Early Head Start Home Educator

Job Summary

Early Head Start at Opportunity Council is seeking a caring professional to work with families in our weekly home visiting program. You will be working with parents/guardians and their children birth to 3 years of age throughout Whatcom County. As an agency, we value the future of our community and offer a high-quality, family-focused program uniquely designed to support families, as they are the first and most important teachers of their infants and toddlers. We are trauma informed, strengths based, and equity-centric. We know every parent wants the very best for their child and work to maintain an open, friendly, and cooperative relationship with each child’s family. We are committed to promoting parent-child bonding and nurturing parent-child relationships. If you share the same values, we want you to be a part of our team! You would be joining a group of 5 home educators who work independently, while being strongly supportive and collaborative as a team. If you’re looking for an opportunity to work with your head and your heart, we might be the place for you!”

Working within a birth to three context, provide Early Head Start services to a caseload of families through weekly visits in the home and related environments. These services include comprehensive child development, health, mental health, nutrition and social services necessary to support the healthy growth and development of infants and/or toddlers and positive attachments with their parents and primary caregivers. Services are provided through a case management approach for low-income families who are pregnant or have children aged 0 – 3. Maintains working knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards, agency policies and procedures and other applicable regulations.

Essential Functions

• Supports the parent/guardian as primary caregiver through the planning and implementation of weekly 90-minute home visits and monthly socialization experiences;
• Works in partnership with parents/guardians, appropriate program staff and other community service providers to design individualized programming that supports the infant and/or toddler in forming positive attachments with their parents and primary caregivers;
• Works with the parent/guardian, staff, service area specialists and coordinators to ensure appropriate goals are established and supported for each infant and toddler;
• Works with other staff and service area specialists to ensure that each child, parent/guardian and pregnant woman has access to appropriate health, mental health and nutritional resources;
• Assists families by making appropriate referrals to community resources necessary to meet needs and achieve goals;
• Works with other community service providers with whom families are involved to ensure a coordinated system of service delivery;
• Works with families in the development of a family partnership plan that addresses goals they may have for themselves and for their child;
• Helps transition families from Early Head Start to the next environment in the continuum of early childhood services;
• Ensures that all services, including but not limited to, screenings, assessments, home visits and parent contacts are implemented and documented as required according to performance standards and program policy.

Education/Experience/Training

• B.A. or A.A. in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Adult Education/Development, Child Development Associate-Home Visitor Infant/Toddler credential or related Health Degree.
• One to three years’ direct experience with infants/toddlers in a child development setting including classroom experience and working with parents regarding goals and objectives.
• Valid Washington State Driver’s License or obtain by date of hire.
• Must submit abstract of driving record for previous three years prior to start date.