Job Type

Full-time, Part-time
Description
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
ParentChild is a home-based parenting and early learning program designed to strengthen verbal interaction and educational play between parents and their preschool-aged children. The program serves families who are challenged by poverty, low levels of education, language barriers, social isolation, housing instability, etc. The philosophy of ParentChild is that parents are their children's first and most important teachers, and that program staff can support parents in this role by facilitating modes of play and parent-child interaction that nurture children's growth and development. Each family is paired with an Early Learning Specialist who conducts home visits twice a week for forty-six weeks. The Early Learning Specialist facilitates learning through play by bringing a weekly gift of a book or toy for the family and sharing ideas for ways parents can use those items to support their child's development.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The ParentChild Coordinator is responsible for planning and implementing the various components of ParentChild in the Northern Berkshire community, with the goal of supporting parents in nurturing their child's development. The Coordinator replicates the program model outlined by the ParentChild National Center and maintains fidelity to those standards. The Coordinator, in collaboration with the Associate Coordinator, supervises a team of Early Learning Specialists to ensure delivery of a high-quality program. The Coordinator is responsible for the training and ongoing professional development of the Early Learning Specialists, which includes facilitating a two-hour weekly group supervision meeting.
The ParentChild Coordinator is also responsible for monitoring program expenses, purchasing supplies and materials, maintaining inventory, enrolling new program participants, overseeing timely administration of program assessments, ensuring that all necessary data is entered into the ParentChild database, monitoring compliance with requirements outlined by funders, and completing monthly and annual reporting. The Coordinator collaborates with members of the Family Center team and other service providers in the community to conduct outreach and connect families with resources.
Requirements
QUALIFICATIONS:

• The ParentChild Coordinator must have a minimum of two years of relevant work experience in an early childhood or parent education program. A Bachelor's degree in early childhood education, social work, or a related field is strongly preferred. Must attend Coordinator training through the ParentChild National Center within 6 months of employment, which may require working until at least 5:00pm during the two-week training period.
• Knowledge of child development (particularly for children ages 1-4) and knowledge of literacy-based curriculum required.
• Knowledge of local child care programs and community resources most desirable.
• Two years of supervisory experience and the ability to supervise and coach staff members required.
• Must have good organizational, communication, and writing skills.
• Must be sensitive to the needs of parents and the stressors in their lives and be able to interact in a positive, respectful way with parents, children, and community members.
• Must be able to work with families from diverse backgrounds and demonstrate respect for the cultural and ethnic heritage of all families.
• Understanding of and commitment to the Strengthening Families philosophy.
• Must be able to utilize a computer for data entry, document and spreadsheet creation, and use the Google Suite (sheets, docs, mail).
• Ability to plan home visits, to coach the facilitation of positive parent-child verbal interactions, and to speak in public required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENT:
The majority of time is spent on-site at the Family Center, though the Coordinator also visits homes throughout Northern Berkshire County to conduct intakes with new families and shadow visits with Early Learning Specialists. Some family events occur in the community, and occasional meetings may occur in eastern Massachusetts. Employees work under typical office conditions, at a desk or workstation, and the noise level is usually quiet. Employees are regularly required to sit, walk, stand, talk or hear, both in person and by telephone; use hands repeatedly to finger, handle, and operate standard office equipment; reach with both hands, and lift up to 25-50 pounds. Must be able to provide documentation of good physical and mental health, freedom from communicable diseases, and evidence of up-to-date immunizations.
WORK YEAR : Year-round position: 25-30 hours per week September-June, with hours reduced in July and August.
SALARY RANGE: $24-$26 per hour, commensurate with experience. Includes some benefits.
Child Care of the Berkshires is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer with a longstanding commitment to increasing the diversity of the employee community.