Education & Employment Service 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.

The Educational & Employment Specialist is a full-time position that would provide support and resources related to 
education and employment for the youth and families in the New York Foundling KEYS program, and report to the
assigned supervisor and/pr Assistant Vice President. The Educational & Employment Specialist meets with youth, families,
and the treatment team, plus collaborates with other stakeholders (i.e. parents, school staff and agency staff, and workforce
opportunities) to ensure that students are receiving all of the supports needed to reach their full academic potential and
youth/families are tapping into employment resources.

Duties
• Provide individual education & employment counseling services to youth who are at risk of failing or dropping out
of school; advocate for these youth within the public education system to ensure that they are accepted into the
most appropriate educational setting; and support with linking youth/families to meet employment goals.
• Conduct school visits and classroom observations, as well as participate in IEP meetings to collaborate with school
staff and ensure students are in the most appropriate academic setting.
• Communicate regularly with treatment team (and parents and youth) about youth’s academic performance,
attendance, etc.
• Communicate regularly with school personnel to obtain updates on student attendance, progress and behavior in the
classroom.
• Monitor educational DOE data and send notifications to agency staff and parents about youth performance,
attendance, etc.
• Adheres to program protocol’s and procedures and maintains clear, concise and accurate approved documentation
of efforts that promote peer and supervisory review and feedback, and that demonstrates compliance with ACS, and
meeting our agency’s expectation. Assures documentation (data entry) for contacts, incidents, and reports are
submitted timely (as indicated by program). Has ability to maintain confidential client records.
• Document all interventions performed in agency databases including but not limited to: Evolv, Care4, and
Connections.
• Help refer students to programs for academic support.
• Identify students in need of special education supports and make appropriate referrals for evaluations as well as
ensure appropriate services are in place within the classroom setting.
• Provide assistance and guidance in the college application process (college selection and admissions application,
admissions essay writing, financial aid application, work study, scholarship selection and application process, room
and board, etc).
• Provide assistance in high school application process (ensure quality schools are listed on the application and that a
complete and correct application is submitted on time).
• Provide support for college students through monthly check in phone calls to assist with transitioning to college
life, class registration, financial aid issues, etc.
• Refer out-of-school youth for HSE and Vocational programs and provide on-going support and guidance to them as
they work towards their goals.


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). Education Social Work, Phycology, Sociology 
• Experience in youth/child welfare and/or NYC public school system preferred.
• Knowledge of the NYC DOE system, college admissions and financial aid process, high school enrollment process,
and alternative educational settings.
Additional Qualifications:
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to evaluate and aggregate educational data, put together reports and summaries and present information to other
stakeholders.
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish preferred.