Teacher

Community Action Corporation of South Texas•Taft, TX

About The Position

Plan, organize, and implement content-rich learning experiences that guide, encourage, and advance children’s intellectual, emotional, and physical development toward school readiness. Teachers establish and maintain safe, nurturing, and healthy learning environments that cultivate self-directed and independent lifelong learners, while encouraging parents to participate actively in their children’s education.

Requirements

Attend 24 clock hours of professional development and staff training each year, including training in active supervision, safety practices, improving child and family outcomes, and handling suspected or known child abuse and neglect in accordance with applicable laws, along with other training required by Head Start standards and Texas Child Care Regulation.
Hold an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in child development, early childhood education, or an equivalent major relating to early childhood education, and have experience teaching preschool-age children, as prescribed by section 648A(a)(3)(B) of the Head Start Act. Transcripts are required to verify education.
Have an advanced degree in early childhood education, or a baccalaureate or advanced degree with coursework equivalent to a major relating to early childhood education, and experience teaching preschool-age children.
Have a valid Texas driver’s license.
Pass a DFPS background check.
Pass an annual physical.
Demonstrate significant decision-making and problem-solving ability.
Have good communication skills.
Work collaboratively as a team member with staff, parents, and community resources.
Be able to supervise preschool children and maintain a safe environment, including monitoring and responding to events in classroom and outdoor play areas and moving quickly to respond to active children who may need restraint or redirection for safety.
Meet the position’s physical and sensory requirements, with or without reasonable accommodation: general and close, distance, color, peripheral, and depth vision; ability to adjust focus; hearing or listening in the normal range (corrected); and ability to speak and give directions clearly.
Be able to walk, sit, stand, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, and lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects up to 10 pounds, and occasionally lift or move up to 30 pounds.
Complete a physical before accepting a preliminary employment offer.

Nice To Haves

Prior supervisory experience.
Prior experience teaching in a Head Start preschool setting.

Responsibilities

Plan, document, and implement lesson plans that incorporate individualization and use research-based curricula with fidelity.
Use effective teaching practices, child assessment data, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences to advance children’s development according to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five, and collaboratively plan to improve teaching and learning outcomes.
Document attendance, education, health, nutrition, mental health, transition, parent and family engagement, and disability information in the appropriate program software, portfolio, or child file.
Conduct required screenings and assessments within established time frames.
Conduct at least two home visits and two parent-teacher conferences per year, with additional conferences as appropriate.
Use the appropriate observation tool and behavior curriculum or framework to support positive teacher-child interactions.
Implement classroom emergency procedures, maintain posted procedures and emergency information, notify families of emergencies, and keep family contact and emergency-care authorization information current. Conduct and document monthly fire drills and severe-weather drills every three months.
Follow medication administration procedures, including locking up medications, administering them, and maintaining individual dispensing records.
Keep indoor and outdoor environments safe and clean, and securely store outdoor equipment, dangerous materials, and potential poisons.
Use active supervision to ensure children’s safety and well-being, maintain child-staff ratios, ensure no child is left alone or unsupervised, and provide a developmentally appropriate environment for all children, including children with disabilities.
Coordinate with Family Advocates on referrals and assist them in obtaining children’s physical, dental, immunization, and other required documentation from parents.
Comply with Head Start Program Performance Standards, Texas child-care licensing minimum standards, CACOST Head Start Birth to Five program policies and procedures, School Readiness Goals, the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, and the Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework.
Promote attendance, maintain full classroom enrollment, and meet average daily attendance requirements.
Promote and collect monthly in-kind contributions from parents and community members.
Support parent involvement and development through open communication about children’s needs and strengths, Parent Committee meetings, and opportunities for families to participate in education services.
Ensure the teacher aide complies with program requirements and supervise and monitor the aide’s daily responsibilities, including reports, instructional planning and delivery, and maintaining safe, orderly environments. Include the aide in progress monitoring, individualization, and small-group activities; conduct at least annual performance evaluations and monitor attendance through Novatime.
Comply with program confidentiality policies.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Operations Manager.