Educational Specialist

At The New York Foundling, we trust in the power and potential of people, and we deliberately invest in proven practices. From bold beginnings in 1869, our New York-based nonprofit has supported hundreds of thousands of our neighbors on their own paths to stability, strength, and independence.  We help children and families navigate through and beyond foster care. We help families struggling with conflict and poverty grow strong. We help individuals with developmental disabilities live their best lives, and we help our neighbors access quality health and mental health services—core to building lifelong resilience and wellbeing. Together, our interrelated programs provide a whole-person, whole-family, and whole-life approach that unlocks solutions for a lifetime.

Duties  

• Advocate for students in IEP meetings to ensure that they are placed in the most appropriate educational setting and that they are receiving all of the services needed to succeed in school. .
• Ability to maintain open lines of communication with parents, school staff & case planning team regarding student's academic progress, attendance, and behavior
• Identify students who may need special education support, work with case planners to secure the appropriate consents, and make appropriate referrals to the Committee on Special Education or Committe on Pre-School Special Education
• Attend interdisciplinary team meetings to provide updates on student's educational progress and as well as the student's education plan
• Conduct school visits within the five boroughs and in the greater New York area to meet with school personell, speak with students, collect documents (attendance records, report cards, Individualized Education Plans) and confirm that their services are in place
• Guide students through the high school selection and college process to ensure that they are choosing the best-fit high schools as well as the college of thier choice
• Complete timely and accurate documentation in CONNXs, & Care4 database systems
• Refer all children 0-3 yr olds to Early Intervention upon intake or when identified as having developmental delays

The New York Foundling is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse employee population, the Foundling will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.

Other Requirements: 

• Two years in direct care position preferred (case planning/community service).
• Experience in youth/child welfare and/or NYC public school system preferred.

Additional Qualifications:

• Knowledge of the NYC DOE system, college admissions and financial aid process, high school enrollment process, and alternative educational settings.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to evaluate and aggregate educational data, put together reports and summaries and present information to other stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate with other program staff and community resources in meeting client needs.
• Ability to engage hard-to-reach youth in academic services and provide them with guidance and support.
• Microsoft office suite proficiency (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Willingness to work flex-hours to meet availability of youth required (work some evenings and weekends).
• Ability to manage time and program priorities, multi-task efficiently, and work under strict deadlines in meeting program goals.
• Demonstrated strong commitment to safety.