Early Childhood Specialist- Embedded in Swedish Pediatrics Practice Edmonds

$52,500-$67,100 (Dependent upon Years of Experience)

Full-time, Regular Status, FLSA Exempt

Open until filled, applications encouraged by 9/24

Childhaven is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, inclusion, and recruiting candidates of every race, creed, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender or gender identity, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other protected status as provided by law.  Qualified individuals who bring diverse perspectives to the workplace are highly encouraged to apply! 

ABOUT CHILDHAVEN 

For over 110 years Childhaven has been a leader in serving children, families, and communities that have experienced trauma and adversity. In the past few years, we have been adding services and locations, becoming more community-based, and forming partnerships to increase our impact. In June 2020, Childhaven consolidated with Renton Area Youth and Family Services (RAYS) and Art with Heart, which further expanded our capacity to better serve more children, families, and communities. By combining our legacy of healing-centered care, with the expertise of our new partners, Childhaven is building a continuum of care model that is unlike any other in the Puget Sound Region.  

We are proud to be a values-driven organization that serves families from diverse communities. Our values are the compass we use to get us there. They guide us in the way we treat each other, the decisions we make, and the success we achieve. Values are the touchstones to chart and guide our behavior, and reflect our commitment to: 

• TEAMWORK:  Relationships come first.
• EQUITY:  There’s infinite value in every human. 
• EXCELLENCE:  Constructively dissatisfied with the status quo.
• DEDICATION:  Do more. Do better.
• RESPECT:  Meet people where they are.
• REFLECTION:  Feelings Matter. Stepping back and exploring possibilities.

Going forward, we are embarking on a new and very ambitious strategic impact plan to further strengthen programs, expand impact, and embrace innovation. In the next five years our goals are to double the number of locations and quadruple the number of children and families we are serving - all while developing and strengthening partnerships with other community-based organizations, referral sources, government agencies, and universities. In so doing, we are opening doors to a host of new roles and opportunities within the organization. And that’s where you come in. 

ABOUT YOU 

You are a passionate, driven, and dedicated Early Childhood Specialist who is excited by this opportunity to bring your superpowers and diverse mix of skills and experience to advance our work. You share our vision to help ensure that all children are safe and healthy; thriving physically, socially emotionally and educationally; and well nurtured by family and by their community. You too are constructively dissatisfied with the status quo, embrace continuous improvement, and heed the call to better serve more. You are equal parts learner, leader, and mentor… and see around the corners of a challenge, replaying the question of “What if” with a reply of “Why not”.  

You proactively break down silos and nurture a cohesive and collaborative team that prioritizes “we” and “ours” over “I” and “my”. You foster an environment of belonging, healing, and relationship-building - and recognize that feelings matter. You take initiative, participate fully, and engage deeply, all while maintaining a sense of humor and having fun. You whole-heartedly embrace diversity, equity, inclusion, and culture. You are curious, courageous, and reflective – and willing to bring your humanity to work. 

If this sounds like you – we need to meet - and talk more about the positive impact we could have together. 

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY: 

Childhaven has an exciting opportunity to join our innovative and growing team as an Early Childhood Specialist (ECS) embedded in the Swedish Edmonds Pediatrics Practice. The ECS will provide direct services to families of infants and young children, and collaboration and consultation to the extended care team of the Swedish Pediatrics practice in areas of developmental and behavioral concerns in young children (0-5 years old).

This partnership between Childhaven and Swedish Edmonds reflects a growing, evidence-based transition to integrated care and improved coordination and provision of services that will make care more equitable, holistic, and effective for clients, and more rewarding to staff.  The ECS will work with Childhaven to develop this new model at Swedish Edmonds Pediatric Practice, with long-term goals of systems-change and care transformation. During this 2-year pilot we will explore the long-term sustainability and scalability of the model. Program continuation will be contingent upon continued funding.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

