Parent Educator

Job Summary

The Parent Educator delivers high quality, evidence-based home visiting services through the Parents as Teachers (PAT) model to families with young children from pregnancy through kindergarten entry. Working in partnership with families, the Parent Educator promotes healthy child development, school readiness, positive parenting practices, and family well-being through individualized home visits, developmental screenings, family centered goal setting, and connections to community resources. The Parent Educator maintains a caseload of families and provides services in accordance with PAT National Center standards and organizational policies, using a strengths-based, family centered approach to strengthen parent child relationships, support achievement of family goals, and empower caregivers to foster their child's learning and development. The Parent Educator collaborates with program leadership and community partners to ensure services are delivered with fidelity to the Parents as Teachers model while upholding Pathways' mission, vision, and values.

Essential Duties:

• Delivers individualized home visits in accordance with the Parents as Teachers (PAT) model, using a strengths-based, family centered approach that promotes positive parenting practices, healthy child development, and school readiness.
• Maintains an assigned caseload of families and delivers services in accordance with PAT National Center standards, contractual requirements, and organizational policies.
• Enters demographic information, family contacts, visits, screenings, assessments, and other required data into the electronic record system within established documentation timeframes.
• Conducts parent child observations and shares information with caregivers regarding child development, developmental milestones, parent child interaction, and age-appropriate learning opportunities.
• Partners with families to establish and regularly review individualized, family centered goals that build upon family strengths, priorities, and identified needs.
• Completes required child health, developmental, hearing, vision, and social emotional screenings and assessments within required timeframes and ensures appropriate referrals and follow up are completed.
• Completes and documents the PAT Family Centered Assessment within required timeframes and uses assessment findings to guide service planning and family goal development.
• Assists in planning, organizing, and facilitating monthly Group Connections that promote parent education, social support, community engagement, and positive family experiences.
• Provides families with research-based information, activities, and resources that strengthen parenting knowledge, encourage early learning, and support healthy child development.
• Connects families with community resources, support networks, and other services that address identified needs and promote family wellbeing.
• Maintains ongoing communication and collaboration with families, program leadership, healthcare providers, schools, and community partners to support coordinated service delivery.
• Supports family recruitment, engagement, and retention by building trusting relationships, encouraging active participation, and maintaining regular contact with enrolled families.
• Conducts services in homes and other appropriate community settings based on family preference, program requirements, and family needs.
• Maintains accurate, timely, and concise documentation of all home visits, assessments, screenings, referrals, contacts, and collaborative activities in accordance with PAT standards, organizational policies, and payer requirements. Documentation is completed within 24 hours of service delivery.
• Maintains an empathetic, professional, and culturally responsive relationship with families while respecting family strengths, values, cultures, and individual differences.
• Participate in reflective supervision, staff meetings, peer review, ongoing training, and professional development activities to promote continuous learning and fidelity to the Parents as Teachers model.
• Maintains fidelity to the Parents as Teachers model by implementing required components, participating in continuous quality improvement activities, and utilizing evidence-based practices throughout service delivery.

Supervisor:                Clinical Director/Parent Educator Lead.

Supervises:               N/A.

Caseload:                   Expected to consistently have 12 to 15 families on their caseload throughout their first year of hire and up to 25 families in subsequent years, depending on number of referrals.

Work Environment:  Primarily community-based position with a portion of office-based activities.

Work Hours:              Full-time (minimum 40 hours per week); work hours are set by the clients’ needs, with allowances in scheduling to be available to meet with children, youth and families as well as other team members during times and dates convenient for all parties involved (i.e. evenings and weekends).

Classification:           Non-exempt.

Physical and Mental Demands

With or without reasonable accommodation, the physical and mental demands of this position may include frequent seeing, hearing, speaking, and clear writing. The role may also require occasional reaching, stooping, kneeling, crouching, and crawling, as well as frequent sitting, standing, and walking for extended periods. Duties may involve climbing stairs, walking on inclines or uneven terrain, lifting or moving up to 25 pounds, and remaining calm in stressful situations.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum number of hours that is equivalent to a major in psychology, social work, medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, counseling, sociology, human growth and development, physician assistant, gerontology, special education, educational psychology, early childhood education, or early childhood intervention.

• At least two years’ prior experience working with children and/or families is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Completes and attests to completion of all mandatory training as identified by prevention services curriculum.
• Ability to support the agency's culture, growth, and success through communication, accountability, and positivity.
• Ability to work efficiently and effectively both individually and as part of a team.
• Ability to work with children and families to facilitate assessments and deliver activities through approved curriculum.
• Ability to appropriately accept feedback through the supervision process - thus displaying the willingness to learn, grow, and improve.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Well-organized and adaptable.
• Ability and willingness to think “outside the box.”
• Ability to develop and bring together interdisciplinary teams.
• Effective conflict resolution skills.
• Demonstrates good insight and judgment.
• Possesses an engaging and enthusiastic personality.
• Dedicated to the success of children and family teams.
• Skilled in speaking in front of groups.
• Competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Google applications, and Zoom Meeting, the Internet, and other software applications.

Additional Requirements

• Proof of valid Texas Driver's License (Type C) and at least three years of driving experience.
• Access to reliable transportation.
• Proof of valid/current auto insurance.
• Cleared motor vehicle driving record.
• Three professional employment references. 
• Cleared criminal background check and signed statement regarding felony indictments/convictions.
• Cleared pre-employment drug screen.
• Working cellular telephone.
• Access to internet.