The Infant and Toddler 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 other classroom teacher, makes home visits, and conducts parent-teacher conferences.
QUALIFICATIONS: Minimum education requirement is an Child Development Associate (CDA) credential in Early Childhood Development with a focus on infant and toddler development and be willing to enroll in a degree program in Early Childhood Education or Child Development to be completed within two years of employment; 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; Valid Michigan Driver’s License
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: Effective Teaching Practices; Content Area Domain; Learning Environments; Observations; Analysis; Planning, and Documentation; Theories of child development and early learning; Professionalism/Leadership; and Computer Proficiency.
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; Maintains a positive, calm attitude and a pleasant, soothing voice; Greet infants and their parents with warmth and enthusiasm; Talk, sing, and read to infants frequently; Responds quickly to infants; cries or call of distress; Responds consistently to infants’ needs for food and comfort; Tends to children’s personal hygiene needs; Observes children to detect signs of illness, injury, abuse, neglect, emotional disturbance; Put into practice theories and sound principles of early childhood; Administer developmental screenings and ongoing assessments of each infant and toddler to determine motor, language, social, cognitive perceptual and emotional skills; Include parents in the process of ongoing assessment; Maintains an open, friendly, and cooperative relationship with each child and family; Arrange classroom environment to accommodate a variety of children’s needs and strengths, and to stimulate learning across all domains of development; Provide an environment of acceptance that supports and respects gender, culture, language, ethnicity, and family composition; Administer developmentally screenings and ongoing assessments of each child; 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 lessons plans that are consistent with the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework and school readiness goals; 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; 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; Keep Center Supervisor informed of child issues; Maintain child files utilizing computerized child tracking system; Maintain confidentiality of information; Assist with recruitment and enrollment of children; Conduct two (2) home visits, and two (2) parent-teacher conferences for each child each program year