Families First Program Officer - Missouri School for the Deaf, 505 E. 5 th St., Fulton, MO 65251
Salary: $62,472 annually
12-month exempt position responsible for coordinating the Families First “Early Intervention Program for Birth through Age Eight (8) for Hearing Impaired and Deaf Children” throughout the State of Missouri. Coordination includes supervising Parent Advisors, working with families and their children, professional service providers, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), First Steps Providers, and local education agencies’ Early Childhood Special Education Programs. This position coordinates training and support for the Parent Advisors, promotes the program, and provides direct services as needed. This position reports directly to the Outreach Services Administrator.
Essential Functions: The incumbent must have the ability to perform the essential functions below either with or without reasonable accommodations . - Complies with all aspects of DESE’s grant for Early Intervention Services (0-8 years of age), including submitting reports on a timely basis, maintaining data on quantity and quality of services, and preparing budget proposals for the program.
- Provides or coordinates training for new and experienced Parent Advisors as needed using the SKI*HI, and other evidence-based curriculum.
- Promotes the program in appropriate venues, such as System Points of Entry, First Steps Providers, DESE-sponsored conferences, Local Education Agency (LEA) programs, etc.
- Recruits qualified Parent Advisors.
- Identifies families in need of services and assign appropriate Parent Advisors.
- Provides support and supervision to active Parent Advisors via phone/email contact, on-site visits, etc., reviews reports and provides feedback as needed.
- Provides direct services to families as a Parent Advisor when needed.
- Provides instruction and assistance to Parent Advisors, transitioning families and their children to “school-age” or K-12 educational programs.
- Travels statewide to supervise Parent Advisors, work with families and agencies, attend workshops, and conduct in-service trainings.
- Performs related works as assigned.
Preferred Skills: - Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with parents and children, local district personnel, professionals in DESE, Parent Advisors, and MSD staff.
- Ability to establish rapport and positive communication with young hearing impaired and deaf children and their families.
- Ability to plan and coordinate activities necessary to ensure the smooth implementation of Early Intervention services.
- Ability to effectively review and approve numerous reports, invoices, and home visit narratives.
- Ability to develop, implement, review and revise the Early Intervention Grant Application and budget.
- Knowledge of the variety of communication modalities available for individual children who are deaf or hard of hearing and ability to assist families and IFSP or IEP teams with support and resources in determining successful communication.
- American Sign Language competency level of Intermediate.
Education Required: - Bachelor’s Degree in Deaf Education or related field from an accredited college or university. Master’s Degree is preferred.
- Missouri State Certification in teaching deaf and/or hard of hearing students or certification in other related areas.
- Experience working with young deaf children in various settings.
- Proficiency/knowledge in communication with deaf and hard of hearing individuals (including American Sign Language, written English, Cued Speech, etc.)
NOTE: If a college degree is a requirement for this position, transcripts MUST be submitted with the application in order to be considered for employment. Failure to include transcripts (when required for the position) with your application will eliminate the application from the review process .
More reasons to love this position: The State of Missouri offers an excellent benefits package that includes a defined pension plan, generous amounts of leave and holiday time, and eligibility for health insurance coverage. Your total compensation is more than the dollars you receive in your paycheck. To help demonstrate the value of working for the State of Missouri, we have created an interactive Total Compensation Calculator. This tool provides a comprehensive view of benefits and more that are offered to prospective employees. The Total Compensation Calculator and other applicant resources can be found here .
If you have questions about this position please contact: hr@msd.dese.mo.gov
Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is an Equal Opportunity Employer. If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact Human Resources at (573) 751-9619, through Missouri Relay System at (800) 735-2966, or via email at hr@dese.mo.gov .
Notice of Non-Discrimination: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, veteran status, mental or physical disability, or any other basis prohibited by statute in its programs and activities. Inquiries related to Department employment practices may be directed to the Jefferson State Office Building, Human Resources Director, 8th floor, 205 Jefferson Street, P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102-0480; telephone number 573-751-9619 or TYY 800-735-2966.
To Our Applicants with Disabilities: For assistance with any phase of the Department process, please notify the Director of Human Resources at (573) 751-9619. Reasonable attempts will be made to accommodate special needs. TTY/TDD Relay Missouri service (800) 735-2966.
Notice to Applicants: The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is unable to sponsor applicants in their application for work visas through INS. If you have questions, please contact Human Resources.
The State of Missouri is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
