Early Head Start Teacher Assistant

Omaha Tribe of Nebraska•Macy, NE

3d•$16 - $17

About The Position

The Early Head Start Teacher Assistant supports the Omaha Tribe Head Start and Early Head Start mission of providing comprehensive, family-focused child development services. The role helps ensure the education program is developmentally appropriate, meets children’s needs, and complies with Federal Head Start Performance Standards and applicable local, state, and agency policies and procedures. The Associate Teacher work schedule is 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and the employee must notify a supervisor by 6:45 a.m. if unable to work. The assistant supports children’s development through observations, assessments, documentation, individualized educational planning, classroom activities, and positive relationships with children and families. The role helps maintain a safe, healthy, stimulating learning environment; supports positive behavior and self-regulation; assists with family engagement, conferences, home visits, and communication about children’s progress; and maintains classroom records and required paperwork. The position also requires professional conduct, confidentiality, participation in required meetings and training, and performance of other duties within the scope of the job description.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Ability to obtain First Aid and CPR certification.
Willingness to complete a CDA credential within one year of hire.
Knowledge of early childhood education curriculum, principles, and best practices.
Ability to establish supportive relationships and collaborate with staff and families from diverse backgrounds on behalf of children.
Effective verbal and written communication that demonstrates and fosters cooperation, respect, concern, and openness to change.
Organizational skills and the ability to manage time and multiple priorities.
Ability to collaboratively problem-solve.
Knowledge of state childcare licensing requirements.
Ability to operate a computer and office equipment, including a telephone, fax machine, and copier.
Basic knowledge of caring for infants and toddlers.
Ability to attend meetings and training courses as required or directed by the Education Coordinator.

Nice To Haves

CDA credential and/or associate’s degree.
Two years of early childhood experience in a center-based setting.

Responsibilities

Demonstrate the Omaha Tribe Head Start and Early Head Start core mission, vision, and values; maintain professional and ethical boundaries and comply with confidentiality requirements.
Assist with observing, assessing, and documenting each child’s skills, behavior, growth, and development.
Help provide opportunities for children to experience success and build self-confidence, and assist in developing individualized educational plans.
Share information with the Lead Teacher, Education Coordinator, and Educational Service Unit (ESU) Team to support referrals for children with special needs.
Build positive relationships with children and families in the classroom.
Conduct family-style mealtimes and encourage toddlers’ self-help and independence skills during setup and cleanup.
Maintain an attractive, stimulating, clean, safe, and healthy learning environment, and encourage children to select activities independently.
Ensure children receive appropriate supervision and guidance in accordance with the required adult-to-child ratio of 1:4; do not use cellphones.
Use positive behavior support strategies and interventions and encourage children to develop self-regulation skills.
Assist with planning and implementing age-appropriate activities that support children’s social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development.
Assist in developing lesson plans with goals, objectives, activities, and outcomes; write anecdotal observations to support individualized plans and evaluate child progress.
Create documentation panels regularly, or take responsibility for doing so when assigned, to make children’s learning visible to parents and visitors.
Assist with regular parent meetings about children’s progress, including at least two parent-teacher conferences and two home visits each year.
Encourage parent participation in program activities and in education activities for children at home and in the community.
Communicate with parents, as assigned by the Lead Teacher, about children’s classroom involvement and progress toward learning goals, including through informal conversations, newsletters, and Brightwheel.
Maintain daily attendance, USDA food counts, medical logs, infant/toddler eating, sleeping, and toileting information, and other required records for child files and parents.
Complete required paperwork, including developmental assessments, lesson plans, newsletters, and incident reports, in a timely manner.
Attend required meetings and training courses and perform other duties assigned within the scope of the job description.