Luzerne County Head Start is expanding its home-based Early Head Start program and looking for additional family educators to provide child development and family support services to expecting parents, infants and toddlers up to age 3. Click here to learn more and submit an application. Four LCHS family educators shared why they were drawn to a career in Early Head Start.

Jessica Schneider – Edwardsville

When Jessica Schneider walks up to the front door for a home visit, there’s nothing like seeing the toddlers in her caseload smiling and jumping up and down.

Jessica first came to Luzerne County Head Start as a substitute teacher in 2011 and then moved into an itinerant associate teacher role. When the agency had an opening for a family educator in its Early Head Start program, Jessica knew it was something she wanted to do.

“I love working with the entire family,” she said. “The parents are their child’s first and most important teacher and I am able to help them be successful in that role.”

Jessica takes pride in seeing the children’s growth over time, like Joseph, who she’s been working with since he was only 3 weeks old. Alongside Joseph’s mother, Jessica helped him with tummy time, sitting up without support, crawling, pulling himself up and eventually walking. He is now 27 months old and they have progressed to identifying pictures and body parts, stringing large beads and other learning activities. Soon, they will begin the transition process for Head Start.

“Being a family educator is very rewarding,” Jessica said. “A family educator position is ideal for you if you like to make a difference. Family educators support the overall success of families and the child will learn more if their family is doing well.”

When a child in her caseload reaches a milestone like a first step or word, Alyssa Meyers shares in the family’s excitement.

As a family educator, it’s also rewarding when she’s able to guide a family through a situation, then eventually see them grow from the experience and take the steps she taught them to reach a goal.

Working in Early Head Start appealed to Alyssa because of its two-generation approach.

“I really enjoy working with children and the fact that you get to work hand in hand with the family in their environment is such an amazing benefit,” she said. “Not only are you working with children, but you’re also working with the parents and seeing where the learning is actually happening.”

For example, when a child’s assessment scores were on the lower side, Alyssa focused on the area in need of attention and provided the child’s mother with additional resources and activities. By the time of the next assessment, the child’s scores had improved.

“Just by working with the family those four weeks and giving Mom some extra guidance, we were able to see such a big improvement,” Alyssa said. “I love the statement ‘You are your child’s first and most important teacher’ because it is so true and once the parents understand this, you can see a huge improvement.”

Alyssa said she would encourage others to look into a family educator role because it’s not just a job, it’s a career where you will want to grow.

“This is the most rewarding job you will have as an educator,” she said.

Julie Winters – Wilkes-Barre

Julie Winters wanted a career that allowed her not only to work with young children, but help their families thrive.

As an Early Head Start family educator, Julie provides comprehensive child development and family support services. This includes working on developmental milestones with children, helping families set and achieve goals, and much more.

“I adore working with babies and toddlers. I also enjoy helping the parents understand child development,” Julie said. “It’s very rewarding to see the child’s progress, but even more so when you know you helped the parents be their child’s first and most important teacher.”

For Julie, it’s meaningful to see the two-generation impact. She would also recommend the family educator role to others if they’re looking for a career that allows for a good work-life balance.

“The fulfillment of knowing you have helped make a difference not only in the child’s life, but in the lives of the entire family is the best part of this job for me,” Julie said. “I also adore my coworkers and supervisors as they are helpful, caring and can make the work day fun. For a single mom, working someplace that offers paid holidays off the same as the school schedule is extremely helpful to me and my two daughters.”

Jesselyn Fernandez – Hazleton

For Jesselyn Fernandez, being an Early Head Start family educator is all about building connections with families.

“I always try to create an environment where the family feels safe and willing to talk about anything,” she said. “I love witnessing families accomplish goals, whether it’s getting their license, passing their citizenship exam, or even taking steps to enroll into school or a program to pursue a career because sometimes, the most difficult thing to do is start.”

Jesselyn was drawn to the home visiting program because it gave her the opportunity to work directly with families on enhancing their littles ones’ development. She had previously worked with prenatal mothers and loved being a source of support for them.

When she sees how excited the children get for her home visits or hear they were asking about her throughout the week, it makes her feel like the time she spent with the family was valuable.

In addition to the rewarding experiences with families, Jesselyn said she would encourage others to consider a career as a family educator because of the benefits LCHS offers, including extended paid holiday breaks that match the schedule of her school-aged daughter.

“It’s incredible how you don’t see how fast the time has gone until you’re getting ready to help the child transition into Head Start and start reminiscing on the silly moments you and the family have witnessed watching their child grow through the years,” Jesselyn said.

By Brooke Williams, Community Advocate