Early Start Assistant Teacher

General Statement of Duties: The Early Start assistant teacher supports the lead teacher in planning and leading age-appropriate activities that foster children’s learning and development.

Job Responsibilities 

• Assist the lead teacher in creating and implementing age-appropriate activities to foster learning and development.
• Supervise and engage with children in a safe, caring, and supportive manner.
• Provide individual or small group support to children as needed, promoting social, emotional, and cognitive development.
• Maintain a clean and organized classroom environment, ensuring safety and cleanliness standards are met.
• Assist in planning and preparing materials for lessons, activities, and projects.

Performance Expectations 

• Ensure children's well-being by following established health and safety protocols.
• Communicate regularly with parents and caregivers about their child's progress, behavior, and well-being.
• Support children during meals, nap times, and other daily routines.
• Help manage classroom behavior and enforce rules in a positive and constructive manner.
• Attend staff meetings and training sessions to stay current with best practices in early childhood education.

Qualifications

• Education: High school diploma or equivalent; CDA, associate's degree or higher in early childhood education or a related field preferred.
• Experience: Previous working with children in a childcare or educational setting is a plus.
• Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of child development; strong teamwork and communication; nurturing and attentive; must meet licensing and background check requirements; First Aid/CPR preferred.

Core Competencies 

• Communication: Communicates well, delivers presentations, and has good listening skills. Communicates effectively with others regarding various tasks, concerns, and ideas.
• Interpersonal Skills: Builds strong relationships, is flexible/adaptable, works well with others, solicits feedback. Applies effective interpersonal and problem-solving skills when responding to those we serve.
• Job Knowledge: Understands facets of job, aware of duties and responsibilities, and keeps job knowledge current.
• Problem Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems weighing the relevance and accuracy of available information.  Strives to understand contributing factors.  Generates and evaluates alternative solutions.

Required Trainings: 

• Employee Health and Safety Trainings
• CPR & first aid
• Child abuse
• Communicable disease 
• Required OCCRA trainings

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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Frequent standing, walking, bending, kneeling, lifting children (up to 40 pounds), reaching, crouching, crawling, and sometimes carrying heavy supplies, all while maintaining constant supervision and quick responsiveness to children's needs, especially in a fast-paced environment; essentially requiring good mobility and physical stamina throughout the workday.