Teacher

Job Title: Teacher – Infant/Toddler

Content Area: Education and Early Childhood Development

Supervision: Under the immediate supervision of the Site Manager Infant/Toddler Facilitator and Education Manager, with overall supervision of the Head Start Director.

Supervision Exercised: Provides in classroom supervision to volunteers and parents assisting in the classroom.

Standard Employment: 9 hour shifts – 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Thursday

4 hour shift – 8:00 a.m. to 12 Noon - Friday

1893 hours per program year

General Description: The teacher is responsible for providing a safe and healthy environment and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities in accordance with the Head Start Performance Standards, 45 CFR 1304.20, 1304.21, 1304.22, 1304.23 and 1304.24 for young children entrusted to them. The teacher must consult and cooperate with the parent/family who has temporarily delegated the responsibility for the care and development of their child to the Infant & Toddler Head Start program. The Dakota language and culture is an integral part of the curriculum, therefore it is the responsibility of the teacher to plan age appropriate cultural activities that will assist the child in developing a positive self-image and gaining knowledge of our heritage. Teacher is assigned and responsible for 4 infants/toddlers in their care and will remain with these children until they exit the program.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Safety and Sanitation:

1. Comply with the safety and sanitation policies and other program policies and guidelines for serving infants and toddlers.
2. Post required policies in classroom, i.e. daily routine schedule, curriculum activity schedule, incident reporting, emergency numbers, hand washing, etc.
3. Assure that daily safety and sanitation procedures and precautions are taken to limit the spread of infectious disease by washing off tables, toys, sleeping mats, hand washing, etc.
4. Assure that children are dressed appropriately for the weather and type of play in which they are engaged. During the winter months the teacher must assist with making sure the children are buttoned up with caps.
5. Model and encourage appropriate health and safety habits to support social competence in the child (brushing teeth after meals, hand washing, cleaning up after self).
6. Ensure children are supervised at all times. No child will ever be left alone or unattended.

Physical Arrangement:

1. Set up and maintain a welcome and appropriate environment.
2. Create developmentally appropriate and well-defined activity areas in the classroom that allows each child to explore the environment. The physical environment must be child-sized.
3. Ensure that sufficient, appropriate and a variety of materials are displayed and accessible to all children in the classroom.
4. Periodically change or rotate objects to stimulate and challenge infant/toddler in their environment.
5. Feed infants and toddlers when they are hungry.
6. Complete safety checklist of indoor/outdoor areas to ensure the environment is safe, secure and provides a variety of opportunities for children to explore.

Schedules, Plans and Transitions:

1. Responsible to comply (to the greatest extent possible) with the daily routine schedule for children enrolled in the program.
2. Provide written weekly lesson plan that includes meaningful culturally relevant activities, 1 health; 1 nutritional and 1 mental health activity. Lesson plans must be turned in to the Education Manager one week before implementation.
3. Ensure daily activities include physical contact, sounds, feeling of textures and tasting and/or smelling foods.
4. Plan and implement appropriate transition activities to assist the children with changes in environment.
5. Assure time schedules are flexible and respect the special needs of the individual child.
6. Provide predictable consistent routines as a part of child’s learning experience to help child gain sense of security.
7. Responsible to accurately record daily attendance
8. Work closely with Education Manager to plan meaningful field trips.
9. Responsible for planning and implementing activities for children and parents for monthly Family Fun Day, (Anpetu Ate, Unkanna, Deksi), (Anpetu Ina, Kunsi, Tuwin), and special events.

Communication:

1. Provide environment that supports and encourages verbal interaction between and among children and adults and one that allows freedom of expression.
2. Talk to children using descriptive language and behaviors especially during meals and other care giving routines, or when the child is upset or in a conflict with another child.
3. Support communication through reading stories, singing songs, reciting rhymes and encourage child to hold and look through books.
4. Encourage expression of feelings and interact with child at his/her level.

Guidance:

1. Encourage age and developmentally appropriate problem solving techniques and skills by allowing infants and toddlers to play with and explore objects.

2. Provide children with opportunities to develop self-help skills. Family style feeding is a must and is required.

3. Promote interaction with other children, encouraging use of words.

4. Provide consistent routine with reasonable and appropriate limits and rules for children’s behavior and explain why to children.

