to UWWP’s Chief Impact Officer Faith Ann Butcher at [email protected].