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

Cornell Cooperative Extension•New York, NY

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Healthy Schenectady Families Family Support Educator supports 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, the educator works with educators and supervisors to promote the well-being of parents, children, and families through evidence-based health education and parenting curricula delivered primarily through home visits. Positive, persistent, individualized outreach helps keep families involved and supports improved outcomes for children, parents, and the community. The position initially serves 15–18 families, gradually increasing to 20–25 families during the first year. Home visits occur weekly and decrease in frequency over time until the participant’s child begins school or Head Start. The educator documents program delivery, supports family goal planning, assesses parent-child interactions, connects families with health care and community resources, and contributes to evaluation, coordination, reporting, outreach, and professional development. The role requires frequent travel and flexible hours, which may include evenings and weekends. It is full-time, nonexempt, and 35 hours per week, with compensation of $22.50 per hour. The work includes frequent in-person home visits in assigned communities and office work in an open office environment when not in the field. No relocation or visa sponsorship is available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree; an Associate’s degree plus two years of transferable program or functional experience may substitute.
Experience relevant to the role.
Ability to meet frequent travel requirements.
Valid New York State driver’s license, ability to drive, and driving record acceptable for Association insurance coverage.
Ability to work flexible hours frequently, potentially including evenings and weekends.
Commitment to working in limited-income urban settings with program participants in their communities.
Ability to deliver related programs and trainings effectively and serve as a subject matter resource.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of program data.
Ability to participate effectively in professional team efforts, including frequent collaboration with staff and outside organizations.
Effective verbal and written communication with presenters, program participants, employees, and others.
Ability to relate effectively to coworkers, volunteers, advisors, community leaders, and professional leaders.
Ability to coordinate program efforts, data management and reporting, scheduling, events, materials, resources, and financial reporting requirements.
Proficiency in, or ability to learn and effectively use, the internet, program-related software, and Microsoft Office including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Excel.
Ability to perform frequent in-person home visits and work in an open office environment with occasional to frequent distractions.
Ability to occasionally lift, move, or transport program materials.

Nice To Haves

Degree or coursework in human services or a related field.
Ability to speak, read, and write proficiently in Spanish or another non-English language spoken in the target community.

Responsibilities

Deliver and document existing educational programs, initially to 15–18 families and gradually to 20–25 families during the first year.
Use evidence-based curricula and support materials to provide accurate parenting and health education to participating families.
Observe parent-child interactions and provide positive feedback to parents during home visits.
Assist the supervisor in developing and implementing Family Goal Plans.
Meet or exceed education delivery goals assigned by the supervisor and funding source.
Conduct weekly home visits, decreasing in frequency over time until the participant’s child begins school or Head Start.
Help ensure program compliance with program policies, objectives, and funder requirements.
Use motivational interviewing strategies to address the needs of family members.
Provide individualized education and develop family goal plans to support improved birth outcomes, timely immunizations and preventive care, breastfeeding, positive parenting practices, early literacy, and school-readiness behaviors.
Assess parent-child interactions and apply knowledge of child development and developmentally appropriate parenting strategies.
Support parent-child groups, program and parent committees, and community meetings.
Serve as a Healthy Families subject matter resource and provide standard responses.
Build and maintain supportive, professional relationships with participants and communicate with families about health, wellness, and domestic violence prevention, among other topics.
Encourage families to identify a primary health care provider and explain the importance of regular preventive care.
Evaluate family functioning, connect families with Extension programs and community resources, and serve as a liaison to programs such as WIC, SNAP-ed, EFNEP, and Head Start.
Represent CCE professionally to the public, community leaders, government officials, and Cornell University.
Promote acceptance of the Healthy Schenectady Families program, its methods, and its policies.
Collaborate with community agencies serving the target audience.
Provide evaluation data and recommendations to supervisors for improving programs; may assist with making improvement recommendations.
Collect program data, including surveys, and enter surveys and documentation such as home-visit narratives, follow-up forms, ASQ, and ASQSE into the Management Information System by required deadlines.
Organize a weekly schedule with the supervisor to accommodate participant-family needs.
May assist with developing marketing materials for educational events.
Assist the supervisor with public-awareness materials such as impact statements, report articles, and news releases.
Participate in outreach, coordinate with service providers, support access to community services, conduct educational activities, and refer families to appropriate programs and services.
Communicate with Healthy Families New York and Schenectady County Public Health Services about participant needs during enrollment.
Maintain a network of peers in community agencies and programs to connect families with resources in a timely manner.
Maintain confidentiality of participant information.
Complete Association forms, timecards, expense reports, and other required records.
Develop and pursue a professional development plan in cooperation with the supervisor and/or Executive Director.
Support Cornell Cooperative Extension activities and perform other duties as assigned.
Support a safe work environment, follow applicable regulations and safety policies, proactively prevent accidents and injuries, and report hazards to supervisors.
Follow Association policies, procedures, and Cornell Cooperative Extension Skills for Success, and complete assigned duties professionally, accurately, and on time.