Education & Program Coordinator

Scope of Position:

Lutheran Settlement House (LSH) is a non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to supporting children, adults, and families throughout Philadelphia. Our Jane Addams Place family emergency housing program is seeking a compassionate, organized, and experienced Education & Program Coordinator to support families experiencing temporary homelessness.

Reporting to the Manager of Children’s Services, the Education & Program Coordinator serves as a key liaison between families, schools, and service providers. This position ensures that children have uninterrupted access to education, and provides advocacy and guidance as families navigate school systems and transitions during and after their stay in shelter. In addition to education support, this role helps coordinate youth and family programming, collaborates with internal staff and community partners, and assists with organizing and distributing donations to meet residents’ basic needs.

Schedule: 10:00 AM-6:00 PM Monday through Thursday and 9:00 AM-5:00 PM on Friday, with a 12:00 PM-8:00 PM shift once every other month.

Shared Staff Responsibilities: Employees in this role participate in a rotating week-long on-call schedule (approximately once every eight weeks) and provide front desk coverage as needed.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Advocacy and Education Coordination (50%)

• Support families with K-12 school enrollment, attendance, and transitions across traditional schools and alternative pathways
• Conduct educational assessments meetings for all incoming families
• Educate families on McKinney-Vento rights and protections
• Coordinate access to uniforms, supplies, technology, and transportation through ECYEH (Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness) and other school-based resources
• Stay current on school policies, calendars, and updates
• Identify and connect to educational resources, partners, and opportunities
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date student records and files
• Document and share updates on families' educational progress
• Input report card data quarterly
• Advocate for families in school, IEP, truancy, and DHS meetings
• Prepare families for school transitions when exiting the shelter

2. Youth & Family Programming Coordination (30%)

• Support the implementation of daily on‑site youth and family programming with the Manager of Children’s Services and interns.
• Coordinate and schedule partner-led programs, workshops, and on-site visits
• Track and input attendance for all youth and family programs
• Create and distribute a monthly children and family program calendar
• Update Education and program bulletin board
• Support supervision of youth and families during occasional trips and outings

3. Donations Support (20%)

• Coordinate donation pick-ups and drop-offs with donors and partners
• Maintain organization of the donation room
• Bi-monthly inventory of donations and supplies
• Support distribution of requested items to residents
• Identify inventory gaps and flag supply needs for purchasing

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Education, or a related field, or at least 3 years of relevant work experience.
• Experience working with youth and families, with a genuine interest in building relationships and supporting young people’s growth
• Familiarity with navigating school systems
• Strong advocate who can show up for families across school, social service, and community spaces
• Grounded in trauma-informed care
• Commitment to equity, cultural humility, and meeting families where they are
• Clear and thoughtful communicator who collaborates well with families, staff, and partners
• Proficiency in documentation and record-keeping, with attention to detail and confidentiality
• Strong team player who remains supportive, flexible, and dependable during highstress situations
• Experience supporting families facing homelessness, mental health challenges, or substance use strongly preferred
• Familiarity with Philadelphia agencies/resources strongly preferred
• Candidates who are Bilingual Spanish/English are strongly encouraged to apply

Completion of a state mandated 40-hour domestic violence training is required; can be completed upon hiring

LSH is committed to creating an inclusive experience for all. Regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, or identity, we firmly believe that we serve our communities best when everyone feels free to be their most authentic self. We value diversity and are committed to promoting it! We are an equal opportunity employer and applicants from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

Working Conditions:

• This position operates primarily within a family homeless shelter environment
• Involves carrying or transporting materials for programs and daily tasks.
• Flexible scheduling may be required to accommodate the needs of shelter residents, including evening and occasional weekend hours
• This position includes rotating week-long “On-Call” responsibilities once every five weeks

Benefits include:

• Our benefits include low-cost medical, free dental and vision insurance, as well as agency-funded life and disability insurance.
• We offer 8-week 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 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 training 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 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.

Proficient in English (reading/writing/verbal communication). Candidates who are Bilingual Spanish/English are strongly encouraged to apply. Bilingual hires compensated commensurately.