Teacher HS

LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES•Lafayette, LA

About The Position

The Teacher is responsible for a Head Start classroom. This position works collaboratively with an assistant teacher, family members and other staff to achieve positive outcomes for children of all abilities.

Requirements

Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from an accredited institution, OR
Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood from an accredited 4 year university, OR
Possess an active and unencumbered state-awarded preschool teacher certification with experience teaching preschool aged children, OR
Bachelors Degree in related field from an accredited 4 year university with at least six college courses (12-18 credits) in Early Childhood Education plus experience teaching preschool aged children.
CPR and First Aid certification required or to be obtained.
Intermediate computer literacy in email, word processing and internet navigation is required.
Excellent decision-making and communications skills.
High degree of tact and professionalism.
Strong positive attitude.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience teaching preschool aged children preferred.
Prior Head Start experience preferred.
Bilingual Spanish-English is preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide emotional support through establishing a positive climate, being aware of and responsive to children, and encouraging child expression and autonomy.
Establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment, including full supervision of children at all times, in accordance with Head Start and childcare licensing requirements. Conduct daily health/safety monitoring of the indoor and (as requested) outdoor environment.
Supervise mealtimes and family style dining with children, as well as field trips and outdoor activities.
Use strategies for behavior management, such as clear behavior expectations, being proactive and redirecting misbehavior.
Provide classroom experiences that are developmentally, linguistically, culturally and age-appropriate for the children served.
Foster classroom productivity and maximize learning time, while engaging children with a variety of modalities and materials.
Provide instructional support through concept development, fostering childrens analysis and reasoning, engaging in feedback loops, and modeling and supporting high-quality language.
Ensure classroom arrangement, materials and displays are organized and conducive to childrens learning.
Implement the organizations chosen curriculum with fidelity, being aware of the big ideas while also following all assigned guidance and resources.
Prepare or modify weekly lesson plans and prepare to implement small-group activities, read-alouds, circle time, and other curriculum components.
Provide children with a consistent classroom routine and facilitate all parts of the routine to support child learning.
Interact with children intentionally throughout the day to provide differentiated support.
Collect documentation of children through ongoing observation, embedded and direct assessment activities.
Complete quarterly assessment checkpoints for each child. Analyze child assessment data and use it to plan and individualize. Complete developmental and social-emotional screenings on all children within prescribed time frames.
Complete weekly Individualized Learning Plans to identify specific goals and strategies for each child in class. Integrate Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or referral action plans for children with diagnosed or suspected special needs.
Establish positive and productive relationships with families through building rapport and trust.
Encourage and engage family members to serve as classroom volunteers. Collaborate with family services staff to support families in implementing family life practices, extending learning into the home, and meeting expectations for attendance. Schedule and complete two home visits and two parent-teacher conferences each year.
Share pertinent information with family services, disabilities/mental health or health/nutrition staff, as needed, to meet the needs of individual children and families. Participate in case conferences as appropriate.
Collaborate with assistant teacher and other staff in the center.
Know and understand the organizations Early Learnings School Readiness Goals and strive to help all children achieve them.
Follow all health and hygiene practices, including hand-washing, sanitizing, and universal precautions.
Maintain required documentation of activities, including child and family information, assessment data, volunteer logs, etc.
Provide courteous and prompt service to all internal and external clients. Prioritize and address requests and assignments in a professional manner to develop cooperative relationships and to ensure that client confidentiality is assured.
Identify opportunities and recommend methods to improve service, work processes and financial performance, e.g. expense management. Assists in the implementation of quality improvement initiatives.
Assist co-workers in the completion of tasks and assignments to ensure continuity of service. Orient new co-workers and actively support teamwork throughout the organization.
Perform other duties as required.