Teacher Assistant

Community Action Agency of Siouxland Position Description

Bilingual candidates encouraged to apply.

Job Title: Teacher Assistant I, II

Program: Head Start FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Reports To: Classroom Teacher Salary Level: 2, 5

Summary:

The Community Action Agency of Siouxland is committed to providing high quality services to families and ensuring school readiness for all enrolled children. This position must assist in providing high-quality early education and child development services for enrolled children, including for children with disabilities, that promote children’s cognitive, social, and emotional growth for later success in school. Individuals must serve as an effective role model and possess high quality standards. Children’s health and safety must be of high priority.

Supervisory Responsibilities: No

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Adhere to Agency Personnel Policies, Head Start policies and procedures, Performance Standards and State Licensing Standards.
• Provide responsive care, effective teaching, and an organized learning environment that promotes healthy development and children’s skill growth.
• Implement nurturing and responsive practices, interactions, and environments that foster trust and emotional security; are communication and language rich; promote critical thinking and problem-solving; provide supportive feedback for learning; motivate continued effort; and support all children’s engagement in learning experiences and activities.
• Assist in the implementation of a developmentally appropriate, research based early childhood curricula as chosen by the program.
• Assist with utilizing the curricula to implement a well-organized learning environment with developmentally appropriate schedules, lesson plans, and indoor and outdoor learning experiences that provide adequate opportunities for choice, play, exploration, and experimentation among a variety of learning, sensory, and motor experiences.
• Assist with implementing developmentally appropriate learning experiences that help children progress in language, literacy, social and emotional development, math, science, social studies, creative arts, and physical development.
• Exhibit classroom control while promoting the use of positive behavior interventions and supports and abiding by the program’s Behavior Management Policy.
• Assist with conducting program mandated standardized and structured assessments for each child that provide ongoing information to evaluate the child’s developmental level and progress towards outcomes.
• Regularly utilize information from assessments and teacher observations to determine children’s strengths and needs to support individualized learning; integrate child assessment data in individual and group planning.
• Be a high quality language model. For dual language learners, recognize bilingualism and biliteracy as strengths and implement research-based teaching practices that support their development, including teaching practices that focus on both English language acquisition and the continued development of the home language.
• Assist with providing age-appropriate equipment, materials, supplies and physical space for indoor and outdoor learning environments, including necessary accommodations for children with disabilities. Materials must be changed intentionally and periodically to support children’s interests, development, and learning.
• Support the program’s approach to accommodate children’s need to nap or rest, by providing a regular time every day where children are encouraged but not forced to nap or rest; providing quiet learning activities for those not needing to nap or rest.
• Participate in family style snack and mealtimes that are structured and used as learning opportunities that foster communication and conversations that contribute to a child’s learning, development, and socialization; never using food as reward or punishment, or forcing a child to finish their food.
• Assist with utilizing transitions between activities and routines, such as hand washing, as opportunities for strengthening development, learning, and skill growth.
• Recognize physical activity as important to learning and integrate intentional movement and physical activity into curricular activities and daily routines in ways that support health and learning; never using physical activity as a reward or punishment.
• Ensure continuous classroom improvement by being an active participant in the coaching model, accepting constructive feedback, implementing action plans, working towards goals, and promoting positive change.
• In collaboration with the teacher and each child’s parent, assist in the completion of a developmental screening to identify concerns regarding a child’s developmental, behavioral, motor, language, social, cognitive, and emotional skills within 45 calendar days of when the child first attends the program.
• Recognize parents’ roles as children’s lifelong educators and provide opportunities for parents and family members to be involved in the program’s education services.
• Communicate openly and regularly with parents to ensure they are well-informed about their child’s routines, activities, and behavior, assuring the confidentiality of communication.
• Assist with parent teacher conferences which are completed no less than two times per program year, to enhance the parent’s knowledge and understanding of the child’s education and developmental progress and activities used in the program.
• Work with the classroom teacher to provide parents and family members opportunities to volunteer in the classroom.
• Assist with at least two home visits per program year for each family, including one before the program year begins, if feasible, to engage the parents in the child’s learning and development.
• Collaborate with the classroom teacher and the parents of enrolled children to implement strategies and activities that will help parents advocate for and promote successful transitions to kindergarten for their children.
• Work to maintain a healthy classroom by conducting daily health checks as children arrive, promoting good hygiene, dealing with communicable diseases, completing daily cleaning responsibilities and administering medication if needed.
• Ensure the appropriate supervision and safety of children by abiding by the program’s Supervision Plan & Emergency Procedures, preventing & attending to injuries, and reporting suspected cases of child abuse.
• Assist with completing and submitting paperwork when due, including fire/tornado drills, safety checklists, monthly parent/child readiness activities, in-kind forms, supply requests, classroom attendance, lesson plans, timesheets, center classroom team meetings and other forms as needed.
• Contribute to and encourage the participatory management style, which lends itself to staff involvement in program planning and accomplishment.
• Foster a positive work environment that promotes teamwork and harmony.
• Have capability to lift 40 pounds of weight.
• Maintain regular and reliable attendance

Other duties as assigned. Duties described are intended to show the general nature and level of work being performed. This is not to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. 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.

Have a combination of education and experience to enhance ability to work with young children, high level of interest and concern for the young child, good communication skills to insure effective interaction with parents and children. Must have access to vehicle and proof of valid insurance and driver’s license. Favorable results of a Motor Vehicle Record check and Background check are required. Must pass pre-employment physical exam. Will need to acquire certification in CPR, Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting, and First Aid within 90 days employment. Must have philosophical agreement with agency's mission, goals, and objectives.

Education and/or Experience:

Assistant I (Level 2) - Possess a high school diploma or equivalent. Must acquire a Child Development Associate credential (CDA) within two years of hire or be enrolled in a program leading to an associate or bachelor’s degree.

Assistant II (Level 5) - Possess a high school diploma or equivalent and a Child Development Associate Credential or have an Associate or Bachelor degree in any area. Early childhood preferred.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $15.94 - $16.86 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $16 - $17