JOB DESCRIPTION
(On-site position)
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Title: Early Head Start Teacher*
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Reports to*: Head Teacher, Master Teacher and/or Education Specialist
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FLSA: Exempt*
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Position Summary*:
The Early Head Start Teacher serves as the lead person in their classroom and is responsible for ensuring that the infant/toddler classroom runs smoothly on a daily basis. In the absence of, or inability to contact the Master Teacher/ Education Specialist, Head Teacher, the Early Head Start Teacher must take the initiative to resolve any emergency situations that arise. If the master teacher or/ education specialists are not available, the Early Head Start Teacher must contact the Director of the site
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Job Responsibilities:*
- Learns and adheres to the philosophy and mandates of Head Start and Early Head Start as outlined in the Performance Standards, licensing requirements, and the Policies and Procedures of Greater Bergen Community Action
- Understands how infant/toddlers develop and learn in a variety of school, family and community contexts and provides opportunities that support their intellectual, social, emotional and physical development
- Ensures children receive as much individual attention as possible and must supervise all children all the time by using your eyes and ears
- Creates a learning community in which individual differences are respected
- Prepares classroom prior to the infant/toddlers arriving daily
- Designs developmentally appropriate learning experiences making subject matter accessible and meaningful to all infants and toddlers
- Prepares weekly lesson plans one week in advance and posts lesson plans in designated area that is easily visible to all pertinent individuals
- Completes a Daily Report for each parent
- Observes and document daily each infant/toddler’s development in the Creative Curriculum social and emotional, physical, cognitive and language objectives
- Individualizes each infant/toddler’s feeding plan
- Individualizes each infant/toddler’s sleeping plan
- Must plan for and participate in home visits, parent/teacher conferences, and back to school events. These activities will be scheduled during the day and evening
- Assumes responsibilities for all mandated classroom documentation for the education component
- Keeps the classroom neat and assures that all equipment and materials are in good condition
- Maintains the safely and bodily cleanliness of each infant and toddler
- Participates and conduct the Early Screening Inventory and Ages & Stages and/or any other assessment tool required by the agency and/or any other regulatory body.
- Keep track and complete for each child the necessary screening documentation according to the child age. Submit to the Education supervisor
- Attends in-service and pre-service training workshops as required and/or requested
- Conducts parent conferences and makes home visits as required
- Plan and/or participate in class trips or any other type of event that may take the teacher and/or students out of the typical classroom environment
- Shares information with parent/guardian and plans, as a team, strategies for meeting the individual needs of each infant and toddler
- Shares information as needed with Family Worker concerning individual needs and/or concerns regarding each child
- Meets with supervisors to discuss progress, classroom observations, program planning, professional development, and plans for specific training as needed
- Submit weekly anecdotal records in the assessment tool online used by the program on each child and makes written evaluations of each child’s development
- Keeps daily attendance records and meal count records on each infant and toddler
- Responsible for ensuring the “Daily Drop off/Pick up Log “is completed
- Alerts Family Worker and follows up on each infant/toddler in the event of a prolonged absence
- Participates as active, responsible members of the professional community, engaging in a wide range of reflective practices, pursuing opportunities to grow professionally and establishing collegial relationships to enhance the teaching and learning process
- Knows and understands how education research and other methods of inquiry can be used as a means for continuous learning, self-assessment and development
- Participates in the design and implementation of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) if requested
- Learns through professional education organizations
- Makes the entire school a productive learning climate through participation in collegial activities
- Establishes and maintains a harmonious relationship with supervisor, fellow staff and parents
- Attends all meetings as specified by the Education supervisor and/or requested by administration
- Responsible for the evaluation of the education component of the program at the ends of the school year
- Is punctual and adheres to the work schedule assigned
- Assists with classroom coverage (Head Start or Early Head Start programs) at own site and/or any other site upon request of supervisor and/or administration
- Communicates clearly and concisely in English, both orally and written
- Operates a computer and other standard office equipment to meet the demands of the position
- Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with management, clients, representative of community organizations and other staff members
- Assumes and performs any other additional assignment as directed by the Education Supervisor and/or administration in order to ensure the effective servicing the clients in our care
- Implement to fidelity the curriculum assigned to the program in which working
- Education Staff is required to participate in the coaching program and all required professional development
- Employee may be videotaped as part of professional development programs
- Understand and implement the School Readiness Plan and goals for classroom implementation.
- “Responsible for the overall safety of each child in the GBCA HS/EHS program.
- According to the New Jersey mandated reporting guidelines, any person having reasonable cause to believe that a child has been subjected to abuse or acts of abuse should immediately report this information to the State Central Registry (SCR). If the child is in immediate danger, call 911 as well as 1-877 NJ ABUSE (1-877-652-2873).”
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Knowledge of:*
- Principles and practices involving the implementation of a developmentally appropriate curriculum
- Applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to preschools and child care
- Cultural and socio-economic issues relevant to providing appropriate services to special population groups
- How student learning is influenced by individual experiences, talents and prior learning, as well as language, culture, family and community values
- Characteristics, uses, advantages, and limitations of different types of assessments (criterion-references and norm-references instruments, traditional standardized and performance-based tests, observation systems and assessments of student work) for evaluating how students learn, what they know and are able to do, and what kinds of experiences will support their further growth and development
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Qualifications:*
- Must have Infant/Toddler CDA credential
- Valid NJ driver’s license preferred, local travel is required
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite or similar computer software.
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Physical & Mental Demands:*
The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
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Physical Demands:*
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand or bend; talk or hear, both in person and by telephone, use hands to find, handle, feel or operate standard office equipment; reach with hands and arms to lift up to fifty pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. The employee will also work outdoors with children during some part of the day during each season.
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Mental Demands:*
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use written and oral communication skill; read and interpret date, information, and documents; analyze and solve problems; observe and interpret situations; perform work on multiple, concurrent tasks and constant interruptions; and interact with management, staff, clients, state representatives, and other encountered in the course of work.
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Work Environment:*
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The employee may have occasional contact with abusive and/or physically violent clients. If the employee works in a typical office condition, the noise level is generally quiet. If the employee works in a classroom setting, the noise level, at times, will be above a standard noise level.
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AAP/EEO Statement*
Greater Bergen Community Action, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $33,300.00 - $43,800.00 per year
