Family Development Specialist - Home… at The Centers · Cleveland

At The Centers, meaningful work is grounded in a culture where people feel valued. As a 2026 USA TODAY Top Workplaces winner, the organization is nationally recognized, based entirely on employee feedback, for trust, purpose, and care. This position plays an important role in advancing our mission and supporting the communities we serve.

Job Summary Provide home visits to families eligible for Early Head Start and Head Start (0-5) through the Smart Start Home Visiting Program. Responsible for recruitment, enrollment, planning, care coordination, and implementation of all essential components of the curriculum, assisting assigned families in identifying, accessing and utilizing community resources, while encouraging and promoting each family’s empowerment and self-sufficiency and reinforcing positive self-help skills.

Job Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Social Services or related. Experience in child development and early childhood education Completion of Growing Great Kids Curriculum Training required after hire. Certification in First Aide, communicable disease and child abuse recognition required after hire.
Valid Driver’s License, with proof of valid insurance required.
No record of child abuse or moral turpitude as determined by background check based on fingerprints. Bilingual (Spanish/English) a plus

Job Duties & Responsibilities Screening, Observation, Assessment, and Curriculum Planning

Visit families once per week for 90 minutes per visit

Ensure parent/guardian participation with child
Cover at least three components during each visit, and all components over the course of a month Conduct make-up visits within two weeks with families unable to fulfill their scheduled visits

Administer screening and assessments along with keeping accurate children’s records
Collaborate with parents to prepare and implement weekly lesson plans Conduct Parent/Teacher conferences at least twice per year to review the child’s assessment and screening information in a safe and healthy environment.
Collaborate with families transitioning to other program options and kindergarten. Collaborate with families on completing the Family Assessments as outlined in the Head Start Performance Standards. Collaborate with families on obtaining immunization records, well child checks, dental visits and follow-ups to comply with Head Start Performance Standards.

Group Socialization

Plan and implement group experiences twice a month for families Plan and implement field trips for the families Provide an environment that is safe and healthy

Agency and Community Collaboration

Plan with the component Managers and Supervisor for providing all the Head Start component services to the families Participate in agency recruitment activities throughout the school year, i.e. open enrollment, special events in order to maintain funded enrollment for the Early Learning Program. Work cooperatively with community resource agencies, connecting families as appropriate to meet their individual needs.

Caseload Management

Recruit and maintain maximum caseload of 12 children throughout the entire year Maintain an active waiting list

Administrative

Participate in probationary and annual staff evaluations completing self-evaluations and goal setting.
Assist with agency recruitment activities throughout the school year i.e., open enrollment, special events. Attend and participate in staff meetings and agency in-services.

Other Job Duties & Responsibilities

Other duties as assigned

About The Centers
The Centers provide health, family, and workforce services at 11 locations throughout Greater Cleveland, creating life-changing solutions for people to lead healthier and more successful lives. We strive to be a service-oriented workplace that pioneers and co-creates solutions while fostering belonging in a community where our team members thrive.

Our Early Learning Centers and programs provides high-quality care for children during the critical first 2,000 days of life by operating seven high-quality early learning centers, serving children birth through five years old, in Cleveland and the inner-ring suburbs. Because of our high standards, all sites achieved a 5-Star rating on the Step-Up-To-Quality Rating and been recognized and selected to be part of Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) and PRE4CLE.

Wellbeing and Benefits
Providing quality benefits to our staff is important to us. Just as important is our staff’s well-being. That’s why we offer a number of choices to meet the different needs of our staff.

Choice of medical and dental plans Health Savings Account Flexible Spending Account for Health and Dependent Care Vision Support for continuing education and credential renewal Life Insurance Retirement Savings (401k) with a company contribution Mental Health Support
Employee Assistance Program Calm Subscription Short and Longterm Disability