Teacher Assistant - Hartford, United States - Community Renewal Team

Description

Job Description

"Preparing Our Community to Meet Life's challenges."

We help everyone who comes to our door with resources for both immediate needs and long-term goals.

Our network of programs, services, and experiences strengthen individuals, families, and communities and provides opportunities for growth and economic stability.

Come join our team

When you become an employee at the Community Renewal Team (CRT), you will join a host of others with an average tenure of nine years of service. Some of our employees have celebrated more than twenty + years of service. You'll participate in fun activities, themed- employee appreciation events, organization sponsored golf tournaments, etc. We celebrate the accomplishments of employees using our Wall of Excellence highlighting employees of the month. Opportunities to grow within the organization are plentiful. Most of our employees started in entry level positions and have been promoted throughout their career.

BENEFITS

401K with a matching employer contribution, medical, dental, vision, HSA Spending

Accounts, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability (STD)/Long- Term Disability (LTD),

and an Employee Assistance Program. Eligible employees are also able to participate in

agency sponsored educational opportunities. Eligible employees receive ten paid vacation days, six sick

paid days annually, and two personal days paid annually.

JOB DETAILS

POSITION TITLE: Teaching Assistant

DEPARTMENT: Early Care and Education

FLSA STATUS: Non- Exempt

PAY GRADE: 6- starting at $18.49

REPORTS TO: Instructional Leader

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The purpose of this position is to support the Agency's needs by assisting Teaching Team in all daily classroom routines and procedures to provide developmentally appropriate care and education for children in accordance with established principles of early childhood education including but not limited to, The Office of Early Childhood Daycare Regulations, National Association for the Education of Young Children Accreditation Standards, and Child and Adult Care Food Program.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILIITIES

The list of essential functions, as outlined herein, is intended to be representative of the tasks performed within this classification. It is not necessarily descriptive of any one position in the class. The omission of an essential function does not preclude management from assigning duties not listed herein if such functions are a logical assignment to the position.

Supervision of Children:

• Ensure children are supervised by sight and sound at all times as stated in CRT Supervision Handbook. Ensure all others working in classroom are in compliance.
• Comply with and enforce CRT Supervision Policy and Procedures of children by ensuring, including but not limited to, the use of supervision cards and appropriate name to face counts, and maintaining appropriate teacher to child ratios and group sizes.
• Attend team meetings, CRT trainings, Planning and Placement Team (PPT) meetings, Parent Teacher Conferences, and other meetings as required or mandated.
• Complete required paperwork in a timely manner in accordance with CRT policy and procedure. Such paperwork shall include but not be limited to, accident/incident reports, individual emergency contact information for each child, first aid kit checklists, daily safety checklists, daily health checklist, playground checklist, attendance, meal counts, etc.
• Responsible for overall safety, sanitation, and cleanliness of classroom at all times.
• Maintain that both classroom and playground are well organized and free from clutter at all times.
• Ensure safe working environment and follow all agency safety procedures and reporting.
• Perform and complete all other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Educational program:

• Provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum and daily plan in accordance with assigned CRT curriculum, policies and procedures.
• Comply with deadlines established for completion of daily and weekly tasks as assigned by the Instructional Leader and all other content areas as assigned.
• Support to ensure the Learning Experience Plan (LEP) and all accompanying documentation is completed weekly and given to the Instructional Leader for review as required, by specific timelines.
• Collaborate with Instructional Leader to help understand identified Special Needs children, to individualize each child's needs and goals as needed.
• Establish behavioral strategies in conjunction with Instructional Leader for any child with behavioral challenges that impede his/her learning experience.
• Implement Individual Education Plans (IEP) as needed.

Working with families and children:

• Communicate professionally and effectively with all families and children daily.
• Communicate with and respond to individual children during activities and routine by communicating with children at eye level, using appropriate tone of voice and modeling and questioning to extending children's thinking and language.
• Use and model positive guidance techniques with all children in accordance with CRT policies and procedures and Department of Children and Families Abuse and Neglect Training.
• Ensure mandated reporter guidelines are followed at all times.
• Recognize and celebrate cultural diversity into daily routines and engage families to contribute to and participate in multicultural activities regularly.
• Establish and maintain professional interactions and relationship of respect, mutual trust, and collaboration with families and all staff.

Child and Adult Food Care Program:

• Ensure compliance to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) as outlined by program standards. Ensure all others working in the classroom are in compliance.
• Ensure CACFP guidelines are met for all meals including but not limited to, point of service meal counts, meal portions, and family meal style service.

ADDITIONAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Perform all other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Education: Must have and maintain a Child Development Associate (CDA) or 12 ECE credits to meet the minimum educational requirement. Minimum CT Charts a Course Ladder Level of 6 required. Those who do not meet the minimum educational requirement must be enrolled in CRT's CDA credentialing offered training. Continued employment will be contingent upon meeting training expectations and obtaining CDA within 1 year of hire.

Experience: Two years classroom experience working with children in a state-licensed program preferred.

Certifications: First Aid for Children, CPR Certification, and Administration of Medication preferred.

Demonstrated Skills: Ability to work on a team, share and implement ideas and activities for intervention with children and families, possess good oral and written skills, have attention to detail and accuracy in data collection.

Age requirement: Candidate must be a minimum 18 years of age.

ADA COMPLIANCE

Physical Ability: Tasks involve the ability to exert moderate extended physical effort in light work, typically involving some combination of sitting on floor, standing for extended periods of time, stooping, kneeling, crouching and crawling, and which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of moderate weight (> 55 pounds).

Sensory Requirements: All tasks require visual and auditory perception and discrimination. All tasks require oral communications ability.

Environmental Factors: Tasks are regularly performed with exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, odors, wetness, humidity, rain, fumes, temperature and noise extremes, machinery, vibrations, electric currents, traffic hazards, animals/wildlife, toxic/poisonous agents, violence, disease, or pathogenic substances.