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, providing basic instruction in abilities and skills appropriate to preschool development. Assists teachers with transporting children to scheduled activities such as lunch, rest time, and restroom visits. Duties are performed according to the needs of assigned teachers, and related work may be assigned as directed. The position also supports classroom instruction and activities, monitors children’s safety and conduct, assists with learning materials and classroom records, and may perform monitoring duties in locations such as hallways, lunchrooms, restrooms, and buses. Employees are expected to keep current with job-related technology and attend training supported by the district. The listed functions represent work within the classification and may not describe every task assigned to a particular position.

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 education requirement to meet highly qualified status.
Must be highly qualified before starting employment with Orange County Public Schools.
Ability to meet the dexterity and physical requirements of the work and effectively attend to the needs of preschool-age children.
Ability to operate standard office equipment.
Ability to perform basic arithmetic, follow detailed but routine written or oral instructions, and exercise judgment in situations involving 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 learning activities, circulating in the classroom, and providing learning support to children.
Provide instruction as prescribed by the supervising teacher and reinforce skills using games, stories, or other constructive activities.
Assist teachers in checking and objectively evaluating children’s progress; teach individuals and small groups in accordance with instructional guidelines.
Assist children with gross motor activities, including grasping, holding objects, posture, crawling, walking, and running, and with fine motor activities such as playing with toys, cutting materials, and coloring.
Assist with lesson-plan preparation and teacher pre-planning sessions; contribute to the development of classroom activities and learning tools.
Assist in identifying potential learning or communication deficiencies, monitor children’s learning progress, and document learning activities and diagnoses.
Prepare or assist with instructional materials and support tasks such as copying, laminating, typing correspondence, and filing paperwork and documentation.
Coordinate with media center staff to obtain classroom learning resources and set up instructional equipment.
Assist with classroom bulletin boards, 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 when needed.
Perform assigned monitoring duties, such as hallway, lunchroom, restroom, and bus duty, and support appropriate student conduct during these periods.
Provide assistance to teachers and instruction or information to students when assigned to various labs.
Keep up to date on job-appropriate technology used by OCPS and attend district-supported training to maintain required technology skills.
Maintain timely and accurate information as part of job responsibilities.
Perform related duties as directed.