Teacher Assistant / Parent Educator - 190 Days

Teacher Assistant / Parent Educator The STAR Family Partnership of Lexington School District Two is funded by SC First Steps and Lexington School District Two. The program is designed to strengthen families, empower parents as their children's first teachers and prepare children and their families to enter school successfully. Parent educators are part of the STAR team and are trained in the Parents as Teachers curriculum. They plan, deliver and document home visits to families in the Lexington Two school zone who are pregnant or have children from birth until school entry. Parent educators coach parents in parenting skills, share activities to promote parent-child interaction and child development, screen children and track their development, assess parenting skills, help families set and work towards goals, and connect families to community resources. Parent educators also work with the STAR team to provide group connections which are opportunities for families to connect to other families, participate in parenting workshops and family activities, and explore community resources and activities. The STAR team is part of the Lex2 Early Childhood Department and provides support to early childhood activities and schools in the district. Qualifications: High school diploma or equivalency and 2 years of supervised work experience with young children and/or families required 2 year degree in early childhood education or closely related field preferred Ability to work with individual families and small groups Possess interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively with others Proficiency in computer skills and data entry Ability to work flexible hours Performance Responsibilities: Participates in required professional development, staff development programs, team meetings and reflective supervision sessions Assists in recruiting families with young children who may benefit from the parenting program Establishes a positive rapport with families and maintains confidentiality Assists in setting up and maintaining materials for the parenting program and services Uses the Parents as Teachers Born to Learn curriculum effectively to provide services to families and distributes and shares pertinent information and materials with families Schedules, plans, conducts and documents home visits with individual families, coaching the parents/guardians and sharing information on child development, parenting skills, age appropriate activities for young children, screening results and community resources Conducts a complete screening of each child participant and parenting assessments with parents as outlined in the SC First Steps standards and Parents as Teachers Affiliate requirements and standards Assists individual families with specific needs and connects them to community resources Assists in coordinating interagency assistance efforts for parents and children as needed Submits visit information weekly to the Lead Parent Educator and consults with the Lead Parent Educator/Supervisor about any concerns, problems or issues that need to be addressed Maintains accurate records of all home visits and services following SC First Steps and PAT requirements and standards Enters data and maintains up-to-date records on families in the Visit Tracker data system Works with small groups of parents and young children to reinforce parenting skills Leads and/or assists with parenting workshops, family group connections and playgroups Provides support to the early childhood department as determined by the Director of Family Services/Early Childhood Director Performs other job-related activities as determined by the Director of Parenting & Early Childhood Programs or Lead Parent Educator