Early Childhood Assistant Teacher - York, United States - Community Progress Council, Inc

Description

Job Description

SUMMARY: Assist the classroom Teacher in planning and carrying out the Head Start curriculum while maintaining a safe and healthy environment for the children; engage the parents and volunteers in classroom activities by performing the duties listed below.

Benefits include...

• New hire incentive payment of $1,500.00, paid in two installments.
• Eligibility for health, paid dental, and paid vision coverage.
• 401(k) plan, with 3% match.
• Paid vacation, sick, and personal time.
• Tuition reimbursement opportunities.
• Summers off with benefit premiums paid (teacher roles only).
• Pay differential for bilingual staff.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Be committed to the vision and mission of Head Start of York County and Community Progress Council, Inc.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with diverse individuals, including children, families, co-workers, and staff in related agencies and the general public.
• Demonstrate an entry-level knowledge of child development, developmentally appropriate activities, and some skills in child behavior management.
• Assist in maintaining a clean, safe, and positive classroom environment that facilitates respect, active learning, group management, self-expression, cultural responsibility, child-initiated learning; assist in providing an atmosphere that promotes and reinforces parental involvement.
• In collaboration with Teacher and parents, assist in planning and preparing for developmentally appropriate learning activities for children, in accordance with the program curriculum.
• Assist in following a consistent schedule and providing planned activities which make possible children's interactions with materials, with other children and with adults.
• Assist in preparing classroom materials prior to the children's arrival to support lesson plans; assist in adapting and changing learning centers and rotating materials, to address and meet individual and group needs.
• Under the supervision of the Teacher, assist in preparing and conducting parent conferences and home visits, utilizing child's progress information to implement an individual plan for education (IPE) for each child that includes educational goals with strategies for school and for home aiding parent understanding in how to work with their child.
• Assist the teacher in assessing development and learning readiness of children using assigned tools; join the teacher in collaborating with parents, other program staff, and community agencies to plan and carry out an individual plan for a child, as needed, to meet child's special needs at school and at home.
• Under the guidance of the teacher, assist in preparing and maintaining required paperwork: lesson plans, daily observations of children (anecdotal records), children's education records, attendance reports, medication log, meal counts, health checks, contact sheets, and other documents and records.
• Assist the teacher in combining health, nutrition, social services, and parent involvement component goals into the planned activities for children and families.
• Assist the teacher in finding community resources to enhance the program operation for children and families; assist in promoting the benefit of Head Start and early education to community organizations, including school districts and business leaders.
• Assist in carrying out regular health observations to ensure children are well and have no contagious diseases and to check for signs of abuse or neglect, with the assistance of the teacher, report suspicions of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse or neglect.
• Maintain confidentiality of information regarding children and families; assist in reviewing and upholding Confidentiality Policy with parent volunteers, community volunteers and staff from outside agencies.
• Serve as a role model and mentor for parent and community volunteers by performing job duties in accordance with program curriculum, Head Start Performance Standards, and agency policy and procedures.
• Work collaboratively with teacher and other program staff to develop and conduct parent education activities, family activities and parent meetings; assist teacher and other program staff in encouraging parents to attend planned activities and meetings.
• Actively participate in agency task forces and work groups, as assigned by supervisor/management, to assist in developing, implementing, and fulfilling goals and action plans of the Head Start vision and mission.
• Actively participate in developing and carrying out an individualized continuing education plan to learn and grow professionally in the field of early childhood and child development; pursue learning opportunities offered inside the agency and in the community; attend required trainings offered by Head Start and Community Progress Council including cross-training in order to perform a number of processes within the program.
• May need to vary work schedule (outside of regularly scheduled work hours) to attend program functions and to accommodate parents' schedules for home visits.
• All other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Competencies:

• Communication Skills – Oral and Written
• Customer Service – Internal and External
• Personal Responsibility
• Flexibility
• Cooperation/Teamwork
• Dependability
• Professionalism
• Leadership/Supervision

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE: High school diploma or general education degree (GED) plus one year of experience in a child development center (pre-school or elementary). Obtain CDA (Child Development Associate Certificate) within 2 years of hire as required by federal mandate. (Head Start funding is available.)

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily, as well as be committed to the mission and goals of the agency. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization. Whenever possible, speak the client's language to the best of your ability.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

COMPUTER: Experience with Microsoft Office Suite in a Windows environment helpful and preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: Department of Human Services FBI Clearance, PA State Criminal History, Childline Child Abuse Certification, and submission to the National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) required prior to hire. Employees hired for positions, regulated by Department of Human Services (DHS), are required to submit documentation of a current (less than 1 year) physical assessment including a Tuberculosis skin test, prior to hire and on a biennial basis (physical only) throughout employment. The Child Abuse "Mandated Reporter" training due within 90-days of hire.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, and feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and crawl. The employee is occasionally required to sit and climb. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to wet and/or humid conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

EOE