POSITION TITLE: Teacher
Job Classification:
Exempt/Non-Exempt: Non-Exempt
Location: Assigned Center
Reports to: Center Manager
JOB SUMMARY
The Teacher is responsible for the efficient and effective operation of the classroom including, planning, carrying out activities, and maintaining a classroom environment that is nurturing, consistent, supportive and developmentally appropriate; Individualizes learning experiences for children and fully engages parents in the program. Supervises children, classroom volunteers and assistant teachers, makes home visits, and conducts parent-teacher conferences.
EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development
Experience:
Two or more years of classroom experience in an Early Childhood Environment
ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
- Must be physically capable of performing duties of the classification
- Must be able to read, write, and communicate in Standard English
- Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Effective Teaching Practices
- Content Area Domain
- Learning Environments
- Observation, Analysis, Planning, and Documentation
- Communication
- Professionalism/Leadership
- Computer Proficiency - including Word Processing, Spreadsheet, Computer Research and Computer Mailbox
- Theories of child development and early learning
Job Duties and Responsibilities
- Ensure compliance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards and Other Regulations
- Implement program plans, policies and procedures for providing education and early childhood development services
- Put into practice theories and sound principles of early childhood and adult education
- Administer developmental screenings and ongoing assessments of each child
- Include parents in the process of ongoing assessment
- Arrange classroom environment to accommodate a variety of children’s needs and strengths, and to stimulate learning across all domains of development: social, emotional, cognitive, and physical
- Provide an environment of acceptance that supports and respects gender, culture, language, ethnicity, and family composition
- Develop and implement lesson plans that are consistent with the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework and school readiness goals; supports each child’s individual pattern of development and learning; provides for the development of cognitive skills; integrates all educational aspects of the health, nutrition, and mental health services into program activities; helps children develop emotional security in social relationships; encourages children self-awareness; helps each child develop feelings of competence, self-esteem, and positive attitudes toward learning
- Be inclusive of children with disabilities, implementing the child’s individual education plan (IEP)
- Regularly and continually observe and record children’s behavior and progress in order to help in the design of activities that support individual developmental levels
- Incorporate observations and ongoing assessment information into lesson planning
- Provide a balanced daily program of child-initiated and adult-directed activities including individual and small group activities, both indoors and outdoors
- Review and analyze data on child outcomes
- Embrace the role of the parent as the primary educator of the child and promote attachment between parent and child
- Involve parents in transition activities;
- Conduct two (2) home visits and two (2) parent-teacher conferences for each child each program year; encourage parents participation in staff-parent conferences and home visits
- Keep other agency staff informed of child issues
- Maintain child files utilizing computerized child tracking system
- Maintain confidentiality of information
- Assist with recruitment and enrollment of children
- Perform other related duties incidental to the work described in this job description as may be assigned or delegated
