MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE High school diploma or General Education Degree (GED) Pre-School Certificate or CDA. Enrollment in an Early Childhood Degree Program. 30 credits in Early Childhood Education. Two years of experience in early childhood programs. CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATION The ability to complete an Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education within 3 years of hire. Successful registration with the Office of Child Care's Central Background Registry. Candidate must pass pre-employment physical. First Aid/CPR certification and Food Handler's Card, or ability to obtain. Driver qualifications not required for this position. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES Basic proficiencies in computers, including MS Office (Outlook, Word, Teams, Excel) are required. Ability to work efficiently to accomplish tasks, and highly organized for follow-up to meet schedules and deadlines. COMMUNICATION SKILLS Bilingual English-Spanish capabilities may be required depending on the needs of the program. To qualify as bilingual, staff must possess demonstrated abilities to speak, write, and read fluently in Spanish and English and pass a bilingual test. *Bilingual staff may receive a pay differential based on HS Program language needs. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Classroom (50%) Records children's daily attendance, working with site team to determine the cause of absences. Provides for the development of children's cognitive, physical, social-emotional and language skills through implementation of curriculum, lesson planning and individualization. Conducts and records child observations to utilize in setting goals, individualizing and creating assessments. Creates lesson plans utilizing a variety of curriculum to address children's individual goals, taking into account each child's characteristics, strengths, and needs. Participates in family style meals, taking USDA required meal counts, and leading conversation at the table to enhance the social and emotional growth of children. Office/Paperwork (35%) Effectively uses the ChildPlus and Teaching Strategies Gold databases to enter or obtain information. Completes home visits and parent-teacher conferences as required. Completes Progress Checkpoints for child assessment, using information obtained from child observations. Shares information with program administration and parents. Writes an article for parent newsletter each month. Uses office time efficiently to make and receive parent phone calls, order supplies, preparing children's work to go home, preparing materials for activities, and other office work as needed. Staff Development/Meetings (10%) Attends a variety of classes, workshops, seminars, pre-service training and other Head Start Teacher trainings, and keeps current on developments in early childhood education, and developmentally appropriate practices. Attends a variety of meetings including individual reflection meetings, region meetings, site team meetings, debriefing after observations, and other meetings as necessary. Attends IFSP meetings or Triage meetings when necessary to support children with social-emotional or developmental concerns. Parent Involvement (5%) Supports parents as children transition to and from the program through a variety of transition activities. Provides regular opportunities for parent participation by training parents who volunteer in the classroom. Participates in planning for and implementing monthly parent meetings. PHYSICAL DEMANDS Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Required to frequently reach with hands and arms; regularly required to climb or balance; occasionally required to stand; walk; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Regularly lift and/or move 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
