Family Social Worker In A Pre-School Organization
Career review from a person working in the job
How I Got The Job
My Education: BSW, Social Work, University of South Florida
My Prior Experience: I worked as a case manager for emergency homeless services and a manager of crisis intervention services.
My Job Profile
My Company: To provide support services for Pre-K children
Job/Career Overview: I am a family support coordinator in a non-profit, pre-school organization whose goal is to enhance the quality of education and care for children and their parents. The program is open to all children until they reach kindergarten. Anyone is eligible and children are admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
The weekly tuition is based on the parents' annual income.
My job is to enroll children and test them to see what their capabilities are so we can tailor our instruction to their needs. I also provide support for all family members, adults and children, in finding health care, dental care, job placement and emotional care. Outside agencies are available, free of charge, to those who need these services.
We work with the family as a whole to encourage good habits, responsibility, good health, and a high level of self-esteem. We encourage the local community to become involved in the lives of these parents and children. This helps to encourage a strong sense of community, which is so important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Parents are required to participate in the daily lives of their children while they attend this program. This helps to encourage a strong sense of family among the children and the staff. It allows the parents and school coordinators to feed off on one another, and help improve communication skills all around.
This program has proved to be highly successful in preparing children to enter the school system. It is the responsibility of the coordinator to see that each child is ready academically, emotionally, and socially.
This is a highly rewarding job as I am able to see children flourish in a way that might not have been possible prior to entering this program.
More Insights: Having pride in the work you do, and loyalty to the people you work with are a great measure of your success and happiness.
Love It? Hate It?
I rate this career 8 out of 10.
What I Love or Hate
The worst part of my job is that time management is very difficult. There is always so much to do, and not enough time to do it in. Also, some parents, a small minority, don't really have the best interests of their children in mind. They do not want to be active participants in the lives of their children.
The best part is the progress that I see each and every child make on a daily basis. I enjoy the one-on-one contact with them and their families. When I receive thanks from a parent or a hug from a child, I know how fulfilling life can be!
My Career Tips
1. The most important quality to have if you want to do this job properly is compassion. You have to be willing to give of yourself emotionally and share with others.
2. Learning good time management is paramount to making a job a success.
3. Willingness to change and deal with the unexpected are also very important.
4. If you do not know the answer to a question, ask.
