Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) — a world-renowned education and poverty-fighting organization based in New York — seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and mission-aligned Family Worker for our Baby College & 3-Year-Old Journey Program. 

The Family Worker will bring a passion for the mission of Harlem Children’s Zone: break the cycle of intergenerational poverty with comprehensive, on-the-ground programming that builds up opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work, and life.

The Baby College, which is a critical piece of our early intervention work, is a program that addresses the needs of young children and families through a nine-week series of parenting workshops for expecting parents and those raising a child up to three years old.  Workshops and classes are held on Saturday mornings, and all services are free.  Families receive breakfast, lunch, incentives, and child care during the nine-week program, which covers a broad range of subjects, including brain development, discipline, immunization, safety, asthma, lead poisoning, parental stress, and parent-child bonding, among many others.  The primary goal of The Baby College is to provide families with both a range of information and the support necessary to raise happy and healthy children who enter school ready to learn.

We are seeking a Family Worker to provide direct counseling, assistance, and support to our children and families.

For more information, check out Want to Work at Harlem Children’s Zone? Here’s 7 Things You Need to Know.

Requirements

• Associate's degree required or Bachelor's degree preferred, with relevant work experience

Who you are

• Some knowledge of child welfare and ACS (Administration for Children’s Services)
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Willing and able to work hours based on the needs of clients; Saturdays are a must
• Expertise knowledge of the Harlem community and locations where parents are connected
• Demonstrate sensitivity, tact, and professionalism in dealing with others
• Passion for children and families and a strong connection to the community
• Must be comfortable working outside of the office in the Harlem community
• Bilingual a plus (English/French, or English/Spanish)
• CPR/AED certification is a huge plus

What you’ll do

• Provide supportive casework counseling to up to 12 families through weekly home visits, which include conducting parenting workshops/lessons, and office-based assessments
• Facilitate and provide instruction on early childhood care to a parental group
• Execute lesson plans explaining best parenting strategies and practices
• Administer the use of developmental and social-emotional screening tools for children
• Utilize the Touchpoint philosophy and other early childhood parenting techniques
• Monitor and evaluate children’s overall development and make appropriate referrals for support (internally and externally) when needed
• Participate in weekly supervision with the Family Service Coordinator
• Connect families to various community-based and governmental resources and escort them to appointments as needed
• Ensure the timely and accurate completion and submission of all case notes and other required documentation
• Participate in all agency functions and project activities
• Recruit families between cycles to ensure maximum levels of program participation
• Perform other duties as assigned

Schedule

Work Days: Tuesday - Saturday / Off Days: Monday & Sunday

• Tuesday & Wednesday 9 AM - 5 PM
• Thursday 11 AM - 7 PM
• Friday 9 AM - 5 PM
• Saturday 8 AM - 4 PM
• Some flexibility during workdays may, at times, be required depending on department-related events

Benefits

As a member of the Harlem Children's Zone team, you will join a supportive and inclusive community dedicated to helping children, families — and our staff — thrive. We offer highly competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefits package, and opportunities for growth.

Our exceptional full-time benefits include: 

• Highly competitive base salaries
• Paid time off 
• Employee referral bonus 
• Career advancement
• No-cost health insurance
• Life Insurance
• Short-and long-term disability
• Additional voluntary benefits
• Wellness discounts
• Commuter benefits
• Financial wellness perks
• Additional Benefits (Discounts on flights, hotels, theme parks, concert tickets, and more.)

The salary range for this position is $42,000 - $45,000 per year. To be considered, interested applicants should apply directly through the posting on our careers page. No telephone inquiries or recruiters, please. Replies will only be sent to qualified applicants. Harlem Children’s Zone is an EOE.