Home Base Teacher

Job Goal:

To plan, coordinate and implement a quality education, health and social services program that will assist families in identifying and reinforcing experiences which can occur in the home and in the classroom 

Essential Responsibilities: 

• Provide home base services to those families enrolled in the Home Base program
  • Home visit each enrolled family once per week for at least 1 ½ hours
  • Provide two socialization experiences to enrolled family monthly
  • Follow all performance standards in regards to providing home base services
  • Ensure various attempts (at least 3) to make a home visit contact in cases where the parent was unable to meet at the predetermined time
  • Develop, with the parent, individualized plans for each home visit
  • Coordinate home activities incorporating family interests and goals
  • Complete a walkability check with each family
  • Encourage parents to become “teacher” on home visits
• Assist in the planning and coordinating of the Education/Disabilities Component
  • Establish an environment which will stimulate a desire for learning, independence and self‐esteem both parents and children, both indoor and outdoor.
  • Develop daily plans and individual activity plans one week in advance and document in the Daily Plan Book
  • Along with the parents, assess each child’s developmental needs and develop individual goals according to their individual interests, abilities, individual traits and development. Ensure that goals are carried out through home and classroom activities
  • Conduct Parent/Staff conferences two times per year, with input from Component Directors and team members
  • Encourage parents to participate in curriculum planning and program development
  • Ensure that classroom activities are developmentally appropriate and carried out according to Head Start/Early Head Start and program philosophy, policies and procedures
  • Plan with parents and team members to ensure that daily personal hygiene of the children is met (i.e., feeding, diapering, toileting, tooth brushing and hand washing)
  • Ensure that the planning and involvement of children occurs in the preparation of nutritious snacks and clean‐up of eating area
  • Provide for the constant supervision of all children
  • Maintain, with team members and parents, an approach to guidance within the framework of Head Start/Early Head Start policy to ensure that children are taught, disciplined, and supervised in a consistent manner
  • Act as the primary contact person for communicating with appropriate staff, families, volunteers, and assistant teacher (where appropriate) in matters relating to Head Start/Early Head Start children, at the center level
  • With team members and parents, plan and inform all appropriate people of field trip and other activities
• Maintain an adequate social services referral system for coordinating the resolution of family needs and goals.
  • Make home visits with each family for the completion of the Family Partnership agreement and follow up on goals established
  • Assist families in developing resources for resolving emergent social service needs and follow up with families on the appropriateness of the resources
  • Refer families to appropriate agencies and follow up on referrals
  • Develop and maintain working relationships with community resources/partners by making on‐site visits
  • Orient and provide information to staff and parents regarding social services and community resources
  • Establish and maintain communication lines with local schools and social services agencies
  • Represent Head Start at local community meetings as designated by supervisor
• Assist in the implementation of an agency wide Parent Involvement Program
  • Work with center teams to encourage parents to be involved in all components  and programs of the agency
  • Promote prevention and family strengthening activities (picnics, leadership training, parenting classes, sewing classes, quilting classes, etc.) with center staff and parents
  • Ensure that volunteers are always supervised and never left alone with a child
  • Be available as a resource person for Parent Center training upon request
  • Provide assistance to center teams for involving parents in all components and programs of the agency
  • Provide assistance to center teams for involving males/fathers in the agency programs Assist Volunteer Coordinator in implementing Men’s support group, and other activities promoting Male/Father involvement in local area
  • Identify and recruit parents to participate in Community Leadership Training and other Community activities
  • Assist in the coordination of the agency‐wide Wellness Day and promote activity with all parents. Work with families to problem solve around barriers to participation
  • Assist in the implementation of the agency’s volunteer/career ladder program
• Assist the Health Services Director in the Health Services component
  • Help families establish an ongoing relationship with health and dental care providers
  • Ensure that all medical and dental screens and appropriate follow‐up and/or referrals are completed, including initial education with parents with first screening and each 6 month follow up thereafter with HS families regarding Lift the Lip exams
  • Ensure that the nutrition assessments are completed and appropriate follow‐up  and/or referrals are completed to include discussing WIC/Nutrition goals with classroom staff and following up with parents
  • Encourage parents to complete required immunizations for their children and keep CIS/Immunization Record up to date with all changes routed to Data Entry Clerk
  • Participate in staffing to share information concerning health issues
  • Review ChildPlus Health Tracking record for accuracy, making changes and submitting them to Data Entry Specialist monthly
• Work with the Family Advocate in coordinating and implementing a parent education and support program for agency families
  • Survey families for topics of interest and provide information to Family Advocate
  • Encourage parents to attend parent education programs available through UMCHS and other community agencies
  • Assist families in resolving barriers to attending parent education programs
• Be able to handle emergency situations as designated by program policies and procedures
• Assist in completion of the Program Information Report (PIR)

