- Be familiar with and adhere to the Head Start Program Performance Standards, State of Michigan licensing requirements, Education and Children’s Services (ECS) policies and procedures and agency personnel policies and procedures.
- Maintain an open, friendly, professional relationship with all staff and families, to include respect for culture, diversity and ethnicity.
- Assist families as needed to ensure quality, comprehensive services.
- Maintain confidentiality at all times.
- Attend training, planning and regular meetings as needed/required.
- Foster communication among staff and families to promote strong, supportive teams and resolve conflict in an appropriate problem-solving manner.
- Maintain accurate documentation and complete written reports as required by position.
- Be familiar with and adhere to child/elder abuse and neglect reporting laws.
- Encourage volunteerism and maintain accurate documentation of In-Kind contributions.
- Must be able to maintain consistent and regular attendance and punctuality based on designated work schedule. Compliant with Agency’s Mission and Culture Statements.
General Essential Functions:
- Demonstrate general essential knowledge of early childhood growth and development, and DAP expectations of children. Follow classroom guidelines and rules regarding the health and safety of children.
- Follow the ECS service plans for job specific functions Promote a positive social-emotional classroom environment, utilizing the ECS Child Guidance Policy and Procedure. Model appropriate adult child interactions at all times.
- Coordinate and assist in planning, preparing, and caring for the classroom indoor and outdoor environment.
- Maintain classroom inventory, and request replacement/repairs as needed.
- Encourage experimentation, exploration, problem solving, cooperation, socialization, and choice making in the classroom and outdoors.
- Interact with all children with dignity and respect, ask open-ended questions, listen carefully to their answers, be aware of non-verbal cues and understand each child’s individual communication style.
- Share information and assist other classroom staff in maintaining accurate written records; including anecdotal observations and records on each child.
- Responsible for daily evaluation of children’s health status, hygiene, social-emotional and physical well-being.
- Follow a consistent schedule, which includes small and large group experiences, choice time, music and movement, large and small motor activities, skill development, and effective transition between activities.
Position Specific Essential Functions:
- Create and utilize lesson plans, based on Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP), Creative Curriculum and HSPPS, that reflect parental/cultural influences, and promote the children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
- In advance of classroom experiences, prepare materials to support lesson plans and the curriculum.
- Establish daily and weekly goals, which promote individual and group educational plans and include parental involvement.
- Work in collaboration with special needs staff to meet children’s needs as specified on the Individual Education Plan.
- Share information regarding child progress with team members, gather information on home issues and make referrals to Family Workers for emergency family support.
- Assist other classroom staff in providing a variety of ways to ensure frequent and consistent contact with families, such as newsletters, telephone contacts and face to face conversations.
- Conduct required regular home visits and conferences.
- Be responsible for delegating classroom responsibilities to assistants, aides and/or volunteers.
- Assist and support in the orientation and training of aides, assistant teachers and substitutes.
- Attend parent meetings and orientations.
- Maintain accurate written records; including but not limited to assessments, screening instruments, anecdotal observations and portfolios.
- Assess individual child and group needs and make appropriate referrals.
- Provide one-on-one assistance to help individual classroom staff with training needs.
Professional Competence and Job Knowledge:
- Demonstrates good judgment and decision making.
- Participates in training opportunities in addition to required agency training.
- Reliability, dependability and attendance.
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- Work is performed in a classroom setting and school environment where the noise level is moderate to high.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and talk, bend, stoop and kneel, see and hear, use hands and arms to lift up to 60 lbs. and walk around the classroom, outdoor play area and school facilities.
- Be able to stand different temperatures through the winter, spring, summer, and fall to be able to provide supervision and engagement with children in outside play per program temperature guidelines
- The physical demands described 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.
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Education:
Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field with 18 ECE credit hours from an accredited institution or actively pursuing a Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development (Must complete 2 classes per year). Bilingual language speaking is a plus.
Experience:
Experience in supervising and ensuring a safe learning environment for children. Two years’ experience preferred.
Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Ability to apply Early Childhood Development theory in daily classroom activities and adapt to the individual needs of children. Working knowledge of available community resources.
Knowledge of typical behaviors/expectations of three and four year old children.
- Ability to supervise and ensure a safe learning environment for children.
- Ability to adapt curriculum to meet the needs of all children.
- Willingness to continue professional growth through continued education.
- Ability to monitor and guide classroom staff.
- Intermediate level computer skills with experience in the Agency's software programs (Microsoft Windows, Outlook, Word, and Excel) required.
- ChildPlus experience preferred.
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