JOB SUMMARY:

The Assistant Teacher shares responsibility for the overall health and safety of the infants and toddlers/preschoolers in the program. She/he works as a member of the classroom team in forming trusting relationships with the children, and general classroom function. His/Her schedule is developed on a daily/weekly basis to provide classroom coverage as needed.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:  S/he works under the direct supervision of the Center Director.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED: None

QUALIFICATIONS:

The candidate will be at least 18 years of age, have a minimum of a High School diploma or G.E.D., a Child Development Associate Credential (CDA), and 9 credit hours of early childhood college coursework, including 3 hours of child growth and development; Associate’s Degree in ECE preferred. Candidate must have an awareness of developmentally appropriate practice and the ability to relate well to children and adults. All hiring is subject to NH Code Administrative Rules and Head Start Performance Standards and mandates for professional accreditation. Must possess a valid driver license and be able to travel between sites when needed; Must provide proof of current adequate automobile insurance.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

In the SNHS, Inc. Child Development program, a teacher should expect to:
1. Kneel to address children at eye level.
2. Be able to demonstrate motor activities that may include running, hopping, jumping, dancing, and full body motions.
3. Be able to run after a child in peril.
4. Lift children in emergencies.
5. Nurture children who may need consoling in the case of challenging behaviors.
6. Get on the ground with children in case of fire and help them crawl to safety.
7. Sometimes get kicked or hit accidentally during exuberant play.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Maintain and support a safe, healthy learning environment. Develop trusting relationships with the children and families by creating a positive, nurturing environment; encourage the involvement of families and support the development of relationships between children and families.
2. Support the mission and philosophy of the Head Start program. Work in partnership with families without judgment or bias, recognizing and respecting individual differences and backgrounds.
3. Demonstrate the highest standards of personnel integrity, truthfulness, honesty, and fortitude in all our Community Action activities in order to inspire confidence and trust in the Community Action movement.
4. Support daily learning experiences that advance the intellectual and physical development of children, including the readiness of children for school by developing their literacy, phonemic, and print awareness, their understanding and use of language and increasingly complex and varied vocabulary, their appreciation of books, their understanding of early math and science, their problem solving abilities and their approaches to learning.
5. Welcome and support families as the primary educator of their child; provide opportunities for families to participate in the curriculum outside of the classroom (i.e. home-school connections); encourage family engagement in the classroom and program through volunteering, curriculum development and planning.
6. Provide positive guidance for children, following SNHS Child Development Program’s Behavior Management Policy, including PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Support).
7. Attend not less than 15 clock hours of classroom focused professional development; complete not less than 18 hours of professional development annually to meet NH State Licensing Requirements;
8. Work with supervisory staff to develop professional development plans which focus on increasing professional skills and expanding professional knowledge base; to explore outside trainings to meet those professional development plans, if applicable. Participate fully in training opportunities exhibiting professionalism as outlined in program guidelines for professional development.
9. Relate professionally and tactfully with all program participants and co-workers; maintain positive interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work as part of a team. Build partnerships with families within professional boundaries, communicating program policies and procedures.
10. Take part in classroom and center team responsibilities including:

• Participate in family style meals.
• Support completion of required classroom paperwork (i.e., bleach logs, meal tallies and attendance).
• Know the health and nutrition conditions of the children in their care.
• Understand and follow Emergency Preparedness Procedures.
• Coordinate with community members to provide onsite field trips.
• Attend parent meeting as scheduled
• Share in cleaning responsibilities with all of the team members.
• Participate in all Family Engagement initiatives.
• Take part in recruitment efforts as the opportunity presents
• Take part in all center staff meetings & training as scheduled.
• Change diapers when appropriate, maintaining proper hygiene (gloves, hand-washing)
• Maintain current CPR and First Aid Training as assigned.

11. Will maintain professional boundaries with all current, past, and prospective clients, and maintain the confidentiality of clients and staff, in accordance with SNHS policy and procedure.
12. Abide by all SNHS, Inc. safety policies and procedures.
13. Present professional and positive image as a representative SNHS.
14. Responsible for having adequate knowledge of all SNHS programs and will gather sufficient intake information to make referrals to other SNHS programs which are beneficial the client and his/her family.
15. Travel between assigned sites as necessary.
16. Perform other related duties as required.

Southern New Hampshire Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer