What are the responsibilities and job description for the Family Educator position at Puget Sound Educational Service District?
Purpose Statement
Puget Sound Educational Service District is seeking a Family Educator who is deeply committed to partnering with families in support of children’s early learning, healthy development, and overall well-being. In this role, you will provide high-quality, comprehensive services to families enrolled in our Early Head Start program, including conducting home visits for home-based families and offering family support services to center-based families at the Washington Corrections Center for Women. Located on-site at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, WA, this position is an integral part of an interdisciplinary team dedicated to ensuring that infants, toddlers, and their families receive coordinated child development, family support, and health and nutrition services. The Family Educator plays a vital role in empowering parents as their child’s first and most influential teacher, supporting goal-setting, educational planning, and meaningful family engagement. Through this work, you will help advance our region’s commitment to inclusive, just, and thriving outcomes for every child and family we serve.
This job reports to Assigned Administrator
Open until filled; for best consideration, submit a complete application by best consideration date of December 28, 2025. Interviews are tentatively scheduled for January 5, 2026 via videoconference.
Essential Functions
CHILD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT: Demonstrates knowledge and expertise related to child/youth development and growth.
COMMUNITY AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT: Demonstrates knowledge and expertise related to engaging with stakeholders, including children, families and communities, to promote wellness and self-sufficiency.
GROUP FACILITATION: Guides productive group discussions in a culturally responsive, inclusive and collaborative manner to reach Agency END.
PLANNING, ORGANIZATION, AND PRIORITIZATION: Assesses the work to be performed, and considers how it should be organized and accomplished, with appropriate priorities and realistic time parameters.
TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals and make decisions.
Puget Sound Educational Service District is seeking a Family Educator who is deeply committed to partnering with families in support of children’s early learning, healthy development, and overall well-being. In this role, you will provide high-quality, comprehensive services to families enrolled in our Early Head Start program, including conducting home visits for home-based families and offering family support services to center-based families at the Washington Corrections Center for Women. Located on-site at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, WA, this position is an integral part of an interdisciplinary team dedicated to ensuring that infants, toddlers, and their families receive coordinated child development, family support, and health and nutrition services. The Family Educator plays a vital role in empowering parents as their child’s first and most influential teacher, supporting goal-setting, educational planning, and meaningful family engagement. Through this work, you will help advance our region’s commitment to inclusive, just, and thriving outcomes for every child and family we serve.
This job reports to Assigned Administrator
Open until filled; for best consideration, submit a complete application by best consideration date of December 28, 2025. Interviews are tentatively scheduled for January 5, 2026 via videoconference.
Essential Functions
- Assesses family and infant/toddler or preschooler needs (through regular comprehensive home visits under potentially dangerous conditions) and administers developmental screenings, assessments, etc. for the purpose of developing individual action plans to remove barriers to children's' success in school.
- Assists families in arranging for transportation to center activities and community appointments for the purpose of ensuring participation in events and delivery of services as needed.
- Assists in the training and oversight of providers for the purpose of providing guidance and support in their interactions with children.
- Attends and/or participates in a variety of workshops, seminars, meetings, in-service trainings, community events, etc. for the purpose of receiving and/or presenting information and continuous professional development.
- Conducts weekly home visits for the purpose of collaborating with families in supporting their child's health and development, and enhancing parenting skills and parent-child interactions.
- Coordinates and implements socialization groups appropriate to the age and setting for the purpose of delivering services in conformance with established guidelines and promoting active participation in the learning activities of children.
- Develops comprehensive child development programs, Individual Learning Plans and Individualized Family Service Plans for the purpose of achieving program objectives.
- Identifies family strengths, health care and social service needs, and collaborates with community partners for the purpose of providing referrals, support services, and case management to assist parents in meeting the needs of infants/toddlers, preschoolers, and their families.
- Implements curriculum and/or individual plans for the purpose of providing home visit and group socialization activities that support individual and group needs and delivering services in compliance with established guidelines and program objectives.
- Maintains a variety of manual and electronic documents, files and records related to home visits and group socializations for the purpose of documenting family and child activities in accordance with work plans.
- Maintains classroom for the purpose of ensuring availability of items, providing reliable information and/or ensuring a safe and sanitary environment.
- Participates as a team member in interdisciplinary planning for children and families for the purpose of providing case management to assist parents in meeting the needs of their children.
- Provides services for pregnant women for the purpose of delivering services to expectant families in conformance with established guidelines.
- Recruits and enrolls children and families for the purpose of providing comprehensive home- based child development/family support services and encouraging parent involvement and maintaining full enrollment.
- Recruits and trains volunteers for the purpose of orienting prospective participants.
- Responds to inquiries from a variety of sources for the purpose of providing information and/or direction.
- Reviews the immunization status for each child for the purpose of ensuring children are immunized and compiling information for the annual state immunization report.
- Supervises children in a variety of educational settings (e.g. classroom, family childcare home, playground, field trips, nap times, etc.) for the purpose of providing a safe and positive learning environment.
- Assist other personnel as may be required for the purpose of ensuring an efficient and effective work environment.
CHILD GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT: Demonstrates knowledge and expertise related to child/youth development and growth.
COMMUNITY AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT: Demonstrates knowledge and expertise related to engaging with stakeholders, including children, families and communities, to promote wellness and self-sufficiency.
GROUP FACILITATION: Guides productive group discussions in a culturally responsive, inclusive and collaborative manner to reach Agency END.
PLANNING, ORGANIZATION, AND PRIORITIZATION: Assesses the work to be performed, and considers how it should be organized and accomplished, with appropriate priorities and realistic time parameters.
TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals and make decisions.
- Associate’s degree or higher in early childhood, child development, human services, social services, family services, or counseling; or a related degree and 30 or more job-related credits
- Experience in ECE or child and family development programs serving pregnant women, infants, and toddlers, as well as direct experience teaching and caring for infants and toddlers in a classroom, family childcare center, or other group setting.
- Experience conducting home visits
- Experience providing comprehensive services to families, including health, nutrition, child development, and parenting education
- Experience providing family support services in Head Start/ECEAP or other comprehensive child development/family support program