Program Coordinator - Families with Young Children
Location: Columbia, MD 21044
The Program Coordinator for Families with Young Children implements the PJ Library program and Shalom Baby for families raising Jewish children in Howard County. The Program Coordinator will report to the Director of Community Engagement and handle all administrative and creative functions of PJ Library and Shalom Baby.
PJ Library mails high-quality, Jewish children's books to families every month. In addition, PJ Library events engage families raising Jewish children by celebrating Jewish values and culture. Shalom Baby offers a low-barrier way for our community to supply helpful information, baby items, and Jewish resources to families with newborn babies. We will unveil this program in the second half of 2022, and it will serve as a new, untapped entry point for future opportunities that will connect young families to each other and the Jewish community. The Program Coordinator will work closely with the Director of Development to establish sponsors and partnerships and will also work with the Director of Community Engagement to strategize engagement opportunities and growth.
Flexible work structure in office and remote, as arranged with supervisor.
Essential responsibilities:
• Coordinate PJ Library and PJ Parent events, including creative planning, communication, purchasing supplies, preparing materials, taking and publishing photos, managing on-site registrations, staffing welcome tables, clean-up and set-up for events, sending follow-up emails and surveys
• Create curriculum and run bi-weekly Shabbat Tots program for children 0-5 and their significant adults, which includes advertising and marketing the program, managing the budget, ordering supplies, and keeping track of registration
• Coordinate and publish a PJ monthly newsletter, including reaching out monthly to PJ partners
• Recruit and actively seek out new PJ Library and Shalom Baby Families
• Create marketing images (flyers, logos, graphics) for PJ Library programs and Shalom Baby
• Create and send emails to promote PJ Library events and Shalom Baby
• Manage and create posts for PJ Library in Howard County Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts
• Manage all returned PJ Library books
• Summer and Fall 2022: Prepare for and launch Shalom Baby Program
o Begin graphic design process and creation of materials. Identify potential sponsor opportunities. Begin outreach for partnership for production of items for the gift bag. Create materials for synagogues and other organizations. Begin outreach to synagogues and potential sponsors. Recruit committee members. Connect with PJ Library families with new babies. Finalize production of materials and publicity campaign. Plan a Chanukah gathering as a soft launch of program.
• Hand-deliver gift bags full of branded baby items, community resources, and information from local synagogues, PJ Library, Jewish camps, and our Federation.
• Invite families who receive gift bags to gatherings to meet other families with babies.
• Establish follow-up meetings like stroller walks or coffee catch-ups to ask for feedback on the gift bags, and to explore other opportunities for support that the families are seeking (for example, stroller walking groups or baby playgroups) in order to create cohorts of Jewish families that can help support each other and build bonds with each other and the Jewish community.
• Ongoing promotion of Shalom Baby and the free baskets through a combination of community partnerships (with the local hospital, pediatricians, obstetricians, synagogues, etc.) and a publicity campaign, which will focus on social media and local groups.
Other responsibilities:
• Use PJ Library and Shalom Baby to identify and cultivate future Federation leaders
• Attend the annual PJ Library Conference (spring)
• Participate in PJ Library webinars and trainings, as needed
• Work with and learn from PJ Library Engagement Officer
• Other duties as directed by supervisor
Skills and Qualifications
• Previous experience in an education or engagement/outreach setting
• Previous experience with program planning in some capacity
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, including mail merging in Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Knowledge of Jewish customs and traditions preferred.
• Willingness to work occasional evenings and Sundays as needed.
• Ability to lift up to 30 pounds.
PLEASE NOTE: All active full-time, part-time, and temporary staff are required to provide proof of full vaccination (COVID-19) as a condition of employment within The Associated system as of November 15, 2021.
Salary range is approximately $24.00-28.00 per hour. Salary will be based on qualifications and skills.
To learn more about JFHC and our mission, visit https://www.jewishhowardcounty.org/
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.