Parent Educator

Kent ISD, Bright Beginnings

1.0 FTE, 200 days per year - (36 hours per week year round)

Non-Union Classified hourly, Grade 4

BROAD STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provides parent education services for the District's Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Program primarily as a home visitor parent coach and implementation of the Parents as Teachers program within the Kent Intermediate School District, mainly in region 2 and surrounding areas of the county.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Recruits parents and families with children from prenatal through five (5) years of age for participation in program services coordinated by the district, constituent districts and other partners in the county-wide community resource network.
2. Implements the Parents as Teachers model with a caseload of families in a KISA region by primarily providing home-visits using a coaching model for children/parents.
3. Facilitating group connections/ playgroups and assisting in planning of local screening days.
4. Providing referrals to local school districts, Kent ISD programs, preschool programs and other community agencies/organizations that provide services for children prenatal to five years of age and their families.
5. Maintains all reports including daily log of activities and the collection of information from participants for program needs assessment and evaluation. Must be self-motivated and can work on your own daily.
6. Attends and participates in monthly staff meetings as well as monthly reflective supervision.
7. Participates in the initial intensive training program for Parent Educators and all regular staff development and in-service trainings.
8. Home visit families year-round to ensure consistent parent / child support for school readiness.

 KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES REQUIRED:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Child Development, Education, Social Work, Family Studies or related field preferred.
2. Three (3) years of successful experience in education, parent involvement or early childhood development programs preferred.
3. Skills in building meaningful, constructive relationships with families required and must be an individual with an interest in and experience and knowledge with young children and their development.     
4. Strong communication skills with bilingual families and cultural responsiveness.
5. Additional bilingual knowledge of Spanish, Burmese, Kinyarwanda, or Swahili is a plus.
6. Ability to effectively use Google Suites, Microsoft Office, Word and Excel. Strong technology skills are needed for video and phone conferencing.
7. Embraces an environment that celebrates, respects, and values diversity, where teaching and learning are made relevant and meaningful to families of various cultures.
8. Demonstrate ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing and to work cooperatively with local school district and community agency staff.
9. Must be a self-directed, non-judgmental individual with a professional manner.
10. Complete accurate and timely data entry and collection details into complex data management system.
11. Requires extensive travel with your vehicle, visitation in private homes, some evenings and ability to work flexible hours.
12. Regular and consistent job attendance is expected.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this position. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Alternative requirements that may be appropriate and acceptable to the School Board may be considered. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Benefits: Robust benefit package includes single-subscriber (employee only) medical, dental, and vision insurance; generous paid sick and personal days; State of Michigan School Employment retirement program; Kent ISD is a participating employer for the Public Student Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF/ SAVE plan) for eligible Federal student loans.

Please note, due to the large number of applications, we are unable to attend to e-mail or telephone inquiries on application status.  

The final candidate for this position will be required (at their cost) to furnish Kent Intermediate School District with a current Michigan State Police and FBI criminal records LiveScan check prior to our recommendation to hire.

The District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sex (including gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, or a related condition), age, height, weight, familial status, marital status, military service, veteran status, genetic information, disability, or any other legally protected basis, and prohibits unlawful discrimination, including harassment and retaliation, in any education program or activity that it operates, including in admission and employment. The Coordinator for Title IX, Section 504, the Age Discrimination Act and Title II is: Dave Rodgers, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources