Early Head Start Teacher
About The Position
The Early Head Start Teacher plans, organizes, and directs a program for a specific group of children, providing a high-quality environment that supports each child’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development. The teacher creates and maintains a secure, engaging classroom; implements developmentally appropriate curriculum; builds supportive relationships with children, families, and coworkers; and contributes to program operations and professional improvement. The teacher observes and assesses children’s development, participates in IEP staffing and cross-component team meetings, and communicates regularly with families through conferences, home visits, classroom orientation, and program updates. The role also includes completing lesson plans and reports, requesting supplies, reporting incidents and suspected abuse or neglect, recruiting volunteers and in-kind contributions, attending required meetings and training, and supervising and evaluating assigned volunteers. The teacher reports to the Center Director. The position requires at least a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or comparable credential, together with training or equivalent coursework in early childhood development focused on infants and toddlers. The posting also lists an associate degree in a related or unrelated field with 18 semester hours in early childhood education or child development. The work involves extended periods of sitting, standing, walking, bending, stooping, and reaching, and lifting and carrying up to 35 pounds. The teacher may encounter outdoor weather during occasional tasks and typical classroom conditions, including moderate to occasionally high noise.
Requirements
- A minimum Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or comparable credential, as prescribed for center-based Early Head Start teachers serving infants and toddlers.
- Training or equivalent coursework in early childhood development with a focus on infant and toddler development.
- Associate degree in a field, or an associate degree outside the field with 18 semester hours in early childhood education or child development.
- Ability to communicate effectively with supervisors, children, parents, and volunteers.
- Ability to supervise assistant teachers, parents, students, and volunteers.
- Ability to perform the job’s required duties, including verbal communication, auditory responsiveness to children and adults, visual ability to complete written assignments, and physical ability to complete assignments with accommodations as required by law.
- Willingness to actively pursue appropriate professional development.
- Ability to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods; lift and carry up to 35 pounds; bend, stoop, and reach; and hear and respond to children, alarms, and safety signals.
Responsibilities
- Plan, organize, and direct classroom programs that support children’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development.
- Organize classroom space, materials, and routines to create a secure, engaging environment for play, exploration, and learning.
- Develop and implement integrated, developmentally appropriate activities and use community resources and approved creative curriculum with fidelity.
- Ensure the classroom respects and reflects children’s diverse backgrounds and learning styles.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and orderly learning environment.
- Communicate and interact with children in ways that foster development, learning, communication, and problem-solving.
- Participate with children in small and large groups and individually; support transitions and self-help activities; and use developmentally appropriate conflict-resolution techniques.
- Establish cooperative relationships with coworkers and supportive relationships with parents while maintaining a positive workplace atmosphere.
- Observe and assess children across developmental areas using the instrument selected by the Education Committee.
- Participate in IEP staffing and cross-component team meetings to develop strategies that promote children’s development.
- Communicate program activities and expectations to parents, conduct and document conferences or home visits as needed or required, orient parents to the classroom, and attend parent group functions.
- Maintain professional relationships with parents and follow PII guidelines and agency confidentiality requirements.
- Use available resources to operate the classroom effectively; complete accurate, timely reports and written lesson plans; and request supplies and equipment according to procedure.
- Report incidents and suspected child abuse or neglect immediately to the supervisor.
- Recruit volunteers and in-kind contributions, participate in program-wide recruitment, and supervise and evaluate assigned volunteers.
- Attend required meetings and training opportunities.
- Apply child development theories and appropriate practices, including CLASS and NAEYC; abide by the NAEYC Code of Ethics; and plan professional improvement with the Center Director.
- Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Associate degree
