Program Specialist, Maine

The Opportunity

Reach Out and Read Northeast, an affiliate of the national Reach Out and Read program, reaches 450,000 children annually across the Northeast region(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate New York), distributing over 750,000 books through 4,000 medical providers in over 600 clinics. Our focus is on serving underserved communities, where 62% of the children we reach are from low-income families, 42% identify as children of color, and 21% speak a home language other than English. Together, we contribute to the broader impact of the organization, which serves 4.7 million children across the country and distributes over 7.7 million books annually.

As the Program Specialist, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and expanding Reach Out and Read (ROR) in Maine, the organization’s newest region. You will support and strengthen ROR sites across the state by fostering relationships, ensuring program quality, and broadening the program's reach. Collaborating closely with clinics, community partners, and the Reach Out and Read Northeast team, you will promote child literacy and well-being. Reporting to the Northeast Program Manager, you will work within a growing region that currently includes 44 partners spanning the entire state of Maine.

Your Key Responsibilities Will Include:

Programmatic Assistance and Quality Assurance Support (60%)

• Recruit and onboard new clinics, fostering relationships with administrative and clinical teams to ensure effective implementation of ROR programs.
• Cultivate champions and advocates for ROR within each clinic’s medical and administrative staff.
• Conduct site visits (both in-person and virtual) to assess program quality, offering tailored support based on identified needs.
• Develop and implement quality improvement plans to help sites achieve and maintain high standards of program delivery.
• Collaborate with site leaders to address barriers to program sustainability and quality.
• Ensure training processes are in place for all providers to deliver a high-quality program, supporting both new and existing staff.
• Prioritize program expansion in clinics serving BIPOC and Medicaid populations, aligning with ROR’s equity goals.
• Guide new programs through the application, training, and implementation phases.
• Share best practices and strategies with the ROR team to strengthen program delivery and impact.
• Support clinics in creating literacy-rich environments, including securing and distributing books.
• Provide professional development opportunities for program staff and assess additional support needs.
• Engage health system leaders to promote program sustainability and identify opportunities for collaboration.

Program Data and Reporting (25%)

• Oversee the completion and analysis of twice-yearly progress reports, addressing barriers to timely and accurate submissions.
• Use progress report data to inform quality improvement plans and assess program performance.
• Maintain accurate data within the myROR database and other tracking systems, ensuring timely reporting for funding applications and partnerships.
• Collect stories, testimonials, and visuals from program sites to support development and communications efforts.

Community Engagement and Program Support (10%)

• Build relationships with early education organizations, statewide partners, and health centers to strengthen ROR’s impact and promote universal implementation in clinical settings serving Maine’s youngest children, particularly those experiencing poverty.
• Represent ROR at regional events and networking meetings, sharing materials, fostering partnerships, and advocating for the program’s mission.

Book Support and Funding (5%)

• Assist sites in selecting and ordering books to meet their patient needs.
• Collaborate with the Regional Program Director to equitably allocate book funding.
• Share information on partnership opportunities that can enhance program sustainability.

* This job description outlines the general nature and level of work expected but is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or tasks required.

Qualifications and Experience:

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. We’ll honor your lived and professional experience as key aspects of your candidacy for the role and prioritize applicants with experience dismantling the structural inequities that disproportionately impact children and families with traditionally marginalized identities. We are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

• Commitment to increasing equity in opportunity and outcomes for children and to recognizing factors known to significantly impact differential outcomes for children, including race, ethnicity, language, and socio-economic status
• 2+ years of professional experience in healthcare, social work, early education and/or literacy, parenting support or related fields. Equivalent education and lived experience will be considered.
• Experience in providing program implementation, continuous quality improvement, and/or professional development support.
• Demonstrated ability to coach, influence, mediate, and deliver results through others using excellent interpersonal, oral, and written skills, creative problem-solving, and attention to detail and follow through.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks, meet deadlines, take initiative and direction, and adapt flexibly within a growing organization and a changing healthcare environment.
• Self-motivated worker who functions effectively in a virtual work environment while being an enthusiastic, collaborative team member.
• Success in fostering partnerships with diverse stakeholders, with an emphasis on inclusive and culturally responsive engagement.
• Ability to analyze, synthesize, and utilize data to determine trends over time to develop plans and communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency in using electronic communications, databases, and Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint). Intermediate Excel skills, including data sorting, conditional formatting, and pivot tables, are essential.
• Reliable transportation for frequent regional travel.
• Preference to candidates with experience managing quality improvement processes in healthcare settings
• Preference to candidates with experience working with diverse populations and underserved communities

Position Specifications:

This is a full-time, non-exempt position, requiring 40 hours per week and based in Maine. The Northeast Program Specialist will primarily work remotely from a home-based office but will travel regularly to clinic sites across the assigned region. Additionally, attendance at 2–3 regional meetings annually and 1-2 National meetings every 18th months is required.

Compensation and Benefits:

The compensation range for this position is $23-$26.50/hour, commensurate with experience. ROR offers a robust benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan with match, paid time off, and more.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their application through our online portal. The interview process will include a preliminary questionnaire followed by hiring manager interview with the Program Manager. Advancing candidates will have a virtual final interview with other members of the Reach Out and Read team. We are looking for someone to start in March 2025.

Commitment to Diversity:

Reach Out and Read is committed to building an organization that embraces diversity, pursues equity, and fosters an environment of inclusion. ROR sits at the intersection of health and education, uniquely positioned to play a critical role in addressing systemic disparities and inequities in the public health framework. ROR strives to be an antiracist organization, using its influence to fight against social injustice by supporting a culture of learning, empowerment, equity, and a deep appreciation for the unique experiences that we each bring to our communities. And, we believe that changing the world begins with holding ourselves and our workplace to that same standard.

About Reach Out and Read:

Founded in 1989, Reach Out and Read is a national non-profit organization working to ensure all families have the opportunity to create meaningful everyday moments through shared reading aloud and building relationships. By leveraging pediatric care to champion the positive effects of reading daily and distributing books, Reach Out and Read gives young children a foundation for success and reaches 4.4 million children across the county – half of whom identify as BIPOC and two-thirds of whom come from low-income families.

Reach Out and Read’s tens of thousands of trained pediatric providers use books as a diagnostic tool during regular check-ups, and teach parents how to engage their child with a book to promote positive parent-child interactions during the rapid brain growth between birth and age five. The daily practice of

reading aloud with a parent supports children’s literacy and math skill development, their social-emotional development, and prepares them for future success in school. Working together with our sites and providers, we leverage our three decades of expertise, build on our literacy foundations, and engage our shared networks as a catalyst for change, focusing on equitably strengthening and deepening our impact on the children, families, and communities we serve.

The Impact:

• Reach Out and Read program sites are located in 6,500 clinics, safety net hospitals, medical systems, and other healthcare settings in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. • Reach Out and Read serves 4.6 million children and their families annually.

• More than 7.7 million new, developmentally appropriate books are integrated into well-child visits with families annually.

• 39,000 clinicians currently participate in Reach Out and Read

• Our peer-reviewed body of evidence demonstrates that Reach Out and Read parents are two-and-a-half times more likely to read regularly to their children, and that children experiencing Reach Out and Read show enhanced language development.

To learn more about Reach Out and Read, visit www.reachoutandread.org. ... is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Reach Out and Read is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status. Reach Out and Read is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and we are committed to making special accommodations for your interview or work as a member of our team. If specific accommodations are needed, please email HR @ reachoutandread.org and our HR team will work to accommodate your needs.