Home Visitor

About the role

ECS4Kids (formerly Episcopal Children’s Services) is a leading provider of early childhood education and family support services. This position is part of the Home-Based Services team.

Responsibilities

• Recruit children/families, interview applicants, complete applications and enter applications into ChildPlus.
• Provide at least 1 home visit per week per family lasting for a minimum of 1 and ½ hours each.
• Work with families to jointly plan the content of each home visit.
• Aid families in providing learning opportunities that enhance their child’s growth and development.
• Onboard and engage families using the approved parent engagement application.
• Ensure all home visits over the course of each month contain elements of all Head Start program components.
• Model best practices and strategies to promote the cognitive, language, social, emotional, and physical development of children.
• Conduct observations of parents and families and provide constructive feedback to assist them in fostering the growth and development of their child.
• Provide training and assistance to parents and families in the implementation of age appropriate activities for their child.
• Collaborate with parents to regularly assess each child’s development, maintain documentation of child assessment, and submit assessment results/reports to supervisor as requested.
• Ensure that safe practices are followed to prevent injuries to children or self.
• Maintain sanitation and hygiene procedures.
• Provide a warm, nurturing, loving and positive environment, using positive guidance techniques and upholding the ECS Discipline policy.
• Develop nurturing relationships with each child that encourages his or her social and emotional development.
• Maintain all federal, state, local and accreditation standards.
• Provide and encourage effective communication and relationships with families so that parents feel comfortable talking about their children.
• Encourage parent involvement in all aspects of the program.
• Inform parents concerning their children’s progress formally and informally, which may include parent notes, portfolios, and parent conferences.
• Provide leadership in following best practices in the field of early childhood education.
• Communicate regularly with other support staff in order to better serve children and families, including attending staff meetings, trainings, and sharing information.
• Provide, at a minimum, two group socialization activities per month for each child that emphasize peer group interaction through age appropriate activities in a Head Start classroom, community facility, home, or on a field trip.
• Follow all nutrition requirements specified in the performance standards and provide appropriate snacks and meals to the children during group socialization activities.
• Ensure all home-based children are screened according to Head Start requirements.
• Maintain accurate child files for all children in caseload.
• Work with the Head Start support staff to ensure children receive the health, mental health, and/or special needs services they may be eligible for.
• Collaborate with designated center staff in planning and attending monthly parent meetings, workshops, training, and other parent involvement activities.
• Submit accurate Home Visitor reports each month.
• Work with families to develop Family Partnership Agreements, set goals and timelines and provide referrals to community agencies.
• Work with families to ensure that children are up-to-date with all required health and dental screenings and examinations and document in child’s files.
• Perform other job-related functions as required.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED and a Home-based CDA credential; or
• A degree with 8 semester credits in early childhood education, human development and/or family sciences or a related field*
• Bi-Lingual (English/Spanish) skills highly preferred
• Knowledge of standards set forth by Head Start, DCF, NAEYC, APPLE and any other agency to which the agency commits
• Structured child-focused home visiting that promotes parents’ ability to support the child’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development
• Knowledge of early childhood development with respect to children from birth through age 3
• Effective strengths-based parent education, including methods to encourage parents as their child’s first teachers
• Methods to help parents promote emergent literacy in their children
• Demonstrate competency to plan and implement home-based learning experiences that ensure effective implementation of the home visiting curriculum and promote children’s progress across the standards described in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five, including for children with disabilities and dual language learners, as appropriate
• Knowledge of applicable safety and abuse-reporting procedures
• Ability to communicate both orally and in writing
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Acceptable eyesight (with or without correction)
• Acceptable hearing (with or without correction)
• Ability to maintain confidential information
• Ability to plan and organize work as well as maintain records and prepare reports
• Safety and transportation of families to appointments, Central office, etc. when necessary

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Competency to plan and implement home-based learning experiences that ensure effective implementation of the home visiting curriculum and promote children’s progress across the standards described in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five, including for children with disabilities and dual language learners, as appropriate
• Knowledge of standards set forth by Head Start, DCF, NAEYC, APPLE and any other agency to which the agency commits
• Structured child-focused home visiting that promotes parents’ ability to support the child’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development
• Knowledge of early childhood development with respect to children from birth through age 3
• Effective strengths-based parent education, including methods to encourage parents as their child’s first teachers
• Methods to help parents promote emergent literacy in their children
• Problem solving skills, counseling skills, and empathy toward needs of parents and strategies for helping families coping with crisis
• Knowledge of community resources and skills to link families with appropriate agencies and services
• Knowledge of applicable safety and abuse-reporting procedures
• Ability to demonstrate problem solving skills, counseling skills, and empathy toward needs of parents and strategies for helping families coping with crisis
• Ability to effectively provide information in a positive, informative and patient manner
• Ability to work independently with little direct supervision
• Ability to use the computer effectively
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Ability to maintain confidential information
• Ability to plan and organize work as well as maintain records and prepare reports
• Ability to safely transport families to appointments, Central office, etc. when necessary

License, Certification or Registration

• Valid driver’s license and proof of automobile coverage
• Satisfactory Driving Record (as outlined in Vehicle Driving Policy)
• Complete 15 hours of in-service/professional development training hours each fiscal year (July-June)
• Must have current First Aid and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training

Environmental Conditions

• Works in an office environment when performing administrative functions
• Local travel to multiple homes is required

Essential Physical Skills

• Acceptable eyesight (with or without correction)
• Acceptable hearing (with or without correction)
• Ability to communicate both orally and in writing
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.

Background Requirements

A Level II Background Screening which consists of a local, state, and federal criminal check will be completed on all employees and any contracted employee position, intern position or volunteer position in which individuals have contact with children, have access to confidential information and / or are in a position of special trust.

Salary Description

$20.13 / hour