Parent Educator/ Coach

The posting

Parent Educator/ Coach

Kent ISD, Bright Beginnings

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

Non-Union Classified hourly, Grade 4

Grant funded position

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

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Implements the Parents as Teachers (PAT) model with an assigned caseload of families throughout Kent ISD service areas, providing home visits using a coaching approach to support parents and promote children's development and school readiness.
2. Recruits and engages families with children from the prenatal period through age five in program services offered by the district, constituent districts, and community partners throughout Kent County.
3. Conducts home visits year-round to provide consistent support for parents and children, promote healthy parent-child relationships, and strengthen children's development and school readiness.
4. Provides referrals and connects families to local school districts, Kent ISD programs, preschool programs, and community agencies and organizations that support young children and their families.
5. Maintains accurate and timely documentation in Visit Tracker, including home visit records and participant information, to support program reporting, needs assessments, and evaluation.
6. Conducts screenings and assessments related to child development, parent-child interactions, health, hearing, vision, intimate partner violence (IPV), substance use, depression, and anxiety, as appropriate to program requirements.
7. Attends and actively participates in monthly grant meetings, staff meetings, and reflective supervision sessions.
8. Completes initial intensive Parent Educator training and participates in ongoing professional development, staff development, and in-service training.
9. Complies with applicable grant requirements, program standards, documentation procedures, and reporting expectations.
10. Maintains confidentiality and protects sensitive family information in accordance with applicable laws, program policies, and professional standards.
11. Builds and maintains respectful, supportive relationships with families, using a strength based, culturally responsive approach that recognizes parents as their children's first and most important teachers.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES REQUIRED:

1. Bachelor's degree in Child Development, Education, Social Work, Family Studies, or a related field preferred.
2. Three (3) years of successful experience in education, parent engagement, early childhood development programs, or a related field preferred.
3. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain meaningful, positive, and constructive relationships with families required.
4. Demonstrated interest in and knowledge of young children, child development, and the factors that support children's growth and school readiness.
5. Ability to travel extensively using a personal vehicle, conduct visits in private homes, work occasional evenings, and maintain a flexible schedule to meet program and family needs.
6. Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively and work respectfully with families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Bilingual proficiency in Spanish, Burmese, Kinyarwanda, or Swahili is a plus.
7. Proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel, and the ability to learn and use technology-based data management systems.
8. Ability to work independently, demonstrate initiative, manage responsibilities, and prioritize daily tasks effectively.
9. Ability to respect and respond to the diverse cultures, backgrounds, experiences, and needs of families, ensuring services are inclusive, culturally responsive, and meaningful to the families served.
10. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, and collaborate professionally with local school district personnel, community agencies, and other service providers.
11. Ability to maintain professional boundaries and provide nonjudgmental, respectful, and strengths-based support to families.
12. Ability to exercise sound professional judgment, maintain confidentiality, and respond appropriately to sensitive family situations and challenging circumstances.
13. Ability to maintain accurate and timely data entry, documentation, and reporting in Visit Tracker and other required program systems.
14. Regular and consistent attendance is an expectation of the position.

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