Golden Gate Regional Center logo
Golden Gate Regional Center
San Mateo, California · Hybrid

Social Worker - Early Start

Social Worker 9.1 Work-LifeFull-Time

Listed compensation

$58K–$77K

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 4mo ago

Job Description

  • Social Worker - Early Start
  • San Mateo Office
  • Starting Salary
  • Bachelor's Degree: $58,083 - $69,700
  • Master's Degree: $64,008 - $76,810

Are you looking to make an impact and do work you are passionate about?

GGRC is currently hiring for Social Workers in out Early Start Division.

This is a Hybrid flex schedule role offering the opportunity to work in the community, from our office located in San Mateo County and from the comfort of your own home.

What You’ll Do

Early Start does the needs assessment and works with the families of clients aged 0 - 3 to develop, implement, and coordinate the client’s Family Service Plan, acting as an advocate and service coordinator to the clients and their families.

Local travel within Counties of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin may be required. Occasional statewide travel and access to reliable transportation and many different locations throughout the day in order to perform the outline responsibilities of the position is required.

Meet with clients/families and conduct a needs assessment. Develop action plans for community resources and referrals. Provide information to families and community agencies regarding GGRC and services available. Partner with families to problem solve and build on family strengths and natural supports. Monitor child’s developmental status and provide developmental activities to enhance development. Provide intake services and crises management as needed.

Act as an advocate with client/family to assure receipt of entitled services and achievement of client’s rights. Educate clients/families on available resources and support and on specific policies/programs such as Medicaid Waiver and Institutional Deeming. Review and ensure that clients receive appropriate services from existing community resources. Evaluate availability and effectiveness of services.

Research available community resources and services. Initiate referrals and monitor progress of referrals and of vender services. Participate in community meetings and activities. Participate in staff and other internal meetings and task forces as assigned. Help improve and develop community service by providing appropriate support.

Maintain client records, case and Title XIX Progress notes as required. Determine eligibility for further GGRC services. Coordinate transition from Early Start services to local school districts or other community programs. Prepare Special Incident Report and other reports and forms. Ensure compliance with program’s policies and procedures as set forth by the State of California. Ensure that services are provided per relevant regulations.

Who You Are

You Have

  • Experience in multi-cultural settings and/or multi-lingual capacity;
  • Knowledge of identifying and navigating generic services;
  • Knowledge of principles, objective and techniques of counseling individuals;

Knowledge of typical and atypical child development behavior, human growth and development of family relationships;

Knowledge of state and federal legislation concerning Early Start regulations and services for High Risk Infants and their families.

  • Good interview skills and team spirit;
  • Ability to balance conflicting priorities and focus on key job outcomes;
  • Ability to proactively stay current with new information in area of expertise;
  • Excellent communication skills in producing documents in a business manner and conveying complex information in a clear, concise and professional manner;
  • Familiarity with MS Office or similar software applications;
  • Creativity and problem solving skills;
  • Organizational skills and time management;
  • Crisis management and decision making;
  • Empathic and able to respect and support cultural awareness.
  • Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited school of social welfare or related human services field. Master’s Degree preferred;
  • Case Management experience with infants or children under 4 strongly preferred;
  • Fluency in Spanish is preferred for this position. There is a possibility for this position to be converted to a bilingual Spanish caseload if needed
  • What are the benefits to working with GGRC?
  • We offer a comprehensive benefits package including Medical and Dental benefits with a generous employer contribution and additional employer paid Life, Disability and Vision coverage
  • 10% employer contribution to a 403(b) retirement account to help you save for the future!

Generous Time Off Benefits!!!

No really, we mean generous:

13 vacation days, 15 sick days, 11 paid holidays, 6 personal holidays, and up to 5 paid days for continuing education

What Makes GGRC So Special?

GGRC values diversity, we believe in creating an environment where people of all backgrounds can collaborate to find solutions to complex problems. We are community minded and passionate.

GGRC values each person as a full, robust, and unique individual and interacts with each person in a manner that is respectful and responsive. We endeavor to place each person at the center of his, her or their own life. We approach each person as an expert on his, her or their own life and identity with a clear and attentive inquiry into what is important to, as well as important for, that one person (whether coworker or person-served, family member or other stakeholder).

How to Apply

GGRC values diversity; people of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Please complete the application and submit your most recent resume. If you feel that the questions do not accurately capture what you have to offer Golden Gate Regional Center, you are also welcome to attach a cover letter. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis so we encourage you to submit yours soon. We look forward to reading your application.

Golden Gate Regional Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Key Responsibilities

Conduct needs assessments for families with children aged 0-3 to develop and coordinate Family Service Plans. Act as an advocate and service coordinator to ensure clients receive entitled services and transition effectively to school districts.

Requirements

Requires a Bachelor's degree in social welfare or a related human services field, with a Master's degree and case management experience with young children preferred. Candidates should possess strong communication skills and knowledge of Early Start regulations and child development.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

AdvocacyFamily Service PlanningCommunity Resource CoordinationChild Development MonitoringIntercultural CommunicationSpanish Fluency

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Social Worker - Early Start at Golden Gate Regional Center a 9.1 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as exceptional. This places the position in the top 5% in Social Work — ranked against 6,494 active Social Work listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include remote work flexibility.

Social Worker Career Context

In California, the Social Work weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$95k (669 salary observations; 1,709 listings), vs ~$81k nationally (4,823 salary observations; 20,433 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2025-12-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 50 active Social Work listings this role was benchmarked against, 44% are remote, 38% have no call, 60% require no weekends — this position is remote.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$67k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $61k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

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Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 9.1
Among the best 10% of Social Work listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 6,494 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Hybrid
  • Remote
Golden Gate Regional Center logo

About Golden Gate Regional Center

Individual and Family Services
San Francisco, CA
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Hybrid Schedule
Medical Insurance
Dental
Vision
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
403b Retirement with 10% Employer Contribution
13 Vacation Days