Teacher, Court Program

Catalyst Family•San Jose, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Catalyst Community provides child care services co-located at court sites in multiple California counties. Teachers provide short-term or on-demand drop-in care for children while their parents attend to court business. Depending on the county, children served range from approximately 2.5 or 3 years through age 16. The Teacher provides quality care and learning experiences for children of varied abilities in mixed-age groups, creates inclusive learning environments, and uses adaptive methods and strategies. The role calls for strong communication skills, the ability to work in potentially stressful situations, and confidence working independently. The Teacher plans and prepares learning materials and curriculum, maintains family files and attendance records, develops relationships with families and court-site contacts, and connects families with local resources when appropriate. The position also contributes to program planning, maintains communication with corporate staff, solicits and responds to feedback, and collaborates with others to solve problems and improve services. Additional administrative duties include responding to telephone and email inquiries, processing messages, maintaining appropriate records and confidentiality, and completing written communications and assigned tasks. This is a full-time, onsite position with a Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. schedule. Travel of up to 25% is required locally between program locations and/or to a regional office. The work takes place in a formal office setting without access to yard space, and employees must be comfortable completing security screening to enter the work site. More than 50% of daily assignments involve prolonged physical effort.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED equivalent.
1–2 years of experience working with children.
Experience working with internal and external customers.
Ability to observe, plan, and articulate children's developmental play.
Knowledge of developmental stages and ability to work effectively with mixed-age groups.
Ability to work collaboratively and responsively within a team.
Physical and mental capability to interact with children from 6 weeks to 13 years of age, meet their needs, and ensure their safety.
Ability to speak and write effectively in English.
Customer-service orientation and attention to detail.
Sensitivity and empathy toward others.
Reading, writing, language, arithmetic, and social skills sufficient to complete assigned duties.
Discretion, good judgment, initiative, confidentiality, and ability to work independently with limited supervision.
Comfort with security screening when entering the work site.
Ability to work in a formal office setting without access to yard space.
Ability to meet the position's physical demands, including prolonged physical effort in more than 50% of daily assignments.
Ability to travel locally up to 25% between program locations and/or to a regional office as needed.

Nice To Haves

Eligibility for a Child Development Associate Teacher Permit.
3–5 years of experience working in child care settings.
Experience working with non-English speakers and people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Proficiency in Spanish.

Responsibilities

Provide care and quality learning experiences for children of multiple ages in the same setting.
Create appropriate learning environments inclusive of children with special needs.
Learn and implement adaptive methods and strategies for working with all children.
Work in a culturally and linguistically sensitive manner with families from diverse backgrounds.
Plan and prepare materials and curriculum to support quality early learning experiences.
Maintain family files and record attendance as necessary.
Develop a relationship with the point of contact at each individual court site.
Provide input for program planning and development.
Refer families to local resources as needed.
Establish relationships with parents and children using courthouse child care services.
Maintain active communication with Catalyst Community staff at the corporate office.
Respond openly and promptly to internal and external customers, and appropriately consider what others think and feel.
Solicit feedback from parents and guardians and adjust program goals as needed.
Collaboratively define roles, goals, and timelines, and clearly communicate agreements.
Reflect on personal strengths and identify needs for doing the job well; model reflective practice when interacting with others.
Participate in planning all program components under management direction and promptly address planning and organization issues with the Program Coordinator or Manager.
Participate in obtaining needed program materials.
Maintain timely usage-date records for monthly court reports.
Communicate theories in practice while supporting others' learning.
Involve others in problem-solving by gathering accurate information and analyzing proposed solutions.
Recognize emotions while relying on facts and information to determine solutions, and maintain a calm demeanor when problem-solving with internal and external partners.
Answer telephones, read emails, assist staff with inquiries and requests, process messages accurately, and relay information effectively.
Coordinate and maintain appropriate records and related information, preserving confidentiality regarding staff and children as appropriate.
Communicate with the public; plan, organize, and prioritize assignments; problem-solve; create written communications; and accurately complete assigned tasks.
Perform additional tasks as assigned.