Parenting Educator, Western MA (Bilingual Spanish/English)

Families First

Parents have the power to shape their children’s futures.

Job Description

Families First Overview

Parents have the power to shape their children’s futures. Families First (www.families-first.org) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring parents of young children together in their communities so they can strengthen their parenting knowledge, skills, and support systems.

Positive parenting practices in early childhood are strongly linked to children’s language acquisition, literacy outcomes, cognitive skills, social competence, confidence, school achievement, and more. Our vision is that every parent is strong and supported, every child is thriving and resilient, and every community benefits from the power of parents.

Families First’s signature Power of Parenting program provides parenting education and support for parents of children between birth and age eight. The program includes weekly sessions  —  in either Spanish or English — over three months at community partner sites, such as early education centers, schools, and housing developments. 

It is an exciting time for Families First, as we begin to expand our programming in Boston (where we are headquartered) and across Massachusetts. Currently, we are preparing to launch the Power of Parenting program in Hampden County in 2022. We are seeking to grow our corps of local Parenting Educators — who facilitate the program — in this region.

Position Overview

Families First is seeking a bilingual (Spanish/English) per-diem facilitator. Families First Parenting Educators have previous experience working with parents/caregivers and are skilled at leading interactive workshops with adult learners from a wide range of backgrounds.

Parenting Educators typically possess a background in Family Studies, Child Development, Psychology, Social Work, or a related field, and are comfortable talking to others about parenting strategies. Each program consists of twelve 90-minute sessions (75 minutes when virtual), which are held weekly during daytime, evening, or weekend hours. Curriculum guides, handouts, and slide shows are prepared, developed, and regularly updated by Families First’s staff. 

Essential Job Functions

  • Lead interactive workshops with a diverse group of parents on a variety of topics, including but not limited to, early childhood development, early literacy, self-care and stress management, positive discipline, and parenting in the digital age
  • (When in-person) Deliver programs on-site in a variety of settings, including schools, early learning centers, community centers, and housing developments
  • (When virtual) Comfortable facilitating virtual programs, which includes: Navigating virtual meeting platforms, such as Zoom; Hosting virtual meetings (admitting participants, creating breakout rooms, sharing presentations, interacting with the chat, creating polls)
  • Attend six annual team meetings/trainings run by Families First and an annual one-day retreat
  • Initiate contact with assigned partner sites prior to the start of the program, manage attendance, administer evaluation forms, and maintain contact with Families First throughout program
  • Report to Families First’s Training Manager, who offers supervision and technical assistance

Ideal Qualifications

  • 4+ years’ experience facilitating interactive and engaging workshops for adult learners
  • 4+ years’ experience working with parents/caregivers or families (a Bachelor’s degree in Family Studies, Child Development, Psychology, Social Work, or a related field may be substituted for two years of the required experience)
  • Able to facilitate workshop sessions in Spanish as needed
  • Able to travel to/within Hampden County, MA
  • Cultural competence and experience working in culturally diverse environments
  • Comfortable with using the technology and software required to facilitate virtual sessions as needed

Pay Rate & Benefits

  • Hourly rate of $45-50 for program sessions, prep time, meetings, and trainings
  • Guidance, support, and materials from Families First staff
  • Participation in a community of peers, including access to trainings (for which Parenting Educators are compensated for their time) and peer discussion groups

Families First has a strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We aim to attract candidates who hold these same values. Families First is an equal opportunity employer for all regardless of race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran or reservist status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.