Education & Youth Coordinator

Position Overview:

Lutheran Settlement House (LSH) is a non-profit, community-based organization committed to serving children, adults, and families living in Philadelphia. Within our Jane Addams Place family emergency housing program, we are seeking a compassionate and experienced individual to fill the role of Education & Youth Coordinator. Under the supervision of the Manager of Children & Youth Services, this position coordinates all school-related services, provides education advocacy, and implements fun and high-quality programming for school-aged children in our program.

To ensure implementation of after-school programs and provision of comprehensive support, this position is scheduled for three 11am-7pm shifts per week, and two 9am-5pm shifts.

Key Responsibilities:

Advocacy and Education Coordination

• Provide support for families at Jane Addams Place around school enrollment and attendance
• Conduct in-person education assessments with all incoming families
• Inform families of their rights to education under the McKinney-Vento federal law
• Eliminate barriers to learning, including but not limited to, transportation, uniforms/clothing, supplies, and technical support
• Assist families with navigating any school services, like enrollment, tutoring, IEP meetings, after school programs, and extracurricular activities
• Advocate in school meetings when families request support, including disciplinary, truancy, enrollment, IEP, or DHS meetings
• Prepare families exiting Jane Addams Place around any changes to school enrollment, transportation, extracurricular activities, or other education-related items

Youth Programming

• Plan and implement age appropriate activities with a focus on Social Emotional Learning
• Create teen-specific programming
• Coordinate with external partners to host programs on-site that benefit development and education of youth residents

Administrative Duties and Other Supports

• Maintain confidential records of assessments, education support, programming events, and attendance
• Enter data and generate reports for program evaluation and funder compliance
• Attend trainings and weekly supervision in accordance with program and agency guidelines
• Promote mutual support with other staff, as needed, to ensure smooth daily operations

Working Environment:

• This position operates primarily within a family homeless shelter environment
• Flexible scheduling may be required to accommodate the needs of shelter residents, including early evening and occasional weekend hours
• This position includes rotating week-long “On-Call” responsibilities once every 6-8 weeks
• The role may involve exposure to challenging and emotionally intense situations

Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Education, or related field desired but not required
• Previous experience working with individuals and families, housing services, youth programs, or education systems a strong plus
• Demonstrates a commitment to trauma-informed care
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish rapport and build trust with youth of all ages
• Capacity to work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team and external service providers
• Sensitivity and respect for cultural, socioeconomic, and individual differences is required
• Familiarity with Philadelphia resources preferred
• Strong organization and documentation skills, with attention to detail required
• State recognized, 40-hour domestic violence advocate training provided after hire
• Bilingual Spanish/English candidates are preferred and compensated commensurately

LSH is committed to creating an inclusive experience for all, and we firmly believe that we serve our communities best when everyone feels free to be their most authentic self. We are an equal opportunity employer and applicants from all backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Our benefits include low cost medical, free dental and vision insurance, as well as agency-funded life and disability insurances.
• We offer 8-weeks paid parental leave for staff (eligible after one year of service) who give birth, adopt, or foster a new child in their home.
• Our paid time off package includes an annual 3-4 weeks of vacation, 12 days of paid sick time, and 5 personal days to use at your discretion.
• We observe 16 organization-wide holidays, and an early close on all Fridays during the Summer.
• Our 401k retirement savings program offers a 1% match, and we offer pre-tax flexible spending accounts for health, travel, and dependent care.
• We value growth and learning, and offer trainings and conference participation whenever possible. We value the voices of our staff, and we offer mini-grants for staff to pilot new ideas in their work.
• We are offer flexibility for classes, internship possibilities within our organization, and the availability for social work licensure supervision.
• We understand that employees are people first and foremost, and are committed to an overall supportive and flexible organizational culture.
• Our work is critical but we know it’s not easy, so we aim to infuse joy wherever possible. Whether we are offering free yoga and exercise classes, ending all-staff meetings with Karaoke or Bingo, or committing steadfast to a snack-based meeting culture – we aim to balance the weight of our work with laughter and levity as often as we can.