Teacher - Kindergarten Room Full Time

American Addiction Centers • Libertyville, IL

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Kindergarten Room Teacher is responsible for developing and implementing curriculum activities and primary caregiving based on the educational program goals and guidelines. This role involves utilizing observations and recording of children's behavior to plan and execute age-appropriate learning experiences. The teacher will ensure a safe, clean, and nurturing environment, maintain appropriate adult-child ratios, and collaborate effectively with teaching teams, administration, and co-workers. A key aspect of this role is fostering strong relationships with parents through daily communication, conferences, and orientation to the classroom and Day Center.

Requirements

• Two years of college with a minimum of 9 hours of Early Childhood Education courses with 1 year of recent teaching experience OR Current Child Development Associate (CDA) Certificate with 1 year of day care experience
• Basic computer skills
• Ability to communicate verbally and non-verbally with children, families, and associates.
• Emotional maturity when working with children
• Listening skills, availability, and responsiveness to children, families, and associates.
• Ability to provide an environment in which children and coworkers feel comfortable, relaxed, welcomed, and involved.
• Ability to plan, implement, and evaluate activities/learning experiences for the children.
• Ability to stand, stoop, bend, and carry children, sit without back support for 15-20 minutes at a time
• Requires unusual hours and flexible work schedules.
• Ability to communicate with children at an age-appropriate level.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and complete work within short timeframes.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with established time constraints.
• Ability to physically respond quickly to unsafe conditions which may put children at risk.
• Ability to demonstrate understanding of developmentally appropriate practice.

Nice To Haves

• Seek ongoing training and professional development through attendance at professional seminars, workshops, conferences and/or early childhood related college classes.
• Works towards earning Early Childhood Credential (Level 3 or above) and/or maintaining credential through Gateways.

