University-Assisted Community Schools Nutrition Education and Health Improvement Coordinator, Netter Center for Community Partnerships

University of Pennsylvania•Philadelphia, PA

18h•Onsite

About The Position

The University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS) Nutrition Education and Health Improvement Coordinator will work as part of the Netter Center’s University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS) team to implement local problem-solving curricula in elementary and high schools in the areas of nutrition, school gardens, and wellness. Students will work with partners to develop implementable projects that aim to improve school and community wellbeing. A major part of the position will be engaging University students, faculty, and staff to be partners in longstanding, successful projects, including providing training and reflection opportunities to continuously improve the partnership and its impacts. The UACS Nutrition Education and Health Improvement Coordinator will also help infuse health and wellness activities and policies throughout UACS programs. The position involves both coordinating and providing direct instruction during the school day, afterschool, and summer. These partnerships are designed to strengthen teaching and learning (K–16+) through projects that improve health and nutrition in both the schools and the neighboring West Philadelphia communities. Some projects will include work with Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) courses and other forms of community-engaged scholarship, which integrate service with research, teaching, and learning, and bring together academic expertise with community expertise. This work requires listening to the nutrition and health needs of the K12 schools and community partners and mobilizing mutually beneficial and mutually transformational partnerships that help meet those needs. Through collaborative problem-solving, this work is designed to improve the quality of life and learning in the community and the quality of learning and scholarship in the university. It is also designed to help students become active, creative, contributing citizens of a democratic society. Recent activities and projects have included implementation of student-led School Wellness Councils, after school fruit and vegetable stands where students learn health, nutrition and other skills by improving the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, cooking programs where students learn by cooking community meals, the Good Food Bag program where students support distribution of healthy foods to families, and Culinary Medicine, where students blend the art of food and cooking with the science of medicine to improve health. Founded in 1992, the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships is the University's primary vehicle for advancing civic and community engagement at Penn. It brings together the resources and assets of both the University and the wider community to help solve universal problems such as poverty, health inequities, environmental sustainability, and inadequate, unequal education as they are manifested in the University's local geographic area of West Philadelphia and Philadelphia at large. The Netter Center develops and helps implement democratic, mutually transformative, place-based partnerships between Penn and West Philadelphia that advance research, teaching, learning, and service. These partnerships help improve the quality of life on campus and in the community. The Netter Center works with and serves as a model for other higher education institutions across the United States and around the world. A major component of the Netter Center's work is mobilizing the vast resources of the University of Pennsylvania to help traditional public schools become innovative University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS) that educate, engage, empower, and serve public school students, families, and community members. UACS focus on schools as core institutions for community engagement and democratic development, as well as link school day and after school curricula to solve locally identified, real-world, community problems. At the same time, working with community members to create and sustain UACS provides a powerful means for universities to advance teaching, research, learning, and service, as well as the civic development of their students.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree and 2 to 3 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects and foster high quality connections.
Must be collaborative, flexible, and work productively with diverse groups.
Must be able to work in a wide variety of weather conditions.
Must possess a track record of both self-directed and team-oriented accomplishments.
Must be organized, detail-oriented, dependable, and flexible.
Requires full-time on-campus presence unless otherwise approved.
Requires the ability to climb stairs or ladders.
Involves frequent walking, including walking for extended periods of time indoors or outdoors.
This position is contingent upon grant funding.

Nice To Haves

Master's in Education, Environmental Science, Public Health, or equivalent degree strongly preferred.
Experience in urban education, supervision, and youth development.
Knowledge about Penn and West Philadelphia is a plus.

Responsibilities

Preparing materials and teaching hands-on nutrition education activities.
Training part-time staff and University students and partners in nutrition education program implementation, including connecting to the school gardens.
Preparing materials and teaching nutrition education and wellness activities to K-12 students at UACS sites.
Further developing the educational frameworks of UACS nutrition and wellness education programming.
Supporting a comprehensive approach to community health improvement, with a focus on nutrition and garden education initiatives, year-round youth development programming, improving access to quality foods for children, youth, families and faculty within partnering public schools and community, increasing activity and exercise levels, as well as increasing awareness and understanding of food systems and environment.
Collaborating with school-day teachers and administrators to support enrichment activities that support learning across the core subjects through problem-based learning and community development activities.
Collaborating with school-day teachers, after-school instructors, community partners, and university faculty and students to co-develop educational activities that are mutually beneficial and mutually transformational.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits.
Flexible spending accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Exceptional tuition benefits for employee, spouse, and dependent children at Penn, and tuition assistance for dependent children at other institutions.
Generous retirement plans (Basic, Matching, and Supplemental) with pre-tax or Roth options and a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Substantial amount of time away from work for relaxation, vacations, personal affairs, illness, injury, or family time.
Long-Term Care Insurance in partnership with Genworth Financial for faculty and staff (and eligible family members).
Wide variety of programs and resources to help balance work and personal life, and care for health, family, and work-life balance.
Resources to help advance personally and professionally.
Access to a wide range of University resources, cultural, and recreational activities (libraries, athletic facilities, arboretum, art galleries, museums, performance centers).
Discounts and special services for arts and entertainment, transportation, mortgages, new cars, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and theme parks.
Flexible work options including non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn Home Ownership Services offering a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia.
Adoption Assistance reimbursing eligible employees for qualified expenses related to legal adoption (e.g., travel, court fees) up to two adoptions.