ES Health Educator - Child Care

ES Health Educator

Do you have a passion to provide meaningful work in the community? Would you like to be part of an organization whose central mission is helping to protect, stabilize and strengthen the lives of children, families, and vulnerable adults? Then the South Carolina Department of Social Services has the right job opportunity for you.

Job Duties:

• The ES Health Educator will plan, develop, and implement evidence-based policy, systems, and environmental approaches to improve health in early care and education programs. Support the integration of nutrition, physical activity, and wellness strategies within ABC Quality and across the Division of Early Care and Education to impact child care facilities across the state. Promote and support best practice recommendations for nutrition, physical activity and wellness policies through training and technical assistance to child care programs to improve the environment and health of children.
• Develop and deliver state, regional, and local level training to child care providers on ABC Quality best practices for nutrition, physical activity, and wellness policies; and provide training to License Exempt programs on Physical Activity and/or related topics.
• Conduct Health & Safety facility inspections with required corrective action in regionally assigned License Exempt programs.
• Provide technical assistance and basic coordination to regional Grow Outdoors SC program sites; assist programs in transforming and naturalizing their outdoor play and learning environments utilizing best practices from the Natural Learning Initiative and ECHO.
• Conduct special projects relating to policy, systems, and environmental change approaches to improve health and wellbeing of young children in early care and education programs as assigned.
• Provide technical assistance on nutrition, physical activity, and wellness policies and practices through site visits, email or phone calls to child care programs; assisting child care providers to promote healthy practices to children, parents and the community; serving as resource to assigned child care programs to promote environmental changes to improve health, answer questions, develop strategies, make connections to available resources, and for other program-initiated needs.
• Coordinate with professionals within and outside this DSS agency serving child care programs to assure implementation of developmentally appropriate strategies and non-duplication of services; establish and support partnerships on implementing best practices; and identify community resources and support for assigned region of state.
• Obtain professional development as required. Perform other duties as required.

A Master's Degree in Health Education, Health Promotion, and/or Early Childhood Education and one (1) year of health education experience.

Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)/Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) eligible. A Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education, Health Education, Public Health Education, or a related field and two (2) years of health education experience.

This application for employment with the SC Department of Social Services must be completed in its entirety. A resume may be included; but shall not be substituted in lieu of the completion of this application in part or in whole. "See Resume" is not acceptable information for the completion of any part of the requirements of this application. If such is submitted, this employment application will be considered incomplete and may not be forwarded as eligible for consideration to hiring managers.

Must possess a valid driver's license and have access to and be able to operate a motor vehicle. Individuals must comply with necessary field work assignments.

If you certify, by completion and submission of this application, that you possess educational credentials that qualify you for the available DSS positions, you will be required to provide a certified official transcript, if you are selected for job offer.

The South Carolina Department of Social Services offers an exceptional benefits package that includes:

• Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year
• 15 days sick leave per year
• 13 paid holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs