Regional Child Care Health Consultant

Founded in 1950, our Department of Maternal and Child Health is one of the world's leading academic departments for research, teaching and practice. We are dedicated to improving the health of women, children and families - domestically and globally. Our teaching program provides students with broad exposure to maternal and child health population needs and priorities, as well as with the skills to become leaders of tomorrow. Currently the department has 31 faculty members, 20 of whom have primary appointments in Maternal and Child Health (MCH). Complementing these faculty are four emeritus members, and more than 65 adjunct faculty, many of whom hold leadership positions in MCH research and practice settings. Given the interdisciplinary nature of our department, faculty and staff research interests and activities span the full array of issues and areas of focus for the maternal and child health population. Our initiatives are designed to create new knowledge and directly improve the health of this population.

The Regional Child Care Health Consultant (CCHC) position is a community-based position that works with early care and education (child care) administrators, facility owners, educators, health care professionals, and families to ensure optimal health and safety for young children and to reduce the children's risk of illness and harm. The Regional CCHC will offer technical assistance through collaborative consultation, coaching, training, and advocacy.

The primary purpose of this position is to provide health and safety technical assistance to child care facilities in a multi-county region in eastern North Carolina. This position must contribute to research/reporting conducted by the NC Resource Center by providing accurate data of services provided. The position is required to perform health and safety quality control/quality assurance to child care facilities.

The CCHC will:

*Work collaboratively with child care centers and family child care homes to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate strategies to achieve high quality, safe child care environments.

*Provide technical assistance in the form of consultation and coaching to child care facilities to achieve best practice standards.

*Conduct health and safety assessments to include initial observations, quality improvement planning, program implementation, and follow-up assessment.

*Provide health and safety training to improve health knowledge and skill development of early childhood educators.

*Provide support to child care facilities to serve children with special health care and medication needs.

*Act as a liaison to local health professionals and community service agencies by offering health education, community information, and referral resources to facilities and the families they serve.

*Advocate for young children by actively serving on and coordinating with local, regional, and statewide committees that support healthy growth and development of children.

*Establish and maintain on-going working relationships with other professionals offering technical assistance to early care and education settings.

*Collect program specific data to assess and monitor successes and determine opportunities for improvement.

*Maintain their active CCHC status as outlined in the CCHC Standards of Practice.

*Collaborate with NC Resource Center staff on agency-wide initiatives.

This position is home-based, working on a team to serve communities across Eastern North Carolina, including a subset of the following counties: Brunswick, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Hertford, Jones, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Perquimans, Tyrrell, Washington, Wayne, and Wilson. The employee is expected to come to the NC Resource Center office in Raleigh at least quarterly. The individual is expected to have a home office in their region and travel will be required within the counties where services are provided. Preference will be given to applicants that live in or adjacent to the counties served.

Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required (or foreign degree equivalent); for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity, will accept a relevant Bachelor's degree (or foreign degree equivalent) and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. May require terminal degree and licensure.

The Regional CCHC must be a registered nurse, health educator, or similar health professional and have knowledge of child care health consultation, coaching, and other modalities of technical assistance. In addition, the CCHC must have extensive knowledge of child health and current child care issues at the local, state, and national levels. The CCHC must have special knowledge of resources available in the area of child care health and safety and be able to support early educators to improve the health and safety of children in early care and education settings. Requirements include:

*Experience conducting training sessions for adult learners.

*Strong oral and written communication skills.

*Proficiency with Microsoft Office products and ability to learn new online program and applications.

*Strong organizational skills and have strong attention to detail and accuracy.

Preferred

1.BA/BS degree in nursing, health education, or health related field

2.Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in the professional discipline to include nursing, public health, or health related field

3.Completion or current (or planned) enrollment in NC Child Care Health Consultant Course

Equivalent combination of education and experience

Must have a valid driver's license and ability to travel within region.

Not Applicable.

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (919) 843-2300 or send an email to employment@unc.edu
Please note: The Office of Human Resources will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.