Early Childhood Job Center

Position:                                                Infant-Toddler Teacher 
Job Code:                                               Est3
Occupational Grouping:    Education
Reports To:                                          Education Coordinator Or Site Supervisor 
Classification:                                Non-Exempt
Position Type:                                   Full Time/Full Year (12-Months) Or Full Time/Part Year (10.5 Months)
Salary Grade:                                  37    
Hourly Pay Range:                      $27.86 To $32.30

Program Summary
Plaza de la Raza Child Development Services, Inc. (Plaza) is a comprehensive early childhood education program with a focus on school readiness for children zero to five years of age. Developmentally appropriate services are provided for children from low-income families, zero to five years of age. Plaza de la Raza currently serves over 700 children and their families.

Definition
Under general direction, this position facilitates safe and healthy learning environments and activities for young children under three (3) years of age.  Plans and implements developmentally appropriate group and individualized activities and experiences to promote social-emotional, physical, and cognitive growth and development.  Provides activities and experiences to develop school readiness skills aligned with children’s age and stage of development. For parents to increase their Organizes activities, monitors individual student progress, conducts student observations, completes daily education and attendance records, conducts parent teacher conferences, and provides guidance to parents to increase their knowledge, understanding of, skills and experience in their child’s growth and development.

Supervision Received And Exercised

General direction and supervision is provided by the Education Coordinator or Site Supervisor (if one is assigned to the site/center).

Duties And Responsibilities
Classroom Health and Safety
•    Implement a plan to ensure the safety of the children within the group utilizing indoor and outdoor spaces.
•    Inspects facilities, following Plaza de la Raza’s Health and Safety policies and Procedures hazardous conditions and unsafe materials.  Removes hazardous and unsafe materials.
•    Reports needed repairs and/or timely maintenance to the appropriate personnel.
•    Implements classroom activities that build developmentally appropriate healthy habits for babies/toddlers.
•    Provides diaper changes and meets toileting needs of children.
•    Provides constant and consistent supervision and management of children in the classroom to ensure a safe, clean, healthy, and secure environment.
•    Demonstrates knowledge of safety issues in infant/toddler care (such as SIDS)
•    Conducts monthly emergency drills.
•    Maintains a clean and orderly classroom, kept free of garbage and debris.
•    Recognizes and reports accidents, illnesses, and suspected child abuse to appropriate personnel according to Child Care Licensing and Plaza de la Raza guidelines.
•    Ensures compliance with Head Start Performance Standards, federal and state regulations, and Community Care Licensing.

Effective Teaching Practices
•    Ensures effective curriculum implementation.
•    Supports children’s social/emotional development through responsive and nurturing teacher-child interactions.
•    Plans and implements developmentally appropriate curriculum activities that support assessment of individual children in the classroom.
•    Use assessment data to support individualization of curriculum activities for each child.
•    Promotes children’s progress across the standards described in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework:  Ages Birth to Five, and applicable state early learning and development standards, including children with disabilities and dual language learners.
•    Plans and implements daily developmentally appropriate curriculum activities based on children’s interests to support School Readiness in all learning domains.
•    Develops and implements, in partnership with parent’s, the child’s Individual Development Plan (IDP) establishing developmentally appropriate learning goals and activities for home and school that will support achievement of identified goals and aligns with Plaza de la Raza, Performance Standards, and grantee Education GIM.
•    Creates and modifies the daily classroom lesson plans in accordance with established curriculum
Integrates the parents into the educational program by providing a program that focuses on the parent as the child’s primary teacher.
•    Orders classroom supplies and materials as needed for effective service delivery.
•    Conducts parent/teacher conferences and home visits twice a year in accordance with Head Start Performance Standards.
•    Records pertinent information about children in the group to document growth and development.
•    Ensures completion of required paperwork on the children in the classroom such as attendance reports, observations of individual children in the classroom, enrollment records and reports.
•    Maintains record keeping and reporting systems to ensure accurate information, with timely completion and follow-up as indicated in Plaza de la Raza’s policies and procedures, Head Start Performance Standards and state and local regulations.
•    Prepares and maintains mandated records including Child Assessment Records (CAR), Child Observation Records (COR), parent conferences, home visits, emergency cards and contact sheets.
•    Builds relationships with, and participates in, community collaborations and events to enhance Head Start services and recruitment.
•    Participates in a variety of staff and educational development activities.
•    Performs other duties as assigned.

Parent/family/Community Engagement
•    Encourages participation in parent groups at the center and provides opportunities for parents to use their skills and talents in the group.
•    In bilingual settings communicates both verbally and in writing with both parents and the children in their language when possible.

Job Requirements

Knowledge of:    
Must have working knowledge of developmentally appropriate activities and milestones that foster the social-emotional, physical, and cognitive development of children including improving the readiness of children for developing their literacy, phonemic, print awareness, understanding and use of language and increasingly complex and varied vocabulary, appreciation of books, understanding of early math and science, problem-solving skills, and approaches to learning.  Must possess knowledge of early childhood and development program’s working with and communication with low-income families, effective child guidance practices and principals.

Ability to:      
Establish and maintain a healthy learning environment, support the social-emotional, physical, and cognitive growth and development of children, and engage the family to promote parental involvement in their child’s activities in the Head Start program and support the development of relationships between children and their families recognizing that the parent is the primary educator.  Demonstrate respect for individuals and groups  with varied cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, and linguistic identities and backgrounds.