Early Head Start Teacher

Early Head Start Teacher

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:Responsible for a classroom of children 0-3 years of age. Work collaboratively with his/her partner Teacher to ensure the successful operation of a classroom with a total of 6-8 children. Along with families and colleagues, work to achieve meaningful progress of each child along his/her own unique developmental path and toward school readiness goals.

TASKS AND ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Use knowledge of the principles of child growth and development to work with children and communicate with families, internal and external stakeholders.

2. Implement child-centered daily routine, curriculum and learning environment that encourages the development of age-appropriate positive social interactions, active exploration/ engagement in learning, and self-motivation (curiosity) to promote development in all domains for children of all abilities.

3. Understand the development of self-regulation in infants-toddlers as well as age-appropriate expectations for pro-social behaviors. Creates a nurturing, responsive environment that promotes positive and development of social and emotional competencies. Observes closely and with understanding to determine possible causes of challenging behavior, implementing preventive measures, teaching children new social and communication skills in partnership with families.

4. Use observations of children and anecdotal notes to document children’s progress and individualize curriculum

5. Creates partnerships with families to establish positive interaction patterns in program, school, and home.

6. Will assist in ensuring that the written curriculum includes:

• Goals for children’s development and learning;
• The experiences through which children will achieve these goals;
• What staff and parents can do to help children achieve these goals;
• The materials needed to support the implementation of the curriculum towards achieving the stated goals;
• Support the social and emotional development of children.
• Responsible for collaborating with a partner Teacher in the preparation of daily lesson plans. Post them for parents, volunteers and visitors in the classroom.

7. Will assist in the development of individual plans for each child including goal-setting based on identified needs and prescriptions for objectives and activities to meet established child outcomes.

8. Planning and implementing learning experiences that advance the cognitive and physical development of children, including progress toward school readiness goals by developing their language (understanding and increasingly complex use, expanding vocabulary) emergent literacy, print and numeracy awareness, their appreciation of books and their problem-solving abilities.

9. Follow program curriculum providing ample opportunities for natural play and hands on experiences that reflect the learning styles of individual children in the group.

10. Implement developmentally and linguistically appropriate experiences appropriate to age, language and culture of children served.

11. Establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment.

12. Provide positive guidance and discipline supporting children as they acquire readiness skills for kindergarten and beyond.

13. Implement daily lesson plans in response to children’s needs and interests, incorporating observations, anecdotal record keeping, knowledge of early childhood development, and key experiences.

15. Implement Individual Family Services Plans (IFSPs) for children with disabilities.

16. Provide children with a consistent classroom routine that is responsive to individual infants' and toddlers’ needs.

17. Provide supervision and ensure the safety and security of children at all times in accordance with Early Head Start and day care licensing requirements.

EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED:

● Infant/Toddler CDA –OR- AA/BA in Early Childhood Education or related field with at least 120 training hours in Infant/Toddler content, plus at least 480 hours of experience working with infants and toddlers

● Physical exam and background checks are required for this position.

● Travel required locally or long-distance up to 10% of the time for work-related meetings and functions.

● Must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

● Ability to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.

● Ability to communicate effectively, verbally, and in writing.

● Demonstrated computer literacy skills, using MS Office applications and other basic data systems, including internet navigation.

● Must be honest, dependable, and able to meet deadlines.

● Self-motivated and able to work independently.

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Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.