Teacher Assistant

Responsible for the education and general development of the children in the Head Start center.

POSITION TITLE : Teacher Assistant - Head Start

LOCATION / DEPT : North & Central Illinois Division / Child Care

REPORTS TO : Teacher / Site Director

FLSA CATEGORY : Non-Exempt

STATUS TYPE : Full-Time

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Safety
• Demonstrates safety practices.
• Minimizes potential hazards.
• Provides adequate supervision.
• Provides safety instruction.
• Health
• Maintains a healthy classroom environment.
• Assists the teacher in planning and implementing activities that promote personal health and sound nutrition.
• Learning Environment
• Maintains learning environment.
• Assists the teacher in planning and implementing activities that promote an interest in the learning environment offering a choice of learning center activities for at least sixty minutes each day.
• Physical
• Assists the teacher in planning and implementing activities that promote the physical development of each child.
• Maintains an environment conducive to development of physical skills.
• Cognitive
• Assists the teacher in planning and implementing activities that promote questioning, probing exploration and problem solving.
• Helps children develop conceptual framework for interpreting experiences, including :
• Classification
• Seriation
• Number
• Spatial relations
• Representation
• Time
• Communication
• Promotes children's listening skills.
• Promotes clear articulation and language production.
• Promotes adult-child communication.
• Promotes child-child communication.
• Creative
• Supplies equipment and materials that encourage creativity.
• Encourages innovative uses of materials and divergent thinking.
• Self
• Assists the teacher in assessing each child's current skill level.
• Writes observation notes weekly on C.A.R
• Summarizes child's skills two times per year on C.O.R
• Plans and implements activities which maximize opportunities for success.
• Provides positive feedback to children when appropriate.
• Social
• Assists the teacher in planning and implementing activities that develop awareness of feelings and emotions.
• Capitalizes on spontaneous occurrences of empathy, display of feelings and emotions throughout the day.
• Serves as role model.
• Guidance
• Maintains an environment conducive to preventive discipline.
• Maintains consistent discipline in the classroom.
• Sets and enforces appropriate limits.
• Maintains a positive approach to classroom control and recognizes self-control as a learning process.
• Organizes smooth and appropriate transitions.
• Focuses on activity at hand rather than children's behavior.
• Ignores inappropriate behavior when possible.

lets go" of negative instances : does not harbor grudges.

• Encourages children to make appropriate choices in controlling their own behavior.
• Avoids excessive lining up.
• Families
• Involves parents in the classroom program.
• Involves parents in extending the classroom program into the home.
• Assists the teacher in sharing information on child's progress with parents.
• Helps parents plan in-home activities to supplement the classroom program.
• Makes home visits in September / October and April / May.
• Serves as liaison between other components and parents.
• Program Management
• Employs a wide variety of resources in implementing curriculum.
• Assists the teacher in planning classroom programs in an organized timely fashion.
• Completes weekly / daily lesson plans on time.
• Submits records, requisitions, reports and plans when due.
• Maintains accurate daily attendance and food count.
• Makes use of program resource personnel in planning for children and their families.
• Ensures team cooperation.
• Supervises classroom aides.
• Professionalism
• Maintains a professional attitude.
• Keeps abreast of early childhood education practices.
• Other Duties
• All other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE

• Associate of Arts degree in early childhood education.
• Two years of experience in a pre-school setting.
• Some experience with young children.

COMPETENCIES

• Some knowledge of social service programs helpful.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to use initiative and be a self starter.
• A positive attitude and the ability to be flexible in light of changing job situations / priorities.
• An attention to detail.
• A commitment to support and uphold the mission of The Salvation Army.
1 day ago