CAREERS

We are seeking a Family CARES Program Specialist.

Do you have a passion for supporting parents and caregivers of young children? Are you proactive, extroverted, and organized enough to keep all sorts of projects and tasks running smoothly? Do you want to make a difference in the world?

Open Door needs YOU to serve as a key village neighbor for children and families. Our non-profit preschool serves children from birth through age five in an intentionally inclusive, deliberately diverse community. We’re currently accepting resumes from people with the qualifications and experience to support families with diverse needs and backgrounds in Austin’s highest-quality preschool.

We need someone empathetic, with cultural humility, organized, communicative, and preferably has a deep understanding of early childhood and community support and services available to families. Google Drive/word processing/spreadsheet/technical skills needed.

We offer a solid salary, paid sick time, vacation, and holidays totaling nearly six weeks yearly [based on a regular schedule of 20+ hrs/wk]. Working at Open Door is the best job experience for the right person - everyone you work with will be a caring person dedicated to creating a wonderful place for children to learn and grow. If you know, you know.

This position works at both locations, in Central and East Austin. Flexible work hours between 7:45 am-5:45 pm, with occasional evenings for quarterly family events. The hourly rate offered is $20-$28 and will depend on skills and experience. A degree in Social Work is desired. In lieu of a degree, five years of experience is required.

Job Type:

Part-Time (20-25 hrs/week, minimum of 3 days/week)

Pay:

Hourly, commensurate with experience ($22+/hr)

*Benefits:

  • Paid time off - vacation, sick leave, and holidays [*requires a regular schedule of 20+ hrs/wk]

  • Health insurance [*requires a regular schedule of 30 hrs/wk]

  • Disability insurance [*requires a regular schedule of 30 hrs/wk] fully paid by the employer

  • Life insurance [*requires a regular schedule of 30 hrs/wk]- fully paid by the employer

  • Dental insurance [*requires a regular schedule of 30 hrs/wk]

  • Vision insurance [*requires a regular schedule of 30 hrs/wk]

Education:

  • A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Services, Social Work, Early Childhood, or Special Education is desired.

  • In lieu of a degree, five years of experience working with families and children is required.

Skills:

Empathetic, cultural humility, self-directed, communicative, organized, Google Drive/Word Processing/Spreadsheet technical skills.

COVID-19 considerations:

Must be fully vaccinated against COVID. Open Door follows best practices based on current recommendations and guidelines from NAEYC, the CDC, and Austin Public Health. A mask may be required during the interview and to work with young children and families each day.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Under the supervision of the Family CARES Director, the FCS will be responsible for:

  • Establishing and maintaining productive relationships with preschool staff and families; weekly check-ins with site directors to review needs and progress

  • Case management with families: support crisis situations, goal setting, and wrap-around services; provide necessary referrals and resources to children and families. Conduct classroom observations, parent support meetings, and home visits as needed.

    • Tracking contact hours, referrals, and care coordination for identified families.

  • Providing availability at times convenient to parents and involving parents in decisions regarding their children’s education, health, and emotional well-being.

  • Providing weekly consultation to preschool staff about children and families, focusing on families with children with special needs and those who require basic needs support.

  • Providing resources and referrals for preschool staff when they express a need and when a need is perceived.

  • Providing resources to parents to support their learning and understanding to better support their child - customized parent education

  • Follow up with parents to discuss and provide support to help them implement tools and strategies for their child’s particular needs.

  • Meet monthly with all families receiving tuition assistance to update income, work status records, and other required documentation.

  • Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of community resources and outreach with the community to bring needed resources to Open Door (intern help available)

  • Consistent record-keeping and data tracking as appropriate.

To apply, email leslie@opendoorpreschool.org with the subject line: FAMILY CARES APPLICATION.