5. Inform, remind and assist children in learning appropriate behavior.

Self-esteem:

1. Provide opportunities for children to solve problems on their own.
2. Use daily routines to help children master self-help skills and to feel competent.
3. Provide children with meaningful age appropriate culturally relevant activities.
4. Support and encourage children’s natural curiosity about people and objects in their environment.
5. Spend individual time each day with every child in your primary care group.

Individualization:

1. Conduct two home visits per child and two parent teacher conferences per child at which parents will be informed and involved in planning, implementing and evaluating services provided and other activities.
2. Promote parent/family education to reinforce learning and development at home.
3. Maintain and document communication with families about child’s experiences at the center.
4. Responsible to complete required developmental and behavioral screens of child and ongoing observations and assessments with documentation to support child development gains.
5. Record ongoing observations and assessments in the child’s file identifying areas in which the child may need additional assistance.
6. Complete individual child plans that include summaries of the child’s progress. Once complete, place the child plan in child’s file.
7. Promptly refer any child suspected of having special needs to Special Needs Manager for further referral and/or evaluation.
8. Provide services, which respect child’s individual difference and special needs.

Resource Development/Professionalism:

1. Participate in learning experiences for personal growth and professional development and implement appropriate practices in the classroom.
2. Participate actively in all aspects of planning regarding education and early childhood development for the program.
3. Maintain accurate records and submit all required forms and reports, as well as update them within specified time frames.
4. Knowledge of laws regarding the abuse and neglect of children and report suspected mistreatment in accordance with the state law and Head Start policy.
5. Attend and actively participate in weekly teacher meetings to discuss concerns, other issues and make recommendations on correcting concerns or making improvements to the program.

Team Effectiveness:

1. Conduct self in a respectful, cooperative manner when interacting with children, co-workers and others and constructively represent Head Start.

1. Participate in all meetings as directed and keep informed of program activities.
2. Is knowledgeable and complies with Head Start policies and applicable laws and regulations.
3. Provide information in a timely manner as directed by one’s supervisor or the director.

5. Contact Education Manager when sick. In the absence of Education Manager contact the Head Start Director.

1. Identify work that needs to be done and ensure that work is done in a timely manner.
2. Communicate with parent when child is dropped off and picked up. Parents must be made to feel welcome at the center. Serve as host to extended family members and other visitors participating in program activities and other program sponsored events.
3. Responsible for maintenance of inventory of the classroom. A list of damaged items to be discarded and missing items must be documented and given to the Director.
4. Perform other tasks as directed by supervisor or director in order to ensure the quality of the program services.
5. Provide support to new or substitute teachers and volunteers.
6. Perform other duties as needed or assigned by the organization
7. Must have good work ethic, time and attendance

Qualifications:

1. Must possess a minimum of High School Diploma or GED, must attain a CDA certification within one year of hire. Must work toward Associates of Art degree in Early Childhood Education.
2. Prefer minimum of six months to two years’ work experience at an Early Childhood Center based program.
3. Good communication, observation and written skills are required - exhibit ability to communicate effectively with the staff, parents and people in the community.
4. Flexible – exhibit ability to adapt and be flexible in a variety of situations. Must be in good health and physically capable of participating in activities that requires lifting, running, skipping, jumping, crawling, etc.
5. Must exhibit sensitivity and appreciation for the healthy development of young children.

Job Requirements:

1. Must attend all CDA classes at SWC if you are enrolled in these classes.
2. Attend staff meetings, Dakotah language classes, in-service training and other career development activities both locally and out-of-area.
3. Must be willing to learn, speak and promote Dakotah language and Dakotah culture in the classrooms.
4. Must sign a background check permission form upon submission of application to permit a background check at the state and federal level that indicates no convictions of child abuse/child neglect or any violent crimes.
5. Must complete CPR and First Aid training within 90-days of hire.
6. Must live and promote alcohol and drug free lifestyle
7. Must have physical and TB test.
8. Must submit to drug test.
9. Submit three letters of reference with application for employment.
10. Must sign a Confidentiality Statement upon hire and adhere to policy.
11. Indian preference applies.