CCE of Schenectady County Healthy Schenectady Families Family Support Educator I –Schenectady, NY

Cornell Cooperative Extension•New York, NY

8d•$23

About The Position

The Healthy Schenectady Families Family Support Educator provides support to improve healthy family and parenting choices among eligible families and individuals in Schenectady County. As part of the Healthy Families New York and Healthy Schenectady Families Programs, this position works closely with the team of educators and supervisors to promote the well-being of parents, children, and families through the use of existing evidence-based health education and parenting curricula delivered through home visits. Positive, persistent and individualized outreach from the educator keeps families involved in the program and leads to improved outcomes for children, parents, and the community.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree. An Associate’s Degree and two years transferrable program/functional experience may substitute for a Bachelor’s Degree.
Experience relevant to the role of the position.
Travel Requirements - Ability to meet the frequent travel requirements associated with this position. A valid NYS driver's license with the ability to drive and driving record acceptable for Association insurance coverage are required.
Ability to frequently work flexible hours, which may include evenings and/or weekends, as appropriate.
Commitment to working in limited income urban settings with program participants in their surrounding communities.
Program Skills – Ability to effectively deliver related programs and trainings. Serve as an effective subject matter resource. Maintain program data confidentiality. Ability to effectively participate in professional team efforts, including frequent collaboration with staff and outside organizations.
Communication & Marketing Skills - Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing with presenters, program participants, employees and others. Ability to relate effectively to co-workers, volunteers, advisors, community and professional leaders.
Coordination Skills – Ability to effectively coordinate program efforts including data management and reporting, scheduling and coordinating programs and events, compiling and maintaining materials and resources, following financial reporting requirements.
Technology Skills - Proficiency or ability to learn and effectively use software including use of the internet, program related software, and Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Excel.

Nice To Haves

Degree or coursework in human services or related fields
Ability to speak, read and write proficiently in the Spanish language, or other non-English language as is spoken in the target community.

Responsibilities

Deliver and document existing educational programs for program participants primarily in homes initially to 15-18 families, gradually increasing to 20-25 families throughout the first year of employment.
Utilize existing evidence-based curricula and support materials to provide accurate, relevant parenting and health education to participating families.
Observe parent/child interactions and provide positive feedback to parents throughout the home visits.
Assist supervisor with development and implementation of Family Goal Plans.
Meets or exceeds targeted education delivery goals assigned by the supervisor as indicated by the funding source
Conduct home visits on a weekly basis that then decrease over time until the participant’s child begins school or Head Start.
Assist in ensuring the program conforms to policies and objectives of the program and funder requirements.
Utilize motivational interviewing strategies in working with all family members to address individual needs.
Utilize established criteria; provide individualized education and development of family goal plans that result in improved birth outcomes; timely attainment of recommended immunizations and preventive care; increased breastfeeding support; decreased use of harsh parenting practices; improved early literacy and increased demonstration of behaviors that promote learning in a school setting.
Utilize skills in assessing parent/child interactions, knowledge of child development and developmentally appropriate parenting strategies.
Provide special educational efforts such as parent/child group facilitation, program/parent committees, and community meetings.
Serve as subject matter resource for the Healthy Families program; provide standard responses.
Maintain a strong, supportive, and professional relationship with program participants as part of the program delivery process and have the ability to communicate with families on a wide range of issues including but not limited to, health, wellness and prevention of domestic violence.
Encourage families to identify a primary health care provider and educate the family about the importance of regular access to preventive care.
Evaluate family functioning and make connections to other Extension programs and community resources, serve as liaison for client families to other programs such as WIC, SNAP-ed, EFNEP, Head Start, etc.
Represent CCE to the public, community leaders, government officials and Cornell University in a professional manner.
Foster acceptance of the Healthy Schenectady Families program, methods, and policies to address community and individual needs.
Collaborate with community agencies that serve the target audience as part of the program delivery process.
Based on established parameters, provide program evaluation data and make recommendations to supervisors for strengthening and improving programs.
May assist in making recommendations for improvements.
Perform routine data collection (e.g. surveys) utilized by the program.
Record surveys and other documentation including but not limited to: home visit narratives, follow-up forms, Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), and Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional (ASQSE) into the Management Information System (MIS) by required deadlines.
Organize a weekly schedule with supervisor to accommodate needs of participant families.
May assist in the development of marketing materials for educational events.
Assist supervisor with public awareness in the form of impact statements, articles for progress/ annual reports, or news releases.
Participate in outreach activities, collaborate with service providers to help ensure that program family has access to available community services and assist with educational activities related to parenting and child development.
Make referrals to appropriate community programs and services.
Maintain strong communication with the Healthy Families New York program and Schenectady County Public Health Services in order to convey participant needs throughout Healthy Families New York enrollment period.
Maintain a strong network of peers working in other community agencies and programs with the goal of connecting participant families with the educational and other resources they need in a timely manner.
Maintain confidentiality of information regarding all program participants.
Complete Association forms, timecards, expense reports, etc. as required.
In cooperation with Supervisor and/or Executive Director, jointly develop and pursue a professional development plan as a means to increase competencies relative to position accountabilities and to address changes and Association priorities.
Collaborate in activities that are in general support of Cornell Cooperative Extension and perform other duties as assigned.
Support the Association to maintain a safe working environment.
Be familiar with and strive to follow any applicable federal, state, local regulations, Association health and safety policy/procedure/requirement and standard.
Act proactively to prevent accidents/injuries and communicate hazards to supervisors when identified.
Aware of, and adheres to, established Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Schenectady County policies, procedures and Cornell Cooperative Extension Skills for Success.
Contribute to the overall success of the organization by performing all assigned duties in a professional, timely and accurate manner.