Responsibilities

• Educational Program Development and Implementation: Planning and implementing curriculum activities and primary caregiving based on educational program goals/guidelines utilizing observations and recording of children’s behavior.
• Utilize Illinois Early Learning Standards/Guidelines, NAEYC developmentally appropriate guidelines, and Environmental Rating Scale when planning curriculum and activities.
• Ensure equipment and materials/supplies are prepared ahead of time and available for implementation of planned activities.
• Make changes to classroom environment and activities to continually improve quality of care and education.
• Use observations and recordings of children’s behaviors and development in planning curriculum, lesson plans, and activities, and completing progress reports, developmental checklists, behavioral plans, individual goals for children, and portfolios.
• Plan for continuing growth and development for each child, supporting and responding to their physical, cognitive, social, and emotional needs in a timely and appropriate fashion.
• Complete Environmental Rating Scale and review annually. Attend/complete ECRS trainings and other trainings as assigned and required.
• Develop and ensure that the daily curriculum, learning activities, and environment meet the needs, abilities, and interests of the whole child.
• Consistently improve knowledge of possible disciplines within the curriculum and implement age-appropriate activities based on new knowledge (e.g., music, movement, science, math, literacy).
• Prepare for, lead, and attend classroom team meetings and all other assigned meetings.
• Seek ongoing training and professional development through attendance at professional seminars, workshops, conferences, and/or early childhood related college classes. Implement practices learned at conferences and share acquired knowledge with coworkers. Earn required in-service hours annually, update Professional Development Record, and provide documentation of hours earned. Work towards earning Early Childhood Credential (Level 3 or above) and/or maintaining credential through Gateways.
• Develop, plan, prepare, and implement age-appropriate curriculum and learning activities by providing weekly lesson plans for use by the entire classroom staff to implement cohesive learning activities to further the growth and development of each child.
• Plan for children with special needs, utilize and assess equipment, environment, and interactions.
• Demonstrate positive interactions with children, families, and associates through verbal and non-verbal communication within the expectations and guidelines of the Day Center, Advocate's Behaviors of Excellence, and Advocate's Be Safe Behaviors and Tools.
• Listen, respond, and speak to children in positive, respectful tones to model appropriate behavior and exhibit respect for each child.
• Demonstrate ability to nurture children appropriately, providing children with the comfort of a safe, responsive environment as needed.
• Demonstrate ability to understand children’s requests and need for routine, direction, and time to follow through to increase the child’s chances for success and the development of positive behavior patterns.
• Follow Day Center discipline guidelines and discuss child’s behavior and development with co-workers and supervisor to maintain compliance with DCFS regulations and develop a strong understanding of each child for individualized planning.
• Interact with children at all times and engage them in activities that support their growth and development.
• Implement the primary caregiving care plan for assigned children as necessary to maintain a consistent positive relationship with both child and family.
• Listen, respond, and speak to children at eye level within close proximity of the child.
• Demonstrate positive guidance and discipline techniques to help children understand consequences of their behavior. Ensure all classroom staff model positive guidance and discipline techniques.
• Peer check and coach coworkers in positive guidance/discipline techniques.
• Monitor the safety of the assigned group of children at all times.
• Be aware of children's presence at all times. Interact with children and engage them in activities while providing direct supervision.
• Continually assess the classroom environment and create and implement classroom arrangements that meet the developmental needs, abilities, and interests of the children.
• Implement child health and safety practices including head counts, name-to-face checks, sleep room checks, ratio sheets, and attendance sheets, along with conducting daily safety checks within the classroom. Complete and turn in weekly classroom health and safety checklist.
• Adhere to, follow, and coach others in Advocate's Be Safe Behaviors and tools. Report safety issues and concerns to Supervisor in a timely manner. Follow Day Center policy regarding children's accidents and injuries.
• Avoid distractions that interfere with supervision of children. Refrain from gossip, personal conversations, cell phone usage, and computer usage while children are awake.
• Maintain active supervision of children by engaging, interacting, and role modeling appropriate behaviors.
• Maintain current lists/information regarding children's allergies, medication needs, and photo releases.
• Organize and maintain a safe, clean, and clutter-free classroom environment according to DCFS, NAEYC, and the Environmental Rating Scale, and review annually.
• Organize materials and equipment to be best utilized by staff and children and share in the responsibility of cleaning, storing of toys and equipment, and/or removing damaged/unsafe materials and equipment. Place work orders as appropriate.
• Maintain appropriate adult/child ratios at all times by adjusting and monitoring the number of adults responsible for the group of children being supervised and their placement within the classroom group.
• Parent-Family Relations: Maintain relationships with parents through daily contacts and open communication, parent-teacher conferences, and orientation to the classroom and Day Center.
• Make observations and take notes of children's behaviors and development to share with families throughout the year.
• Create a welcoming and open atmosphere that promotes daily communication and accommodates parents' needs in a professional manner.
• Conduct new family intake meetings, familiarizing families and children to the classroom and daily routine to facilitate the transition into the program.
• Complete daily notes/Today We Did board informing parents of the day's activities and how activities relate to development and curricular goals.
• Prepare, conduct, and document parent/teacher conferences to share and receive information regarding child's growth and development and plan together goals for future learning.
• Complete children's portfolios, progress reports, developmental checklists, and transition sheets to share with families throughout the year and to prepare for parent/teacher conferences.
• Communicate daily with parents about the child's day, accomplishments, and interests through friendly and professional interactions.
• Provide parents with monthly newsletters and/or appropriate resource materials to increase their understanding of child development and facilitate professional dialogue between associates and parents.
• Greet parents by first name and communicate the child’s daily accomplishments and interests. Keep parents informed of their child’s growth and development and create a partnership with parents to further enhance their child’s development.
• Respond to parent requests in a timely manner and direct parent concerns and issues to the supervisor if necessary.
• Demonstrate understanding of the parent as the most important teacher in their child’s life through daily interaction, noting important information and informing responsible staff of issues that may affect the care and development of each child.
• Team Collaboration/Communication: Demonstrate cooperative relationships and open communication with teaching teams, administration, and co-workers.
• Resolve conflicts directly with co-workers in a professional manner and address issues/concerns with the team as they arise and in team meetings.
• Follow Advocate's Behaviors of Excellence and Be Safe Behaviors and Tools to create open relationships with all staff. Coach others in these areas.
• Demonstrate a positive attitude and manage up coworkers and classrooms. Provide suggestions/solutions as issues arise.
• Be proactive and take initiative to complete classroom responsibilities. Lead the classroom team in providing a developmentally appropriate program for the children in their care.
• Orient, train, and mentor new staff and be a positive role model and resource for all staff.
• Communicate with co-workers regarding children, parents, staff, schedules, and routines on a daily basis. Share important information to facilitate the planning of curriculum and activities and communication to families.
• Demonstrate flexibility with the teaching team, daily schedule, routines, and classroom assignments.
• Demonstrate knowledge of and compliance with Day Center policies and procedures. Provide direction to classroom staff if a policy or procedure is not being followed correctly.
• Organize materials and equipment to be best utilized by staff and children and share in the responsibility of cleaning, storing, and removing damaged/unsafe materials or equipment.
• Share in the daily responsibility of maintaining classroom environments and common areas in the Day Center that meet licensing requirements and standards.
• Evaluate equipment and material needs, report to Supervisor. Maintain a classroom that is responsive to the needs of each individual child through the materials available.
• Conduct periodic safety checks within the classroom. Complete classroom health and safety checklists.
• Order supplies/equipment based on budget.
• Demonstrate appropriate hand hygiene by following handwashing policy/procedure and ensuring staff, children, and families do the same.
• Ensure and share responsibility to clean, sanitize, and disinfect toys/equipment on a daily/weekly basis.
• Plan and implement child safety practices.

Benefits

• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree