Health Fellow - The Primary School

ABOUT US 

The Primary School is creating a new school model that brings together all of the adults in a child’s life, including parents, educators, and medical and mental health providers, starting from a very early age. We recognize the entrenched racism that exists within our public systems and the unjust impact this has had on families of color. Our aim is that children and families most impacted by systemic poverty and racism receive the multidisciplinary support they deserve to be well, learn, and thrive. 

Long-term, we hope to create a game-changing school model that can be replicated across the country. As we continue to learn and grow, we plan to share what we’ve learned and pursue policy and systems change on a local, state, and national level. We are supported by a growing coalition of philanthropic partners, building on the generous support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. 

Our approach has three defining characteristics: 

• We start early. We start working with children as young as 18 months and provide full-time school starting at age three to reach them at a critical stage in development. 
• We partner with parents. We believe that when parents thrive, children thrive, so we support the wellness and growth of parents alongside the growth of their children. 
• We integrate services. Our unique model unites health care and education, building a multi-disciplinary team and holistic system of care around a child’s full needs. 

In 2016, we opened our flagship school in East Palo Alto, California, with our first class of four year olds. We have grown to serve over 300 children and their families through a birth to three program, parent wellness program, full-day preschool, and elementary school, which will grow through eighth grade. In 2021, we opened our second site in the East Bay. 

ABOUT OUR EAST PALO ALTO SITE

We are continuing to grow our East Palo Alto site and are excited to launch 6th grade for our 2023-2024 school year. In our school program, we currently serve over 350 students across two preschool grades (3 and 4 year olds) and kindergarten through fifth grade. Integrated into our program are the other core components of our model including our parent program - partnering closely with parents throughout their child’s development and providing wellness programming for caregivers; our birth to 3 program - coordinating early developmental screenings and intervention services; and our medical home partnerships - working with existing health care providers in the community to coordinate care for children.

ABOUT OUR EAST BAY SITE 

We opened our second site with a founding class of four-year-old children and families who started preschool in August 2021, and continue to serve preschool students in our school program. Drawing on key learnings from our first site, core components of the model include our parent program - partnering closely with parents throughout their child’s development and providing wellness programming for caregivers; our birth to 3 program - coordinating early developmental screenings and intervention services; and our medical home partnerships - working with existing health care providers in the community, including Kaiser Permanente in the East Bay, to coordinate care for children. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Primary School Health Fellowship is an opportunity to understand the inner workings of an innovative non-profit, as well as explore the K-12 education, early childhood, healthcare, and family support fields as they relate to children and families.   Fellow roles typically last 12- 36 months depending on the interest of the Fellow.

This role will be a part of the health team, composed of the Director of Operations and Integration,  Health Manager, School Nurse, and another Fellow. However, a common refrain at The Primary School is “everyone is on the Health Team!” meaning the collaborative and integrative work of the health team crosses all programs and stakeholders including school instructional and support staff, the operations team, the Birth-to-Three team, the Parent Wellness team, the Data and Learning team, parents and students. 

• The Health Fellow will focus on the integrative health services and practices within the school, early childhood, and parent engagement programs. This requires an ability to thoughtfully work across diverse teams and to always be asking how health programming, services and support can be effectively woven into program content and planning. 
• The Health Fellow will plan, support and/or lead a variety of projects and priorities, including health program creation and implementation, direct service delivery, and community learning and partnership. Some specific projects could include:
• Supporting in student and family program enrolment as they relate to health.
• Ensuring Asthma plans are developed and in the appropriate classrooms.
• Oversee and coordinate the Virtual Dental Home and Vision screenings for school aged students and Birth to Three children throughout the year. This includes being the lead in coordination, communication and execution of work with outside partners and internal program leads and students and families.
• Support in the development and implementation of approximately three health related focus areas per year such as nutrition, media health, physical activity, sleep, dental care.
• Collaborate and work with multiple teams to incorporate the above efforts into regularly scheduled programming such as school based units, parent group content, and/or community wide events.
• Participating in the year long case management process with other teams at TPS for identified students.
• Direct student support: Fellows will spend time in the classrooms and/or infant/toddler program, working directly with children and families in some capacity.
• Working closely with the operations team to ensure smooth execution of day to day school responsibilities (ie: safety procedures, school illnesses, communication with teachers etc). 
• Additional responsibilities include: participating as needed in ad hoc projects and meetings  depending on needs throughout the organization, and occasionally with Ravenswood Family Health Network and Kaiser, our clinic partners: Fair Oaks, Gardner, and PAMF;  providing administrative and coordinator support to other EPA teams as needed.
• Participating in monthly data review and program implementation check-in meetings with our learning team; creating and or using effective systems for tracking health related data such as immunization and testing in a way that supports our health policies and guidelines.
• If applicable, in partnership with the school Admin and Operations team, Health Fellows will participate in the planning, execution and tracking of school based Covid testing, Covid vaccination efforts, and communicating updates and notifications of our protocols to families and staff.

BENEFITS

• First Year Fellows are paid $21 an hour and have full access to the healthcare benefits of The Primary School.
• Health Fellows will participate in organizational and site based events and development. 
• Additionally TPS is a continuous learning organization that values community and excellence, therefore all staff, including Health Fellows, will engage in peer to peer feedback for the  purpose of growing our professional skills.
• Health Fellows will also participate in the TPS annual performance support and review processes and receive coaching and mentorship from their direct manager and the VP of Health and Medical Director. 
• TPS is committed to improving and learning in our Diversity Equity and Inclusion work across the organization. Our Fellows are able to participate in our organizational DEI development and programming and are also able to participate as committee members, volunteers and contributors as desired.
• Health Fellows may have the opportunity to work directly with our Ravenswood Clinic partner and in this case TPS will support the Fellow in identifying ways to integrate into the clinic and gain exposure to other health care systems. Health fellows, who are medically inclined, can also receive professional development and advice on pursuing a career in medicine/health.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Hard working and persistent
• A strong commitment and interest in developing professional excellence in communication, cross team collaboration, meeting management, and quality of work product
• A deep commitment to work in service of the East Palo Alto community and/or experience and connection to the East Palo Alto community
• Loves working with young children
• Highly reliable with deadlines and detail oriented
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Comfort with data systems and platforms and interest in building expertise in this area
• Able to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Collaborative and excited to work with an interdisciplinary team
• Able to excel in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, innovative, and adaptive organization
• Belief in the mission of The Primary School and that all children and families are capable of extraordinary things
• Spanish or Tongan speaking preferred

COMPENSATION

The hourly rate for this position is $21/hr. We offer excellent health benefits, 401k retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), dependent care FSA, and generous paid time off, including a competitive paid parental leave benefit. Additionally, you will be entitled to approximately 15 paid company holidays per year in accordance with The Primary School’s standard calendar.

HOW TO APPLY

TPS values diversity; people of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Please complete the following application and submit your most recent resume. These short-answer questions are designed to replace a cover letter, so take your time with them and copy in your answers from a separate document. If you feel that the questions do not accurately capture what you have to offer The Primary School, you are also welcome to attach a cover letter. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis so we encourage you to submit as soon as possible.  We look forward to reading your application!