Bilingual Family Advocate

Join the NVFS Family: We are looking to hire a Family Advocate to join the NVFS Early Childhood Education team! In this role, you will serve as a trusted partner to families, empowering them to achieve their goals while supporting children’s healthy development and school readiness. Using a strengths-based, relationship-centered approach, you will provide comprehensive case management, connect families with community resources, promote family wellbeing and self-sufficiency, and encourage meaningful parent engagement in their child’s education.

You will work collaboratively with teachers, center leadership, health and disabilities staff, and community partners to help ensure families receive high-quality, coordinated services that meet Head Start and Early Head Start Program Performance Standards. You will also support recruitment, enrollment, attendance, and family retention efforts to help ensure eligible children and families have access to high-quality early childhood services.

This position works with families enrolled in Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs and requires regular site visits at least twice per week to provide on-site support to families. 

Why This Role Matters: As a Family Advocate, you have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with families and help them identify and achieve goals related to education, employment, housing, financial stability, health, parenting, and other areas that support long-term family success. Your work strengthens families, promotes parent leadership and engagement, and helps children build a strong foundation for school readiness and lifelong success.

Benefits and Compensation: We want you to be well, have work/life flexibility, grow your career with us, and have the resources and support you need. Check out our comprehensive benefit offerings here in support of various dimensions of your wellbeing. This position has a starting salary in the high 40s and is a hybrid role.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Provide comprehensive case management to enrolled families using a strengths-first, family-centered approach, including conducting family assessments and developing and maintaining Family Partnership Agreements.
• Partner with families to identify goals related to education, employment, housing, financial stability, health, parenting, and other areas that promote long-term family success.
• Conduct home and site visits, family meetings, and other contacts in accordance with Head Start and Early Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Connect families with NVFS services and community resources, make referrals, and follow up to help ensure access to needed supports.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and complete case records and electronic documentation.
• Encourage parents and caregivers to participate in classroom activities, family events, parent trainings, committees, volunteer opportunities, and other family engagement activities.
• Facilitate parent curriculum sessions that strengthen parenting skills, promote positive child development, and encourage family engagement.
• Promote parent leadership opportunities, including participation in Policy Council and other family governance activities.
• Support families in understanding child development milestones and encourage positive parent-child interactions that promote school readiness.
• Support outreach, recruitment, and enrollment efforts to maintain full program enrollment.
• Assist families throughout the enrollment process and help ensure required documentation is completed accurately and timely.
• Monitor attendance patterns and partner with families to identify and address barriers to regular attendance.
• Follow up with families when children are absent and support re-engagement as needed.
• Serve as a liaison between parents, Center Managers, teachers, and community partners to support coordinated, family-centered services.
• Collaborate with education, health, nutrition, mental health, disabilities, and community partners to address family needs and remove barriers to participation.
• Communicate family concerns, strengths, and priorities while maintaining appropriate confidentiality.
• Participate in regular supervision and provide updates as requested.
• Maintain current knowledge of Head Start/Early Head Start standards and other program-related information.
• Enter data for record keeping and reporting in accordance with relevant guidelines.

Your Background:  We understand that you may obtain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences.

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Human Services, Family Studies, Psychology, Early Childhood Education, or a related field preferred.
• Must be willing and able to obtain a Family Services Credential within 12 months of hire.
• At least one (1) year of experience working with children ages 0–3 or 3–5 and their families preferred.
• Experience with Head Start, Early Head Start, home visiting, or family engagement programs is a plus.
• Ability to build trusting relationships with individuals from diverse backgrounds while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Oral and written fluency in English; bilingual fluency in Spanish or other client languages preferred.
• Digital and technical proficiency, including working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to demonstrate a One-NVFS mindset by being mission-oriented, accountable to the organization, and supportive of colleagues across programs and departments.
• Team-oriented and able to collaborate effectively and share responsibilities with colleagues.
• Effective written and oral communication skills, including empathy and active listening.
• Ability to support, motivate, and develop others, including colleagues, interns, and/or volunteers as assigned.
• Flexibility and the ability to adapt and respond effectively to change.
• Strong accountability and the ability to reliably deliver high-quality work.
• A client service orientation focused on serving internal and external customers in support of the NVFS mission.
• Technical and functional expertise relevant to the role.

Additional requirements:

• Successful completion of background checks upon hire 
• TB test and physical attestation required upon hire
• Must have reliable transportation to visit client homes and other designated community locations.
• Must be able to conduct regular site visits at least twice per week to provide on-site support to families.
• Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds of family supplies and program materials.
• Must be comfortable with varying home conditions and being around sick children and adults.
• Work is primarily performed in child development centers, client homes, and an office/remote work environment, with travel to community locations, Agency office sites, and meetings as required.

Working at Northern Virginia Family Services (NVFS) means doing work that matters every day because of the difference you will make in the lives of children and families in Northern Virginia. NVFS’ breadth, depth and scope of services offer the resources and support to ensure that everyone in need, at every stage of life, maximizes their potential and fully contributes to a thriving community. At NVFS, we value every team member’s contribution and our collective impact on our clients and the community. NVFS is an equal opportunity employer, E-Verify participant and drug-free workplace.