Parent Educator, Home Visiting, People’s Emergency Center

Posted by People's Emergency Center (PEC) on April 21, 2020

A certified parent educator implements the Parents As Teachers (PAT) model, emphasizing parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting and family well-being in their work with families. Utilizing the PAT Foundational Curriculum in culturally sensitive ways, the parent educator partners, facilitates and reflects with families.

The PAT program is an evidence based home visiting model designed to ensure young children are healthy, safe and ready to learn. The goals of the program are to provide parents with child development knowledge and parenting support, provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues, prevent child abuse and neglect, and increase children’s school readiness. The PAT model includes one-on-one home visits, monthly group meetings, developmental screenings, and a resource network for families. Parent educators conduct the home visits using structured visit plans and guided planning tools.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Summary of Job Responsibilities: A certified parent educator implements the PAT model, emphasizing parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting and family well-being in their work with families. Utilizing the PAT Foundational Curriculum in culturally sensitive ways, the parent educator partners, facilitates and reflects with families. The parent educator implements the curriculum in the home through ongoing home visits to ensure the healthy development of children.

Essential Functions (organizations may have additional organization specific responsibilities):
• Engage in recruitment activities (as applicable)
• Manages a caseload of up to 8 – 10 families
• Works in partnership with the Director to complete an initial and annual family-centered assessment with each family withing 90 days of enrollment
• Develop, monitor and review goals with each family
• Plan, provide and document personal visits focused on parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting and family well-being. Will work toward a goal of delivering 24 personal visits, with a minimum of 9 personal visits, to each family annually. Parent Educator could deliver a minimum of 16 visits each month, and will likely deliver
more as needed.
• Use the PAT Foundational curriculum to share research based information with families
• Provide group connections to give families an opportunity to build social connections with each other, engage in parent-child interaction activities, and increase their knowledge of ways to support children’s development. Must deliver a minimum of 12 group connections annually.
• Complete at least an initial and annual developmental screening and health review for each enrolled child within 90 days of enrollment or birth, then annually thereafter.
• Connect families to resources that help them reach their goals and address their needs, ensuring that a minimum of 60% of the caseload receiveds at least one community resource annually.
• Help parents and children transition to other services as needed, to preschool, or to kindergarten.
• Maintain and submit in a timely way all required family and program documentation
• Organize and inventory supplies/materials, etc.
• Participate in at least 2 hours of reflective supervision monthly and at least 2 hours of staff meetings monthly. Should address role, ethics, boundaries, and consider one’s own wellbeing.
• Obtain competency-based professional development and renew parent educator certification annually

Required Education and Experience:
• Bachelor’s degree preferred in child development, psychology, nursing, human services, or related field preferred. A minimum of an Associate’s degree required.
• Experience working with ethnically diverse families with young children under the age of six years.
• Experience working in the home and community sites, or shelters.
• Cultural competence, respect and sensitivity; ability to speak a second language (Spanish, other), highly valued.
• Strong commitment to the vision, mission, and goals of Parents as Teachers.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, flexible, (including willingness to work non-traditional hours), and able to work as part of a team.
• Familiarity with community services and supports, highly valued
• Must have a reliable vehicle and appropriate Pennsylvania driver’s license and insurance

Additional Eligibility Qualifications:
• Must be able to attend fully required PAT trainings, obtain competency-based professional development, and renew certification annually.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care work
• Some experience working with families who experience homelessness
• Receives training in reporting abuse and neglect

Work Environment:
The Parent Educator’s weekly schedule will vary and include, but not be limited to working from a PEC office, home, the client’s home, or public space.

Physical Demands:
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk and hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk, use hands and fingers to feel, handle, or operate objects or controls; and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.

PEC is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and veteran or disability status.

Send resumes to resumebell@pec-cares.org