Home Educator - La Pryor

Job Overview

The role of this position is that of a resource and support for parents and acts as a facilitator for learning in a home-based program.

Job Responsibilities

• Promotes and models the organization’s Core Values.
• Encourages parents of newly enrolled children to participate in policy groups and Parent Committee.
• Develops and implements activities to maintain the participation of parents throughout the program requirements.
• Plans and develops with the parents an individualized program for the family, including establishing a caring professional relationship and a climate of mutual trust and respect for the parents.
• Works with parents to strengthen the family’s knowledge of child development, including assisting parents to understand how children grow and learn, and planning and conducting child education activities with the parents which meet the child’s intellectual, physical, emotional, and social needs.
• Assists parents in strengthening the families’ knowledge of health and nutrition, including integrating health and nutrition education into the program, coordinating with other staff and parents regarding health screenings for family members, and providing information and referrals, if necessary.
• Assists parents to strengthen their knowledge of community resources and support parents in problem solving.
• Ensures home visits are conducted based on program requirements.
• Ensures staff provides for EHS Home Educators, one home visit per week per assigned family lasting for a minimum of 1½ hour each, and for PCEP Home Educators, one monthly home visit per program participant lasting for a minimum of 30 minutes each.
• EHS Home Educators conduct, at a minimum two group socialization activities per month for each child (a minimum of 22 group socialization activities throughout the program year), per program requirements and supervisor directives.
• Maintains an assigned caseload of families.
• Develops and implements home visits plans with the participation of only the parents or legal guardian. 
• Develops and implements (for EHS) socialization activities for the children which emphasize peer group interaction through age-appropriate activities in an EHS/PCEP classroom, community facility, home or on a field trip. Children are to be supervised by the home educator, with parents observing at times and actively participating at other times.
• Ensures socialization activities be designed so that parents are expected to accompany their children to the activities, as per program requirements, to observe, participate as volunteers or engage in activities designed specifically for the parents and children.
• Ensures that nutrition requirements are followed, and appropriate snacks and meals are provided to the children during group socialization activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned. 

Education

Required:  

• Associate degree in Early Childhood Education or in a related field, or a CDA (Child Development Associate) with at least 18 hours of early childhood development completed.

Preferred: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or in a related field with at least 18 hours of early childhood development completed.

Work Experience

Required: 

• For EHS a minimum of six months in a licensed childcare facility or in a public/private school or early childhood facility or has completed an early childhood degree program where practicum(s) were required. For PCEP Home Educators a minimum of work experience is not required, AVANCE provides training and support for PCEP.

Preferred: 

• For EHS Home Educators a minimum of one (1) year of experience in a licensed childcare facility or in a public/private school or early childhood facility or has completed an early childhood degree program where practicum(s) were required. 

Additional Skills Required

• First Aid and CPR training.
• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office software applications with advanced skills using Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel, and Adobe Acrobat.
• Spanish fluency helpful for EHS Home Educators. Bilingual (English/Spanish – Oral and Written) for Home Educators assigned to the PCEP Program.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.
• Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners, and donors.
• Emotional maturity.
• Highly resourceful team player, with the ability to be extremely effective independently with the capability of managing numerous simultaneous projects.
• Forward-looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.
• Strong analytical, presentation, verbal and written communication, problem solving and decision-making skills. 
• Ability to generate, analyze, evaluate, and summarize reports.
• Ability to travel to various training sessions and to assigned caseload homes.
• Must have dependable transportation daily, valid driver’s license, a clean driving record (subject to annual MVR check and policy), current auto liability insurance and be bondable by AVANCE, San Antonio, Inc. 

Disclaimer(s)

This is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. Nothing in this job description forms or is intended to form a contract of employment. Neither shall the content in this job description be interpreted to conflict with, or to eliminate or modify in any way, the “at will” employment status of AVANCE San Antonio employees. Employment remains on an “at-will” basis.

Travel

50-80% annually on average – mostly local with frequent long distance.

Equipment

Computer, computer software programs and peripherals, resource materials and equipment, copier, fax, and other equipment applicable to the position.  

Working Conditions

Mental and Physical Demands

General office and sedentary. Regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Use of personal computing equipment. 

Maintain emotional control under stress; work with interruptions and deadlines; walking, standing, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing; occasional: lifting/carrying, pulling/pushing 10-30 pounds. Work evenings and weekends as needed.

Environmental Factors

Occasional exposure to biological hazards (communicable diseases, bacteria, insects, mold, fungi, etc.). Occasional exposure to weather related conditions when working in outside environment/neighborhoods and events.