Early Head Start Teacher (Ehs)

Boys & Girls Club•San Juan, 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. The Teacher works with families and colleagues to support each child’s individual development and progress toward school readiness goals. The role involves implementing a child-centered curriculum, daily routines, and a safe, healthy learning environment that supports children’s cognitive, physical, social, emotional, language, and literacy development. The Teacher observes and documents children’s progress, individualizes learning experiences, supports children with disabilities through implementation of IFSPs, and uses positive guidance to foster social and emotional competencies. The Teacher builds relationships with families, maintains regular communication and documentation, and partners with families on children’s development and learning. The position also includes supervision and care of children, classroom planning, participation in meetings and training, and coordination with colleagues and program staff.

Requirements

Infant/Toddler CDA, or an AA/BA 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, exploration, positive social interaction, and curiosity.
Create a nurturing and responsive environment that supports self-regulation and social-emotional development, and address challenging behavior in partnership with families.
Observe children, maintain anecdotal notes, document progress, and use observations to individualize curriculum.
Establish positive partnerships with families and invite their involvement in curriculum and child development.
Collaborate with the partner Teacher to prepare daily lesson plans and post them for parents, volunteers, and visitors.
Assist with written curriculum and individual child plans, including goals, learning experiences, activities, and materials.
Plan and implement learning experiences that advance cognitive, physical, language, literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving development and support school readiness.
Provide natural play and hands-on experiences that reflect individual children’s learning styles, age, language, and culture.
Maintain a safe, healthy learning environment and provide consistent routines responsive to infants’ and toddlers’ needs.
Implement Individual Family Services Plans (IFSPs) for children with disabilities.
Provide positive guidance and discipline that support readiness skills.
Supervise children at all times, including during field trips and outdoor activities, in accordance with Early Head Start and licensing requirements.
Supervise and eat meals or snacks with toddlers and two-year-olds as a curriculum activity, and feed infants on demand while holding non-mobile infants during feeding.
Follow procedures for disease and injury prevention, diapering, universal precautions, and contamination prevention.
Complete two home visits and at least two parent-teacher conferences per year with the partner Teacher.
Participate in parent orientation and training, support classroom parent volunteers, and refer interested parents to the Family Advocate.
Coordinate with the Family Advocate and participate in case conferences as appropriate.
Maintain regular parent contact and required records, including daily infant reports on sleep, eating, and elimination.
Forward classroom updates to the Center Director for the monthly newsletter.
Refer developmental concerns to the Health, Nutrition and Disabilities Coordinator.
Request supplies and participate in classroom or program inventory as requested.
Maintain child, family, and classroom data for documentation, assessment, evaluation, recordkeeping, and planning.
Conduct daily health checks and assess children on an ongoing basis; organize anecdotal notes and document information in GOLD.
Work with the teaching team to analyze classroom child outcomes twice yearly and adjust curriculum planning and implementation as needed.
Model appropriate classroom practices and help develop and support individual development plans for assigned volunteers.
Adapt plans to changing or emerging program requirements while maintaining work quality and quantity within available resources.
Participate in bi-weekly team and teacher meetings and other assigned meetings, events, and training.
Perform other duties as assigned.