Position Details

Has the responsibility for assisting the teacher in planning and implementing developmentally appropriate early childhood care and education program for an assigned group of children ages 6 weeks to three years in accordance with the Early Head Start Performance Standards. Builds partnerships with families and assists in the development and implementation of an individualized education program for each child, including positive care giving routines and activities to promote social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth.

Please direct all inquires to Pillars Human Resources Department at jobs@pillarscommunity.org.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

An Associate of Arts or Associate of Applied Science, in Early Childhood Education with a minimum of eighteen (18) semester hours in courses related directly to childcare and or child development from birth to age six, or CDA (Child Development Associate) credential plus 12 credit hours of courses related to child development, or 30 semester hours of credit from an accredited college with a minimum of 18 credit hours of courses related to child development, and preferably with a minimum of two years experience as a teacher assistant or teacher aide in an early childhood program. 

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Must posses the ability to read, analyze and interpret professional journals, documents, and technical procedures, safety rules, operating maintenance instructions and or governmental regulations. Have the ability to write reports, and business correspondence. Must have the ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from the parents, community leaders, funding source, association managers, clients and the general public.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Must posses the ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in tall units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

REASONING ABILITY

Must possess the ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, schedule or diagram form. Must have the ability to solve practical problems involving a variety of concrete variables in standardized situations.

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 the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, teacher assistant is regularly required to use hands to fingers, handle or feel, reach with both hands and arms, talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk and sit. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, taste or smell.

Physical duties include reading, writing, typing on a keyboard and utilizing telephone, fax, talking to staff, children and parents. The employee must regularly lift and or move up to 15 pounds. The teacher assistant must be able to lift and or move up to 25 pounds in the course of their duties in the childcare facility (i.e., rearranging classroom furniture, storing equipment, lifting small children). Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception and ability to adjust and focus. Computer literacy includes the ability to complete reports.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

While performing the duties of a teacher assistant, the employee is regularly participating in vigorous activities with physically active young children and or youth, indoors and outdoors as well, may endure outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but can occasionally be noisy (i.e., crying infants and toddlers, and or busy toddlers, noise level in building can also vary depending on activities).

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following and other duties that may be assigned.

 Demonstrates knowledge and competency of basic child development and professional early childhood care and education practices.  Demonstrates an ability to apply developmental theory to practice with children. 

Assists the teacher in writing and implementing individualized learning plans. 

Collaborates with the classroom educational team in implementing program objectives. 

Attends to the cognitive, social, emotional, health, and physical care of the children in an assigned group.  

Provides warm, positive, sensitive, and responsive care for each child. In collaboration with the teacher and the family, establishes positive care giving routines for each child and for the group.  Provides individualized learning opportunities and experiences for children in a respectful manner.  

Attends to the cognitive, social, emotional, physical, safety and health needs of children in an assigned group. Facilitates and reinforces sensorimotor exploration, physical and cognitive development, language/early literacy development, development of a positive self concept, development of self-regulation, and development of positive interaction with others through daily interactions and a range of planned activities with individuals and group. 

Participates in planning field trips and other activities that involve both children and their families.  

Provides children, individually and within small groups, with opportunities for making choices, exploring safely, and problem solving, and when developmentally appropriate for learning to plan, review, and assess their actions. 

Participates in implementing learning plans and in creating a calm, nurturing, and safe environment in which children can learn.  

Provides necessary child guidance and classroom management in a calm, positive, professional, and non-threatening manner, in accordance with agency's policies regarding child discipline.   

Report any instances of suspected child abuse or neglect to the Associate Director of Infant/toddler program and/or teacher and to DCFS, following agency procedures. 

Complies with funding source, state and federal program requirements, these include the following; Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Licensing requirements, Community Memorial Foundation Grant requirements for the Infant and Toddler program, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois Child and Adult Food Care Program and the Head Start Performance Standards.  

Initiates and models for children appropriate social interactions through respectful, appropriate interactions between the classroom teaching team and with parents.  

Interacts in an honest, respectful and professional manner with children. 

Assists in the preparation of reports and individualized plans for each child, ensures that all paper work is legible and submitted in a timely manner.   Assists in completing all other required program records and reports, including daily attendance, meal participation records, parent communication and/or contact forms, etc.   

Assists in maintaining a file on each child. This may include samples of child's work, photographs, observational records, anecdotal reports, screening, assessments, individualized plans, individualized family service plans, and records of the child's developmental growth.  

Attends consultation meetings with program staff to determine treatment and or educational plans or individual family services plans for individual children and/or children with special needs.  

Develops a relationship based on mutual trust with families of children in classroom.  Develop partnerships with parents to establish and meet parenting and child development goals in a manner sensitive to and respectful of cultural differences.  Collaborates with parents in establishing individualized care giving routines and developing and implementing learning plans.   

Communicates effectively with parents daily regarding child behavior, activities, and development. Participates in discussion of the children's progress with parents regularly, including assisting teacher in conducting semiannual parent teacher conferences (these may be scheduled in the early evening or morning hours). 

Assist in interpreting the program to parents and models positive developmentally supportive interaction with children.

Makes home visits to parents as required by program, at least two a year.  

Assures that safety rules are observed and guards against potentially harmful situations in the classroom, on field trips, walks, and or outdoor play areas. 

Assist in proper maintenance of the classroom, shares responsibility with classroom team for cleaning up after classroom activities in order to ensure a safe, healthy and sanitary environment for the children.  

Increases knowledge and skills by participating in a minimum of 15 hours annually in seminars or workshops in child development, early childhood education, health, safety, program policies, procedures, etc. 

Assist in the childcare facility as needed; this means may be temporarily assigned to another classroom.  

Provide guidance on classroom activities and procedures to teacher aides and volunteers and other temporary classroom help, as needed. 

Maintain productive relationships with the community at large.