The Early Childhood Specialist (ECS) will provide education and support to parents and caregivers of children 0-5 within a pediatric setting to facilitate children's physical, cognitive, and social-emotional health and lifelong success.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conduct scheduled and on-the-fly in-office visits with caregivers and their young children (jointly with pediatric providers and alone) focused on developmental and behavioral promotion.
• Work closely with pediatric providers around care coordination, goal setting, counseling, coaching, and education about key aspects of child development as desired by the caregivers of patients.
• Provide anticipatory guidance and education to caregivers around common non-medical topics such as positive parenting, attachment, early learning, fussiness, sleep, feeding, discipline, toilet training, etc.
• Communicate with families via phone or online portal regarding non-urgent non-medical questions, particularly related to the topics above.
• Work closely with the pediatric team to build capacity to support developmental, behavioral, and positive parenting promotion.
• Coordinate and/or conduct screenings of protective and risk factors for children 0-5 and their caregivers.
• Provide referrals and track follow-up, as appropriate, to help families make connections to key resources within the community.
• Participate in regular reflective supervision, clinical team meetings, and Childhaven Healthcare Integration meetings.
• Participate in other duties related to program goals and evaluation in collaboration with the Childhaven Healthcare Integration team.

Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Child Development, Psychology, Social Work or related human services field required with expertise in infant/early childhood mental health or commensurate experience.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in early childhood, primary medical care, behavioral health, and/or family support systems. Experience working within a clinical setting and knowledge of integrative care principles preferred.
• Experience and knowledge about early childhood growth and development, positive parenting, parent-child relationships, child health, and family systems required. Experience and demonstrated ability to foster positive relationships with caregivers, using inquiry-based communication skills and motivational interviewing preferred.
• Outstanding organizational skills and ability to manage a caseload of multiple families.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills required.
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with children and families, pediatric primary care clinical staff, and Childhaven staff.
• Ability to successfully work in diverse communities, including self-awareness, understanding of systems of oppression, and willingness to contribute to undoing institutionalized racism.
• Commitment to improving the experience of care for children and families, particularly those underserved by our current systems.
• Technological capabilities sufficient to use electronic medical records and other systems to record visit notes, collect data, and track patient progress.
• Ability and desire to be flexible and responsive in this role - there is great opportunity to shape how this role functions in a clinical setting and we anticipate "trying things on" and adjusting as we learn together.
• Access to personal transportation to attend occasional off-site visits, trainings, or meetings.
• Maintain current certifications including Pediatric/Adult CPR, first aid and AED, HIV and blood borne
• Background check, tuberculosis test, and drug screen required.

COVID-19: Due to the amending Proclamation (20-05) (21-14) by Governor Inslee, Childhaven employees are required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 for the protection of the clients we serve. Medical and religious exemptions are acceptable to the extent of the law for those entitled under the ADA, Title VII, THE WLAD and/or if there is a sincerely held religious belief accommodation to the requirements of this Order. Requests for these exemptions are required.”

Childhaven serves families from diverse communities and we are committed to recruiting candidates who reflect this diversity. Multilingual and multicultural candidates are highly encouraged to apply!

We strive to make Childhaven a great place to work by living our values: Teamwork, Equity, Excellence, Dedication, and Respect. Here’s a little bit about what we offer our staff:

• We believe in fully transparent hiring practices. The salary ranges are on a Grade & Step scale; dependent on experience.
• We offer a comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental and vision insurance. Expanded benefits include a flexible spending account, education reimbursement and a 403(b) savings program with employer contributions. A full listing of benefits is available.
• No matter what your role is, you'll get opportunities to attend a wide variety of trainings on clinical and education topics, advocacy, management skills, and more. We also work hard to make sure that you have a mentor—a person who's helping you grow professionally.
• We’re dedicated to serving the full range of cultural diversity in our community, and to providing families with care that’s relevant to them and their values. As a member of Childhaven staff, you’ll be encouraged to contribute to community engagement strategies and will participate on the ESIT Racial Equity/Social Justice Team, to ensure that our program and protocols are doing their part to dismantle systemic racism.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Basic Term Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment
• Long-Term Disability
• Paid Vacation Time
• Paid Sick time
• 3 Floating Holidays
• Paid Holidays
• 403(b) - Voluntary contribution through pre-tax or Roth payroll deduction
• Educational Reimbursements
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Discounted Woodland Park Zoo Tickets
• Verizon Discounts