ED PARA,PRE-K,C

Orange County Public Schools•Apopka, FL

About The Position

Under direct supervision, provides staff support in an educational or childcare environment by assisting teachers and pre-kindergarten-age students. Works with children individually or in small groups to provide basic instruction in abilities and skills developmentally appropriate to preschool-age children. Assists teachers with transporting children to scheduled activities, including lunch, rest time, and restroom visits. Essential functions are performed according to the needs of the assigned teacher(s), and related work may be assigned as directed.

Requirements

Associate’s degree or higher, or at least 60 semester hours from an accredited institution of higher education; an official transcript is required to validate education.
Passing the paraprofessional certification exam may substitute for the educational requirement for highly qualified status.
Applicants must be highly qualified before starting employment with Orange County Public Schools.
Ability to fulfill the dexterity and physical requirements of the work and effectively attend to the needs of preschool-age children.
Ability to operate, maneuver, and control standard office equipment.
Ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Ability to carry out detailed but uncomplicated written or oral instructions and follow prescribed routine practices.
Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity in situations involving varied, frequently changing duties.

Nice To Haves

Previous vocational training or work experience in a licensed childcare environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

Respond to internal and external customers in a timely, accurate, courteous, and empathetic manner, representing OCPS positively.
Monitor pre-kindergarten-age children’s activities and behavior, including when classroom teachers are absent, to support their physical and environmental safety and appropriate conduct.
Assist teachers in supervising classroom learning activities and provide learning support to children.
Provide instruction prescribed by the supervising teacher and reinforce skills using games, stories, or other constructive activities.
Assist teachers in checking and objectively evaluating student progress; teach individuals and small groups using instructional guidelines.
Assist children with gross motor activities, including grasping, holding objects, posture, crawling, walking, and running, and fine motor activities such as playing with toys, cutting materials, and coloring.
Assist with lesson-plan preparation and teacher pre-planning; contribute to the development of classroom activities and learning tools.
Help identify and report potential learning or communication deficiencies, monitor progressive learning skills, and document learning activities and diagnoses.
Prepare or assist in preparing instructional materials and perform support tasks such as copying, laminating, typing correspondence, and filing paperwork and documentation.
Coordinate with media center staff for classroom learning resources and set up classroom equipment for instructional activities.
Assist in preparing bulletin boards, classroom decorations, displays of children’s activities, and other classroom objectives.
Maintain attendance records, assign student seating, and learn assigned bus routes.
Maintain accurate and complete records, including entering scores and other children’s data using a computer terminal as needed.
Perform assigned monitoring duties in locations such as hallways, lunchrooms, restrooms, and buses, ensuring appropriate student conduct.
Provide assistance to teachers and instruction or information to students when assigned to various labs.
Keep current with job-appropriate technology used by OCPS and attend district-supported training to maintain the required skill level.
Maintain timely and accurate information as part of job responsibilities.
Perform related duties as directed.