Infant/Toddler Teacher - Temporary

Walnut Avenue Family & Women's Center•Santa Cruz, CA

1d•$29 - $32•Onsite

About The Position

The Infant/Toddler Teacher is part of the Early Education program team and provides early care and education to children. This is a temporary, on-site, non-exempt position scheduled for 36 hours per week. The teacher plans and implements developmentally appropriate learning experiences, maintains a safe and healthy classroom, supports children’s physical and emotional needs, and communicates with families and coworkers. The position requires compliance with applicable Title 5 and Title 22 requirements for early education teachers, California licensing regulations, and program standards. Infant teachers must meet the additional infant/toddler education requirement. All staff must hold a current Infant and Child CPR and First Aid card and meet the stated health screening requirements. Employment offers are contingent on successful background check and fingerprinting results.

Requirements

Hold, or be eligible to apply within 30 days of hire for, a valid Child Development Permit meeting Title 5 requirements: 24 ECE units including child growth and development, child/family/community, and program/curriculum; 16 general education units; and 175 days of qualifying experience in the past four years. Alternatively, an AA in ECE or a related field with three units of supervised field experience in an ECE setting is specified.
Meet Title 22 qualifications: have at least six postsecondary semester units in specified early childhood education classes and be enrolled in Early Education Classes, or hold a valid Child Development Assistant permit issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. A teacher hired with six units must complete at least two additional units each semester until fully qualified.
For full Title 22 qualification, have 12 postsecondary semester units in early childhood education from an accredited college and six months of work experience in a licensed child care center or similar program. Units must include child growth and development, child/family/community, and program/curriculum.
Complete 15 hours of health and safety training if required under Health and Safety Code Section 1596.866.
Infant teachers must have four additional units in infant/toddler development.
Be proficient in English, verbally and in writing.
Have a current Infant and Child CPR and First Aid card.
Meet health screening requirements, including full immunization and negative TB, DPT, and MMR test results.
Have competent computer skills, including basic Microsoft Office knowledge.
Be able to support children in accordance with California licensing regulation of one teacher to three infants.
Be able to perform regular hand, wrist, and finger movements and repetitive tasks such as keyboarding and writing; operate a computer keyboard and other office equipment; and sit and/or stand for long periods.
Be able to twist, bend, push, pull, hold, and lift up to 40 pounds.
Be able to hear normal speech and communicate in person and by telephone throughout a typical workday.
Be able to work effectively under pressure, maintain concentration and attention to detail, make decisions, serve participants effectively, and understand and retain supervisor instructions.
Attend staff and department meetings and represent the agency professionally through appropriate demeanor and attire.
Work collaboratively and independently, maintain self-awareness and healthy boundaries with participants, and reflect on personal beliefs, biases, values, attitudes, and actions.
Maintain a comprehensive self-care routine and flexibility regarding job roles and duties.
Apply a strength-based approach to supporting volunteers and coworkers; manage volunteers by creating a welcoming environment, setting clear expectations and healthy boundaries, and addressing performance issues.
Assess, prioritize, and manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced, changing environment with minimal supervision; evaluate and solve complex issues efficiently.
Maintain fluent and articulate writing abilities and contribute to a mutually respectful and supportive work environment.
Pass a thorough background check and fingerprinting. A DMV background check is also required if the position involves driving on behalf of the agency.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual and biliterate English/Spanish skills; helpful but not required. A $1.00-per-hour differential is available for bilingual and biliterate English/Spanish employees.

Responsibilities

Plan and implement developmentally appropriate curriculum with team members, covering language development and early literacy, math, social-emotional development, science, creative expression, and independence.
Monitor children and indoor and outdoor environments to support safety and appropriate interactions.
Provide for children’s basic needs, including meals, rest, diapering or toileting, dressing, and hygiene.
Support children’s emotional needs through nurturing, problem solving, fostering autonomy, respecting feelings, positive communication, facilitating peer interactions, and developing social skills.
Plan and lead developmentally appropriate morning and afternoon circle times that support cognitive growth, literacy, and creativity.
Set up stimulating indoor and outdoor classroom environments with activities that support the whole child.
Foster an anti-bias classroom environment.
Maintain confidentiality about children and families in the program.
Maintain a safe and healthy environment for children.
Model and mentor other teachers, teacher’s aides, and volunteers.
Attend and participate in staff meetings; share ideas and positive or constructive feedback; and help build cooperative team relationships and clear communication among staff.
Greet parents and children and help children adjust to the center each day.
Develop positive rapport with parents and communicate daily about each child’s day, exchanging important information and responding to parents’ needs and ideas.
Inform families about and promote upcoming agency and program events.
Maintain documentation, reports, and charts required for licensing, CDE contracts, and program standards.
Perform other responsibilities as required and duties assigned by the supervisor.