Job Details

A.  GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE POSITION:

This position works as a part of a teaching team to assist the Teacher in the preparation, planning, and execution of the daily operations of the Head Start classroom, including building relationships with families, taking on the Teacher role during teacher planning, and occasional and/or extended absences and implementing the Head Start Performance Standards.  This position works with families to promote parent involvement in the program. The Associate Teacher may be assigned additional duties based on program needs and areas of expertise for developing the program. This position works along with the Teacher to attain the goals of the program. The position may be reassigned to various classrooms/centers as deemed necessary for program operations.  

B.  DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION:

The duties of the position are described in the major functional areas listed below.  Additional duties may be assigned.

Professional Development: 

• Attends all required training and workshops, including online training and cluster meetings, as required by Head Start and Michigan State Licensing.
• Maintains Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) and works toward obtaining an Associate’s degree.
• Remains up-to-date on information that pertains to the needs of the children in the program, including Head Start Performance Standards, childcare licensing regulations, and other applicable regulations and practices.
• Keeps up to date on Developmentally Appropriate Practice.
• Maintains knowledge of the regulations associated with the prevention of occupational disease and injury, including the exercise of universal precautions and the prevention of contamination.   
• Able to work with children at all levels of development.  
• Maintains professional certification that the employee was hired with or obtained to meet Head Start and ISD standards.
• Successfully completes and maintains basic First Aid, CPR certification, and required licensing training.
• Actively participates in opportunities for continuous professional development.

Preschool Program Implementation:

• Assists in all aspects of the classroom and other service areas of the program.
• Participates in recruitment activities and transportation services.
• Assumes the role of Teacher when required, implementing all aspects of the program.
• Assists with the delivery of Head Start services as defined by Head Start Performance Standards and Saginaw ISD Head Start Operational Procedures. 
• Assists in establishing a safe, healthy, stimulating, and developmentally appropriate learning environment for children between the ages of birth to five years old with all abilities.
• Ensure that learning environments are safe from hazards, free from clutter, and allow for visibility of children by utilizing the Daily Health and Safety Checklist.
• Fosters self-esteem, self-direction, self-control, and school readiness skills with preschool children by using positive methods and modeling and participating in curriculum development and implementation.
• Supports social and emotional development and provides positive guidance and discipline, including the ability to support and guide students with challenging behaviors using developmentally appropriate practices. 
• Complies with program curriculum, curriculum overlays, and supplemental curriculum, State of Michigan Licensing for child care centers, and the Head Start Program Performance Standards.
• Assists in screening, observing, and assessing children’s development on a regular basis, analyzing data, and making plans or referrals specific to the needs of the individual child.
• Participates in recruitment activities.
• Supervises and eats nutritionally prepared meals with the children as a curriculum activity to model good nutrition, proper social skills, and language stimulation in a family-style environment as listed in the Head Start Performance Standards.
• Assists with identifying and arranging for parents to volunteer in the classroom.
• Assists the Teacher with collecting monthly in-kind records from parents and community members participating in the program.
• Assists with kitchen duties as necessary, i.e., warming up food, dishing food into bowls, taking food temperatures, and cleaning the refrigerator and warmer. 
• Assists with bus aide duties as necessary, i.e., riding the bus, completing bus paperwork, and buckling children in seats on the bus.
• Staff may be asked to cover other classrooms to meet licensing ratios.

C.  KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of the purpose of the Head Start/Early Head Start program.
• Maintains strict confidentiality with respect to Head Start children, families, and staff in accordance with established policies, procedures, and other legal requirements, i.e., FERPA and HIPAA. 
• Ability to use Active Supervision strategies to keep children safe: Set up the environment to be able to see children around the room at all times, position yourself to see and hear all children in your care, Count and use Face to Name while transitioning in and out of the classroom, listen for potential danger, anticipate children’s behavior to predict what the child will do next, and engage and redirect to assist the children and help solve problems.
• Ability to work with children at all levels of development and to relate sensitively with children.
• Knowledge of basic food preparation, serving, and sanitation procedures.
• Ability to follow directions and take initiative.  
• General knowledge and skills in the field of early childhood development.
• General computer knowledge of Word and Excel and ability to access e-mail and Teaching Strategies Gold and/or willingness to learn programs as needed.
• Knowledge of state and federal regulations pertaining to child abuse and neglect reporting and child care licensing requirements.
• Ability to enhance the parent-child relationship and support the parents’ role as the first and life-long educators of their children and to engage in mutually respectful goal-oriented partnerships with families to promote parent-child relationships and family well-being.
• Ability to respect and respond appropriately to the culture, language, values, and family structures of each family served.
• Ability to act as a member of a comprehensive services team so that family service activities are coordinated and integrated throughout the program.