Early Childhood Educator, GrandFamily Literacy Program

Posted by SOWN on January 8, 2019

Full Time Job Announcement:  Early Childhood Educator, GrandFamily Literacy Program, Grandfamily Resource Center at SOWN

The GrandFamily Resource Center, a program of SOWN, is excited to announce a new family literacy initiative that will be funded through a generous grant from the William Penn Foundation. The GrandFamily Literacy Program is an innovative two-generational model that will support the development of caring, learning home environments that promote literacy, school readiness, and academic success for young children ages 3 to 8 years being raised by their grandparents. Over 17,000 grandparents in Philadelphia are responsible for raising their grandchildren, and this number is rising. Grandparents take on full-time child-rearing when the parents are unable to do so due to many different reasons, including substance abuse, incarceration, death, or mental illness. With the rise in opioid use, grandparents are stepping up more than ever to care for their grandchildren.  Nearly all of the children have experienced trauma, and many struggle with socio-emotional, behavioral and learning issues. The GrandFamily Literacy Program’s two-generational approach will support the literacy needs of these families – at home, at school and in the community – so that the children are better poised for academic success. 

For over 12 years, SOWN’s GrandFamily Resource Center (GFRC) has provided support to families in which children are being raised by grandparents.  The GFRC provides a comprehensive range of services that strengthen protective factors to promote healthy, positive family functioning, with the goal of sustaining permanency for the children in safe, supportive homes where children can learn and thrive.  

Early Childhood Educator:  

SOWN is seeking an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) to provide a range of family literacy services to children aged 3-8 and their caregivers. The ECE will also participate in community outreach, data collection, project planning, and other activities as part of the GrandFamily Literacy Program. The Early Childhood Educator (ECE) will have demonstrated experience working with preschool and young learners and teaching in a culturally and linguistically sensitive manner in an urban environment. S/he will hold at least a Bachelor’s degree, preferably in early childhood education, and have a minimum of two years of teaching experience.  

The ECE will have the following responsibilities:  

• Facilitate a community-based workshop series designed to help grandparents build the literacy/language skills of their grandchildren  
• Coordinate interactive, special events for families to increase and expand children’s language, vocabulary, reading, and use of words/language  
• Engage in outreach to community organizations, schools, aging service programs and other educational/human service programs. 
• Develop individualized Family Support Plans with each family to set goals, identify learning/literacy activities, and track progress
• Coordinate and facilitate digital literacy skills workshops for grandparents
• Provide individual assessment and literacy-building activities one-on-one teaching language literacy skills to young children (3-8 years) 
• Collaborate with child’s teachers/learning specialists, partner organizations and consultants to improve child’s learning and assess program’s impact on child’s literacy 
• Provide information and referral to other organizations, including assisting with accessing quality Head Start, pre-schools, school-based special services or accommodations, behavioral health care services, and other needed services 
• Work as a member of a team to ensure high quality program development, implementation, and coordination  
• Participate in program reviews, reports, and meetings 
• Advocate for the needs of grandfamilies with other systems  
• Other responsibilities as needed 

Hours:  Full time position. Monday through Friday employment.     

Accountability: The Early Childhood Educator will report to the Family Literacy Project Leader. 

 Apply by January 11, 2019. Please email mptracy@sown.org with a resume and letter of interest.