EARLY HEAD START TEACHER (EHS)

Boys & Girls Club• San Juan, PR, US, PR

About The Position

The Early Head Start Teacher is responsible for a classroom of children ages 0–3 and collaborates with a partner Teacher to operate a classroom serving 6–8 children. Working with families and colleagues, the Teacher supports each child’s individual development and progress toward school readiness goals. The role involves planning and implementing developmentally and linguistically appropriate routines, curriculum, learning experiences, and environments for children of all abilities; observing and documenting children’s progress; and individualizing instruction and activities. The Teacher also establishes productive family partnerships, supports parent involvement, maintains children’s safety and health, and completes required classroom documentation and program activities.

Requirements

Infant/Toddler CDA, or an associate or bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field with at least 120 training hours in Infant/Toddler content and at least 480 hours of experience working with infants and toddlers.
Physical examination and background checks are required.
Local or long-distance travel of up to 10% for work-related meetings and functions.
Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
Ability to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
Effective verbal and written communication skills.
Computer literacy, including MS Office applications, basic data systems, and internet navigation.
Honesty, dependability, and ability to meet deadlines.
Self-motivation and ability to work independently.

Responsibilities

Use knowledge of child growth and development when working with children and communicating with families and stakeholders.
Implement child-centered routines, curriculum, and learning environments that promote development across all domains, positive social interaction, active exploration, and curiosity.
Create a nurturing and responsive environment that supports self-regulation and social-emotional development; observe challenging behavior, identify possible causes, take preventive measures, and teach social and communication skills in partnership with families.
Observe children, record anecdotal notes, document progress, and individualize curriculum and learning experiences.
Build partnerships with families and promote positive interactions among children, families, and the program.
Assist in ensuring the written curriculum includes learning goals, experiences, staff and parent supports, materials, and support for children’s social-emotional development.
Collaborate with a partner Teacher to prepare and post daily lesson plans for parents, volunteers, and visitors.
Assist in developing individual plans for children, including goals, objectives, and activities based on identified needs.
Plan learning experiences that advance cognitive and physical development and progress toward school readiness, including language, emergent literacy, numeracy, appreciation of books, and problem-solving.
Follow the program curriculum and provide natural play and hands-on experiences reflecting individual children’s learning styles.
Implement experiences appropriate to the age, language, and culture of the children served.
Establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment.
Implement experiential learning activities that advance infants’ and toddlers’ intellectual and emotional competence.
Provide positive guidance and discipline as children acquire readiness skills.
Implement daily lesson plans responsive to children’s needs and interests, informed by observations, records, and early-childhood development knowledge.
Implement Individual Family Services Plans (IFSPs) for children with disabilities.
Provide consistent classroom routines responsive to individual infants’ and toddlers’ needs.
Supervise children and ensure their safety and security in accordance with Early Head Start and day-care licensing requirements.
Supervise and eat nutritionally prepared meals or snacks with toddlers and two-year-olds as a curriculum activity, modeling nutrition and social skills.
Feed infants on demand and hold non-mobile infants during feeding.
Supervise classroom field trips and outdoor activities.
Follow disease and injury prevention regulations, including diapering procedures, universal precautions, and contamination prevention.
Invite parents to participate in curriculum and the program’s approach to child development and education; encourage family involvement and relationships between children and families.
Provide parents opportunities to develop child-observation skills and share assessments that inform learning experiences.
Encourage parent participation in staff-parent conferences and home visits about children’s development and education.
Build trust and rapport through positive, productive relationships with families.
Work with a partner Teacher to schedule and complete two home visits and at least two parent-teacher conferences per year.
Participate in parent orientation and ongoing parent trainings as required.
Refer parents interested in classroom volunteering, substitute work, or other volunteer activities to the Family Advocate, and support classroom volunteers as needed.
Share relevant information with the Family Advocate, coordinate services for children and families, and participate in case conferences as appropriate.
Maintain regular parent contact and complete documentation, including daily reports on infant sleep, eating, and elimination.
Send classroom updates to the Center Director for inclusion in the monthly newsletter.
Refer developmental concerns to the Health, Nutrition and Disabilities Coordinator.
Request supplies and participate in classroom or program inventory as requested.
Gather and maintain individual, family, and classroom data for documentation, ongoing assessment, evaluation, record keeping, and planning.
Conduct daily health checks.
Assess children on an ongoing basis, organize anecdotal notes around goals and objectives, and document in GOLD.
Collaborate with the teaching team to analyze classroom child outcomes twice yearly, consult education leadership, and adjust curriculum planning and implementation as needed.
Model appropriate classroom practices.
Work with the Center Director and partner Teacher to develop and support individual development plans for assigned volunteers.
Adapt plans to changing or emerging program requirements within available resources while minimizing effects on work quantity or quality.
Participate actively in bi-weekly Team Meetings and Teacher Meetings.
Participate in assigned meetings, events, and training as required.
Perform other duties as assigned.