TWC Parent Educator

Organization Overview

The Black Parent Initiative (BPI) is an innovative nonprofit agency providing comprehensive services to parents of African American, African, Black, and/or Multi-Ethnic children ages 0 to 6 years old in the Portland metro area. These children and their families – who are beautiful, capable, resilient, and brilliant – are often impacted by historical forced displacement, racism, poverty, houselessness, and mental illness. Our unique, relationship-based approach builds community strength in children, youth, and families by focusing on optimal health, parent education, and cultural identity development. We ensure parents and caregivers have the necessary resources to help their children succeed.

Our programs and services include:

• Together We Can Home Visiting (First 1,000 Days) – provides young parents from low-income communities with intensive, culturally specific home visiting services, group-based support, education, and community engagement.
• School-Based Learning Communities - Improves relationships between African American, African, Black, and Multi-Ethnic families and schools and educators by facilitating culturally specific family engagement and advocacy training opportunities.
• Black Family Resource Center 2.0 – Provides educational resources and parent and community advocacy support to meet the educational needs of the African American, African, Black, and Multi-Ethnic communities in Portland.
• Employment Services – Helps clients secure economic stability through employment search and placement support.
• Sacred Roots Mobile Doula and Lactation Services (First 1,000 Days) – matches African American, African, Black, and Multi-Ethnic pregnant women with culturally representative doulas, who work with each mother to maximize positive birth outcomes.

Position Overview

BPI seeks a Part-time Parent Educator who will be responsible for scheduling and facilitating home visits, managing and implementing parent engagement groups, acquiring resources for families, and more. We seek candidates who are skilled, passionate, and compassionate about our community and will work to meet our mission through outcome-based strategies that support family growth and community transformation.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

Home Visits (40%)

• Conduct intake to determine eligibility for all BPI programs.
• Meet bi-weekly (twice a month) for one hour (plus travel time) and document child development milestones observed.
• Conduct the following screenings: ASQ-3, ASQ-SE, and PHQ-9.
• Provide Parent as Teachers (parent/child interactions) training and resources for parents.
• Support Parent Personal Development: build strengths and develop plans to address areas of concern; provide job and career development planning and educational support; assist with both parent and child goal planning.
• Assist parents with the process of registering for school.
• Assist parents with scheduling medical appointments and identifying health needs.

Parent Engagement Groups (30%)

• Create and develop Parent Engagement Groups curricula.
• Facilitate parent socialization and provide childcare during parent sessions.
• Provide mental health check-ins during groups.
• Facilitate Parent Engagement Workshops during groups, including: budgeting and financial planning, goal setting, cooking classes, baby massage, aspirations and personal stories, literacy focus (book giveaways and reading to children), sensory development, milestones stages, addressing trauma, and more!

Client Resource Acquisition (20%)

• Locating and/or delivering resources for families outside of home visits and group meetings. Resources include but are not limited to food boxes, rental assistance, energy assistance, SNAP/TANF application assistance, diapers, clothing, job searches, housing applications, childcare resources, shelter identification and other referrals.

General Duties (10%)

• Complete weekly documentation of visits and parent interactions.
• Complete monthly reports for BPI internal documents and for contract and grant purposes.
• Attend regular staff meetings to receive reflective supervision.
• Provide event support, for events including BPI’s annual Book Fair, event tabling, baby/toddler clothing drives, family resource hosted workshops, fundraisers, etc.
• Provide Family Resource Center support (organization and clean up).

Other duties as assigned; the above responsibilities are non-exhaustive.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Child Development, or Public Health, OR comparable education, training, and experience.
• Must be based in the greater Portland area and have access to reliable transportation.
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite, including Word, Excel, etc.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Commitment to BPI’s work and the people BPI serves.
• Self-starter, flexible, motivated, and able to take initiative in all situations.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to maintain a respectful, friendly, and mature demeanor with other team members, clients, families, and medical providers.
• Openness to reflective practice (capacity for introspection, communicates awareness of self in relation to others, etc.)
• Demonstrated cultural consciousness, compassion, and empathy.
• Demonstrated appreciation, understanding of, and respect for diverse families’ economic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds and situations.
• Ability to engage and communicate with diverse groups of people in a strengths-based manner to address personal challenges.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

• Experience working in a nonprofit setting.
• Experience serving and/or working with African American, African, Black, and/or Multi-Ethnic community members.
• Experience comforting and encouraging African American, African, Black, and/or Multi-Ethnic families.
• If you have not yet completed the following trainings, BPI will provide opportunities for you to complete them: Parents As Teachers; Trauma Informed Program Delivery; First Aid; Food Handlers; ASQ Training; Child Abuse and Neglect Training; Navigating Difficult Feelings; Mood and Emotional Health; Parent and Child Interactions: Observing and Listening in a Virtual Environment; I Can Parent Too; Engaging Virtually with Families Who Learn Differently; Parent and Child Groups in a Virtual World; Supporting Families in Mental Health; Virtual Home Visiting; How to Conduct Virtual Screenings.

Acknowledgment: This is to acknowledge that I have read the above job description and understand that it sets forth the general duties, responsibilities, and essential functions that I will be expected to fulfill in this role, and that it is not meant as an exhaustive list of all duties or functions that may be required of me. I understand that I will be expected to perform all the functions of the job in a reasonable and safe manner. I further acknowledge that this is not a contract, and BPI reserves the right to make changes to the position description at any time in order to meet the needs of the organization. BPI is an equal opportunity organization, no one will be denied employment based on race or sexual orientation. All applicants' resumes will be handled with confidentiality.