Head Start Associate Teacher - DARLINGTON COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY

General Description: assists in the instruction of preschool-aged children in activities designed to promote social-emotional, physical, and cognitive growth. Associate Teachers are also responsible for assisting the teacher in the Head Start classroom’s general day-to-day operations.

Essential Job Responsibilities and Performance Indicators:

• Engage with children during all activities throughout the day; provide constant supervision of children during all learning activities indoors and outdoors and ensure a safe environment.
• Assist in planning and conducting activities with Head Start Teacher to meet the individual needs of children in accordance with the daily schedule.
• Guide and facilitate activities with Head Start Teacher, including classroom projects and field trips.
• Provide a safe and developmentally appropriate learning environment; interact with children one-on-one and in small groups.
• Protect the safety of children by implementing active supervision techniques to ensure no child is left alone or unsupervised at any time
• Assist in creating ways to engage parents in their children’s education, including encouraging classroom involvement and home activities.
• Participate in parent-teacher conferences to discuss children’s individual development and progress.
• Eat with and assist children with eating at mealtime to teach social and self-help skills and sound nutritional practices.
• Assist children in healthy personal habits, such as resting, brushing teeth, and toilet habits.
• Assist the Head Start Teacher in record keeping; conduct and document observations, assessments, and screenings.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding children.
• Participate in staff meetings, committees, and training sessions.
• Assist in the mobilization and documentation of matching in-kind activities, goods, and services.
• Will be required to take the lead in the absence of the teacher.
• Act as a bus monitor to ensure appropriate supervision of services and safe transportation occurs for children and adults, i.e., includes boarding and existing, emergency evacuation, securing of safety restraints, and appropriate child and adult behavior.
• Assist bus driver with checking bus at the end of the route to ensure that “no” child is left on the bus
• Maintain required training hours for licensing and job employment within the school employment year.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications / Skills and Experience:

• Associate in ECD/two-year Degree in human relations, or other related fields/ECD Cert./ECD Diploma.
• Minimum of three years experience in working with children, families, and the community preferred.
• Ability to pass background checks and health screening.

 Professional and Ethical Standards:

•  Maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality.
• Make decisions based on support principles, theories, practices, and code of ethics.
• Contributes positively and articulates the success and needs of the program.
• Be knowledgeable about and sensitive to an individual’s values, beliefs, traditions, cultural influences, make-up, and circumstances.
• Be open and honest in expressing concerns, ideas, and information with staff and families.
• Possess organizational and planning skills.
• Demonstrate familiarity with employment policies, performance standards, work plans, and agency goals and objectives.
• Demonstrate commitment to mission, values, and policies in the performance of daily duties.
• Fulfill role as mandated reporter as stated in the Child Abuse & Neglect Policy.
• Attend professional development classes and training (local, state, regional, and national conferences).

 Physical Demands:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk to or hear individuals in person and over the phone.
• The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.
• Perform physical inventory of equipment and/or supplies.
• Lift and move heavy and/or bulky objects and/or children weighing up to 50 lbs.
• Maintain a clean classroom area, which may require the use of a broom, mop, vacuum, cleaning fluids, etc.
• Ability to physically interact with children (walk and run quickly, kneel, or sit on the floor, bend, lift, walk over rough or uneven grounds and exposure to diverse weather conditions)
• Ability to assist in setting up classrooms/office areas which require but are not limited to moving tables, chairs, shelves, etc.)
• Assist with the safety of children through the seeing, hearing, touching, and smelling senses.