Early Head Start Teacher Infant Toddler

Clackamas County Children's Commission•Oregon City, OR

About The Position

The Early Head Start Teacher develops and maintains a safe, nurturing, and stimulating learning environment for infants and toddlers. The teacher provides varied experiences that support school readiness, health, and social competence through developmentally appropriate social, emotional, intellectual, nutritional, hygienic, and physical learning. The role supports parents as their children’s primary educators, promotes parent-child attachment, builds trusting relationships with families, and helps families meet personal goals. The teacher leads and monitors a full-day classroom, supervises an Assistant Teacher and Classroom Aide, and plans, implements, and evaluates activities aligned with the agency’s research-based curriculum, individual child goals, cultural diversity, and Head Start standards. The role includes observing and assessing children, coordinating referrals and services for children with disabilities or other needs, maintaining required records and electronic databases, and collaborating with families, staff, and specialists. The position also includes education home visiting and family engagement. The teacher partners with parents on home visits, conferences, parenting guidance, child development information, and educational goals. The teacher participates in family nights, case-management and IFSP meetings, trainings, and other program activities while maintaining confidentiality and following agency policies and the Code of Conduct.

Requirements

Qualifying education through one of the following: a bachelor’s or advanced degree in early childhood education with infant/toddler-specific coursework; a bachelor’s or advanced degree in a related field with infant/toddler-specific coursework equivalent to a major in early childhood education; an associate’s degree in early childhood education or child and family studies with infant/toddler-specific coursework; or a current Infant/Toddler Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential.
Experience in an early childhood education classroom, certified childcare center, or comparable group-care program.
Ability to interact positively with families from varied cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Ability to use positive approaches to direct and redirect child behavior.
Ability to take a leadership role in the classroom and work cooperatively as a team member.
Good computer and data-entry skills.
Ability to possess and maintain a valid driver’s license and an insured vehicle available for work use, or have alternative transportation.
Ability to possess and maintain compliance with the State of Oregon Criminal Background Registry.
Ability to possess and maintain current First Aid/CPR certification.
Ability to obtain and maintain an Oregon Food Handler’s Card.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of Head Start.

Responsibilities

Lead and monitor all aspects of a full-day infant and toddler classroom and provide continuous supervision and care for assigned children.
Supervise the assigned Assistant Teacher and Classroom Aide.
Work with site staff to create developmentally appropriate, nurturing environments and childcare routines.
Plan, implement, and evaluate daily classroom activities aligned with child development, the agency curriculum, individual goals, classroom diversity, and Federal Head Start Performance Standards.
Maintain a safe, developmentally appropriate learning environment that complies with Head Start standards and Oregon childcare regulations.
Maintain child observation notes and conduct assessments, developmental screenings, referrals, goal planning, and follow-up meetings for children in the assigned class.
Partner with parents on Individual Goal Plans and child goals; refer children with suspected disabilities or other special needs as appropriate.
Attend IFSP and case-management meetings, consult with the Education Supervisor, and make attendance referrals as needed.
Maintain CLASS® and/or TPITOS® scores at or above expected thresholds and achieve and maintain TS GOLD Inter-Rater Reliability for infants and toddlers.
Collaborate with agency specialists and parents to ensure children with disabilities and special needs receive recommended services.
Enter observations and assessment completions in TS GOLD and education service activity completions and notes in ChildPlus; use reports to monitor job expectations.
Maintain complete and accurate child and family files, forms, and reports within required timelines, including electronic and hard-copy records.
Include the Assistant Teacher, Classroom Aide, and volunteers in classroom planning and model positive teacher-child interactions and guidance.
Take a lead role in planning monthly family-night content and attend and participate in family nights.
Partner with parents to schedule and complete required education and social-service home visits and parent conferences.
Provide parents with parenting skills and child-development information; model age-appropriate, constructive, positive ways to work with children.
Partner with parents to set educational goals and coordinate individual goals with classroom curriculum and home-visit activities.
Coordinate and participate in the annual parent open house with team members.
Attend regular case-management meetings, ensure assigned families are reviewed at least annually, participate in monthly meetings about shared EHS/HS families, and attend relevant IFSP meetings.
Arrive punctually and participate in required activities, meetings, and training; contribute as a respectful, cooperative, reliable team member.
Follow position-related policies, program objectives, and agency procedures for reporting and documenting suspected child abuse or neglect.
Maintain confidentiality and comply with the Clackamas County Children’s Commission Code of Conduct.
Develop professional work goals and a training plan in consultation with a supervisor, and participate in requested training.