Job Purpose:

To foster healthy development of children, by supervising and coordinating daily classroom activities, and providing a safe and nurturing environment for young children to learn and grow.  Plan and coordinate daily activities and hands-on learning environment.          

Essential Job Duties:

Supervision of Children: 

   • Provide direct supervision of young children, knowing needs and whereabouts.

          o Moves throughout classroom and around playground to effectively interact with

             children.

          o Interacts with children in a group and on a one-on-one basis both verbally and

             physically to provide a safe and supportive environment.

          o Communicates with children by getting down on a child’s level.

          o Provides effective and interactive supervision on field trips and in outdoor activities.

          o Establishes and maintains a daily schedule of activities/care times.

Education:  

   • Provide teaching activities that facilitate the growth and learning of children.

          o Assists in preparing effective monthly lesson plans and submitting them to Director

             for review in a timely manner.

          o Assists in preparing, developing and facilitating various hands-on activities in a

             manner that utilizes a variety of teaching methods and techniques such as hands-on

             discussions and supervised role-playing.

          o Provides activities that promote self-help and independence in children.

          o Assists in observations and documents (at least monthly) individual developmental

             stages and growth.

          o Uses meal times as an opportunity to teach self-help behaviors, including proper

             table manners, etc.

          o Creates individual service plans goals based on a child’s developmental level and

             monitors and documents progress.

          o Demonstrates in daily activities the belief that people have the ability to grow and

             change.

Parent Interaction:   

   • Effectively communicate with parents (in verbal and written form) information regarding the

     program that is critical to the care of their child.

          o Provides parents with daily written and verbal information about children.

          o Communicates issues of concern and strengths to parents. Discusses goals for skill

             development.

          o Encourages parents to discuss concerns and provides input regarding their child’s

             care.

          o Assists in facilitation of parent-teacher conferences.

          o Serves as a resource for further intervention (e.g. referral sources).

          o Communicates specific parent requests and special instructions to Assistant

             Director and Director.

Professionalism: 

   • Act in a professional manner consistent with job description.

          o Reports to shift, meetings and trainings on time.

          o Follows agency policy and procedures.

          o Represents the childcare program and the agency to the public in a positive manner

             at all times.

          o Promotes self-growth by participating in at least 12 hours of childcare in-service per

             year.

          o Attends and constructively participates in agency-wide mandatory staff meetings,

             quarterly childcare

             meetings and all other required meetings.

          o Promotes professional growth by being involved in professional organizations (i.e.

             NAEYC).

          o Maintains appropriate confidentiality boundaries at all times.

          o Follows Child Saving Institute policies and procedures.

          o Reports child abuse and neglect according to policies and procedures.

Environment/Structure:

   • Implement schedules and structured activities for safety of children and effective

     management of care.   

         o Conducts housekeeping/sanitization activities consistent with agency

            expectations/schedules.

         o Assists with a variety of maintenance activities.

Community Awareness & Personnel Capabilities:

   • Perform direct care skills, including recognition of cultural and socio-economic factors as

     well as appropriate standards for client care.

         o Develops and maintains respectful partnerships with children and parents to help

            them gain the skills and confidence to address any issues and problems they face.

         o Works collaboratively with other personnel and/or service providers or

            professionals.                   

         o Establishes and maintains limits and the helping role of practitioner and intervenes

            appropriately to address the needs of the persons served or other family

            members.         

         o Maintains a helping role and intervenes appropriately to meet service goals.

         o Demonstrates a commitment to empowering others to solve their own

            problems.          

         o Demonstrates the belief in a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a

            person.        

         o Demonstrates a conviction that people have a capacity to grow and change.     

         o Interacts respectfully with parents and children.                   

         o Has a well organized classroom.                             

         o Demonstrates an understanding of the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of

            the service population including factors such as race, gender and ethnicity.

Other Duties:

   • Completes other responsibilities as assigned by supervisor.

   • Completes training necessary to perform position and necessary for  professional growth

   • Facilitates a team atmosphere by working in partnership with other agency staff and

      promote a positive working environment.

   • Represents the agency and programs in a positive manner to clients, community

     organizations and the public, in general.

Job Requirements:

   • Associates in Early Childhood Education or enrolled in such a program with a minimum of

      HS (or equivalent) or CDA.

   • Ability to respond and be sensitive to cultural differences in the agency’s client

     population.

   • Knowledge of the following:

          o Developmental stages;

          o Effective childcare discipline management;

          o Appropriate parent and child communication;

          o Effective classroom environments specific to ages/stages;

          o Standards for high quality care, and licensing and accreditation requirements; and

          o Basic first aid and CPR or ability to attain certificates in those areas.

   • Personal characteristics

          o Patience;

          o Nurturing;

          o Flexibility;

          o Multi-task/strong organizational skills;

          o Ability to interact with clients with sensitivity and responsiveness to cultural and socioeconomic

              characterizes in the service population;

          o Commitment to empowering others to solve their own problems;

          o Valuing a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a person;

          o A conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change;

          o The ability to establish a respectful relationship with persons served to help them

             gain skills and confidence;

          o The ability to work collaboratively with other personnel and/or service providers or

             professionals; and

          o The capacity to maintain a helping role and to intervene appropriately to meet service

             goals; and set appropriate limits.

   • Position Characteristics

          o Analytical Complexity – Requires minimal analytical skills.  Need to be able to

             analyze individual children and make recommendations about care.

          o Autonomy/Accountability – Is accountable for own work and for making educated

             decisions reflecting the children.  Works as a team with lead teacher in classroom.

          o Impact of position – Understanding of significant impact on children and parents

             served within the childcare classroom.  Also has impact on the level of service and

             quality the classroom offers.

   • Communication/Language

          o Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules and operation, safety

             and program manuals.  Ability to write daily reports and lesson plans.  Ability to

             speak effectively with parents and other employees of the agency.  Ability to

             establish effective relationships with children, parents and co-workers.

   • Mathematical Skills

          o Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole

             numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

   • Reasoning Ability

          o Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in

             situations where only limited standardization exists.  Ability to interpret a variety of

             instructions furnished in written, oral, and schedule form.

Environment/Physical Requirements:

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.  Work conditions are those typically encountered on the job.    Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

   • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; use

      hands to handle, or feel objects, tools, or reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear.

   • The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.

   • Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral

      vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

   • Position often involves running after children, reaching, bending, stooping, etc.

   • While performing the duties of this job, the employee frequently works in outside weather

     condition.  The noise level in the center is usually noisy due to the number of children.

   • Employee may be required to change diapers, etc. and may encounter body fluids and

     must practice Universal Precaustions.