Education Requirements: 

• BA in Social Services, Social Work, Sociology or related field preferred; Associates’ Degree with experience required.
• Enroll in the Oregon Registry Online (ORO) to receive a Step Certificate

Experience and Skills Requirements: 

• One year experience in social work preferred.
• Attend agency sponsored social service training and Motivational Interviewing Training
• Current CPR, First Aid and Food Handler’s cards
• Adequate means of transportation
• Home Visit experience (preferred)
• Case management experience (preferred)
• Supervisory experience (preferred)
• Previous Head Start or early childhood experience (preferred)
• Community service experience (preferred)
• Ability to coordinate and/or conduct training sessions (preferred)
• Multi‐cultural experience (preferred)

General Staff Responsibilities: 

Employees of UMCHS aspire to the following: 

• A commitment to the agency’s mission, vision, and values;
• A commitment to equipping children and all who care for them for lifelong success
• A commitment to excellence in everything we do;
• A commitment to positive performance and a welcoming culture;
• A commitment to outcomes, measured results and quality improvement;
• A commitment to innovation and to what is possible.
• Program Participation and Team Member
  • Be present at work in order to provide consistency of services
  • Arrive to work on time; punctually attend and actively participate in all required activities, meetings, and trainings.
  • Be a respectful, cooperative, and reliable team member and participant in program activities.
  • Project a professional work image, both in dress and manner.
  • Demonstrate familiarity with employment policies, performance standards, work plan and commitment to mission and values in the performance of daily duties.
• Standards of Conduct
  • Perform all work in compliance with UMHS Standards of Conduct
• Improve self‐skills and education
• Fulfill role as mandated reporter as stated in Child Abuse and Neglect Policy
• And or any other duties deemed necessary by your supervisor

Physical Requirements: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to: 

• Frequently required to drive, walk and climb stairs in the office and in a variety of community‐based and home settings.
• Drive a private or Agency vehicle; must possess a valid driver's license and personal automobile or provide a plan that will allow fulfillment of position requirements.
• Observe, compare, and monitor behaviors, records and data to determine compliance with prescribed standards
• Comprehend, analyze, and make inferences and references from written material
• Lift children up to 50 pounds from the floor to waist high ten to fifteen times a day
• Frequently crouch to a child’s height and maintain eye contact at a child’s level; stand tall enough to reach children on play equipment; stand or sit for long periods of time; walk up and down stairs; walk or run quickly; walk over rough or uneven ground.
• Frequently bend and kneel.
• Maintain the safety of the environment and children through visual, auditory and smelling senses
• Kneel or sit on the floor or in child sized furniture.
• Make precise arm‐hand positioning movements and maintain static arm‐hand positions
• Make skillful, controlled manipulations of small objects
• Perform regular sanitation of classroom and equipment which may require the use of broom, carpet sweeper, and mop.
• Sit for long periods of time with keyboard and do data entry at a computer.
• Occasionally required to stand, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms.
• Occasional filing is required. This would require the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bending as necessary;
• Produce written documentation with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation and grammar.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  
Work Environment/Conditions: 

• The work environment includes indoor office environments or comparable spaces, families’ homes and community spaces, with frequent exposure to outdoor weather when traveling to home visits and meetings. The noise level varies by sites, home visits, and meetings.
• Job tasks are performed in close physical proximity to other people

 Safety:

Apply safe practices in the performance of duties 

• Reporting of unsafe or hazardous working conditions and/or any injury immediately
• Complying with Agency safety standards
• Participate in emergency drills
• Promote a culture of safe environments in the workplace

Agency‐Wide Requirements: 

• Current enrollment in the Child Care Division’s Central Background Registry
• Current physical examination, drug screen, and TB screen documentation prior to hire
• Ability to drive a private or Agency vehicle; must possess a valid driver's license and personal automobile or provide a plan that will allow fulfillment of position requirements. A DMV Record check will be conducted prior to hire.
• Desire to work with low‐income children and their families
• Communicate effectively with staff, families, children, and the public using the telephone and in face‐to‐face, one‐to‐one, and in group settings
• Fluent in English both verbally and written
• To protect the health and safety of our employees and families, and pursuant to the Governor's Order, all employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. If you are unable to comply with this policy due to pregnancy, disability, or because of a sincerely held religious belief, we will ask for written verification.