ABOUT US

The Primary School is creating a new school model that brings together all of the adults in a child’s life, including parents, educators, and medical and mental health providers, starting from a very early age. We recognize the entrenched racism that exists within our public systems and the unjust impact this has had on families of color. Our aim is that children and families most impacted by systemic poverty and racism receive the multidisciplinary support they deserve to be well, learn, and thrive. 

Long-term, we hope to create a game-changing model that can be replicated across the country. As we continue to learn and grow, we plan to share what we’ve learned and pursue policy and systems change. We are supported by a growing coalition of philanthropic partners, building on the generous support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Our approach has three defining characteristics:

• We start early. We start working with children as young as 12 months and provide full-time school starting at age three to reach them at a critical stage in development. 
• We partner with parents. We believe that when parents thrive, children thrive, so we support the wellness and growth of parents alongside the growth of their children.
• We integrate services. Our unique model unites health care and education, building a multi-disciplinary team and holistic system of care around a child’s full needs.

In 2016, we opened our flagship school in East Palo Alto, California, with our first class of four year olds. We have grown to serve over 400 children and their families through our Early Family Foundations program, parent wellness program, full-day preschool, and elementary/middle school, which will grow through eighth grade. In 2021, we opened our second site in the East Bay.

ABOUT OUR EAST PALO ALTO SITE

We are continuing to grow our East Palo Alto site and are excited to launch 8th grade for our 2025-2026 school year. In our school program, we currently serve approximately 300 students across two preschool grades (3 and 4 year olds) and kindergarten through seventh grade. Integrated into our program are the other core components of our model including our parent program - partnering closely with parents throughout their child’s development and providing wellness programming for caregivers; our Early Family Foundations program - coordinating early developmental screenings and intervention services; and our medical home partnerships - working with existing health care providers in the community to coordinate care for children.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Bilingual Family Engagement Associate works in partnership with families to support their well-being and their child’s healthy development. The Bilingual Family Engagement Specialist will work 1:1 with families, facilitate parent and parent-child groups, create visually appealing and informative resources for families that support their child’s learning and growth and organize and participate in school wide/program events.

This role reports to the Manager of Early Family Foundations and will be a part of the Early Family Foundations and Parent Program teams. This position follows a year-round calendar.

Job Type: Full-time

Work Location: Hybrid

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Partner with parents to complete evidence-based developmental questionnaires, such as the ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE 2. 
• Facilitate Children’s Circles in partnership with the Parent Coach and other team members.
• Share developmental screening information with the child’s medical home.
• Conduct  monthly developmental calls with families. 
• Work  across teams to plan, organize, and facilitate parent-child and parent groups in English and Spanish, focused on supporting the wellbeing of the family and the child’s preschool readiness skills.
• In partnership with the family, make referrals to external service providers for further evaluation and/or services, this includes following up with families and providers as needed to ensure that children receive the necessary evaluation(s) and support.  Identify and document gaps and barriers to accessing services. 
• Communicate regularly with other stakeholders supporting the family/child (including but not limited to, medical providers, social service workers, therapists) to coordinate developmental supports.
• Support families to successfully transition from Early Start to Special Education services. 
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external partners.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records.
• Create a monthly family newsletter,  visuals, and other materials to support children and caregivers at home and in groups.
• Support with organizing and participating in family events including but not limited to, monthly materials distribution, community nights and other events.
• Support enrollment of incoming cohorts. This includes supporting information sessions, collecting enrollment forms and meeting 1:1 or in small groups with families to answer questions and/or provide support to complete paperwork.  
• Participate in and contribute to the universal activities of the 0-3 experience at The Primary School.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state HIPAA regulations and guidelines.
• Other duties consistent with the role may be required and/or requested by the manager.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Development, Social Work, Psychology or a related field preferred
• You have 2 or more years experience working with families and children birth to five years 
• You have experience facilitating parent and parent-child groups for children birth to five 
• You value the importance of the parent as the child’s first teacher
• You posses strong oral and written communication skills in English and Spanish 
• You are proficient using Google Suite and comfortable learning new programs, applications and tools
• You have an ability to work with a high degree of independence and as part of a team

Personal qualities

• You speak fluent English and Spanish and feel confident communicating with children and families in both languages.
• You see yourself as a life-long learner, you approach your work with curiosity, you value  collaboration and are excited to work with and learn from all families and The Primary School team members.
• You are respectful, warm and welcoming with parents: able to foster an environment that is a safe space.
• You believe in the mission of The Primary School and that all children and families are capable of extraordinary things.
• You are able to communicate clearly and in a timely manner via multiple modes of communication (phone, email, in person, etc)
• You recognize that working with families will require occasional work on evenings and weekends.
• You are a natural problem solver and possess a “Can do attitude.”
• You are reliable and a self-starter.
• You are able to balance multiple priorities - meeting with families, preparing for sessions, entering data - gracefully and with practiced personal organization and time management.
• You embody empathy and embrace cultural differences; you recognize and know how to navigate groups and individuals representing a range of needs, abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• You enjoy crafting written communications suited to the audience, whether a concise text or a visually appealing newsletter
• You demonstrate flexibility and an ability to adapt to meet the needs of families and the program
• Reflective, data reflections, % break down of time in parent groups vs parent child groups
• You are comfortable in ambiguity and environments that change rapidly.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

COMPENSATION

Annual salary range begins at $68,640-$74,140; compensation is commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health benefits (medical, dental, and vision), 401k retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), dependent care FSA, and generous paid time off, including a competitive paid parental leave benefit. TPS will cover 93% of the total premium cost for individual team members in our HMO and PPO plans, and 95% for individual team members in our HDHP plan. TPS also covers 50% of enrolled partners and/or dependents' costs on all three of our medical plans (HMO,PPO, HDHP). Please note that in order to be considered for this position, you must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. We are unable to offer sponsorship. 

To ensure fair and equitable compensation for all of our employees, The Primary School has a no-negotiation policy on all offers extended. Final offers are determined using role descriptions, job market data, internal parity, and semi-annual benchmarking. Our goal is  that this policy, paired with ongoing transparency in our compensation process, will make TPS a more fair, inclusive, and diverse workplace. 

HOW TO APPLY

TPS values diversity (please see our commitment to DEI); people of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Please complete the online application and submit your most recent resume. These short-answer questions are designed to replace a cover letter, so take your time with them and copy in your answers from a separate document. If you feel that the questions do not accurately capture what you have to offer The Primary School, you are also welcome to attach a cover letter. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis so we encourage you to submit yours soon. We look forward to reading your application!

The Primary School provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. The Primary School complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the organization has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.