Assistant Educator/Educational Aide

This posting is for two levels of positions within our early childhood education centers: an Assistant Educator and Educational Aide.

Starting Pay: $16+ / dependent on experience.
Schedule: full time hours (30+), no weekends.
Locations: Spellman Child Development Center (6908 Mercy Rd.) and Child Saving Institute main building (4545 Dodge St).

Job Purpose:
To foster healthy development of children, by supervising and coordinating daily classroom activities, and providing a safe and nurturing environment for young children to learn and grow. Provide back up for other staff in various classrooms.

Essential Job Duties:

• Supervision of children: Provide direct supervision of young children, knowing needs and whereabouts.
• Move throughout classroom and around playground to effectively interact with children.
• Interact with children in a group and on a one-on-one basis both verbally and physically to provide a safe supportive environment.
• Communicate with children by getting down on a child’s level.
• Provide effective and interactive supervision on field trips and in outdoor activities.
• Establish and maintain a daily schedule of activities/care times.
• Education: Provide teaching activities that facilitate the growth and learning of children.
• Assist in facilitating various hands-on activities in a manner that utilizes a variety of teaching methods and techniques such as hands-on discussions and supervised role-playing.
• Provide activities that promote self-help and independence in children.
• Assist in observation and documentation of individual developmental stages and growth.
• Utilize family style during mealtimes, using mealtimes as an opportunity to teach self-help behaviors, including proper table manners, etc.
• Create individual service plans goals based on a child’s developmental level and monitors and documents progress.
• Demonstrate in daily activities the belief that people have the ability to grow and change.
• Parent Interaction: Effectively communicate with parents (in verbal and written form) information regarding the program that is critical to the care of their child.
• Provide parents with daily written and verbal information about children.
• Communicate issues of concern and strengths to parents. Discusses goals for skill development.
• Encourage parents to discuss concerns and provides input regarding their child’s care.
• Assist in facilitation of parent-teacher conferences.
• Serve as a resource for further intervention (e.g., referral sources).
• Communicate specific parent requests and special instructions to Coordinator and Director.
• Professionalism: Act in a professional manner consistent with job description.
• Report to shift, meetings, and trainings on time.
• Follow agency policy and procedures.
• Represent the early childhood education program and the agency to the public in a positive manner at all times.
• Promote self-growth by participating in at least 15 hours of childcare in-service per year.
• Attend and constructively participate in agency-wide mandatory staff meetings, quarterly childcare meetings, and all other required meetings.
• Promote professional growth by being involved in professional organizations (i.e., NAEYC).
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality and boundaries at all times.
• Follow Child Saving Institute policies and procedures.
• Report child abuse and neglect according to policies and procedures.
• Environment/Structure: Implement schedules and structured activities for safety of children and effective management of care.
• Conduct housekeeping/sanitation activities consistent with agency expectations/schedules.
• Assist with a variety of maintenance activities.
• Has a well-organized classroom.
• Community Awareness & Personnel Capabilities: Perform direct care skills, including recognition of cultural and socioeconomic factors as well as appropriate standards for client care.
• Develop and maintain respectful partnerships with children and parents to help them gain the skills and confidence to address any issues and problems they face.
• Work collaboratively with other personnel and/or service providers or professionals.
• Establish and maintain limits and the helping role of practitioner and intervenes appropriately to address the needs of the persons served or other family members.
• Maintain a helping role and intervenes appropriately to meet service goals.
• Demonstrate a commitment to empowering others to solve their own problems.
• Demonstrate the belief in a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a person.
• Demonstrate a conviction that people have a capacity to grow and change.
• Interact respectfully with parents and children.

Other Duties:

• Complete other responsibilities as assigned by supervisor.
• Complete training necessary to perform position and necessary for professional growth.
• Facilitate a team atmosphere by working in partnership with other agency staff and promote a positive working environment.
• Represent the agency and programs in a positive manner to clients, community organizations and the public, in general.
• Must maintain First Aid, CPR certification.
• Must complete Blood borne Pathogens training, TB test and physical.

Job Requirements:

• A minimum of HS (or equivalent).
• Must be at least 19 years of age.
• Ability to interact with clients and staff with sensitivity and responsiveness to cultural and socioeconomic characteristics in the service population.
• A minimum of 6 months relevant experience
• Knowledge of or ability to learn the following:
• Developmental stages.
• Effective childcare discipline management.
• Appropriate parent and child communication.
• Effective classroom environments specific to ages/stages.
• Standards for high quality care, and licensing and accreditation requirements; and,
• Basic first aid and CPR or ability to attain certificates in those areas.
• Personal characteristics
• Patience.
• Nurturing.
• Flexibility.
• Multi-task/strong organizational skills.
• Ability to interact with clients with sensitivity and responsiveness to cultural and socioeconomic characteristics in the service population.
• Commitment to empowering others to solve their own problems.
• Valuing a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a person.
• A conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change.
• The ability to establish a respectful relationship with persons served to help them gain skills and confidence.
• The ability to collaborate with other personnel and/or service providers or professionals; and,
• The capacity to maintain a helping role and to intervene appropriately to meet service goals; and set appropriate limits.
• Position Characteristics
• Analytical complexity – requires minimal analytical skills. Need to be able to analyze individual children and make recommendations about care.
• Autonomy/Accountability – is accountable for own work and for making educated decisions reflecting the children. Works as a team with lead teacher in classroom.
• Impact of position – understanding of significant impact on children and parents served within the childcare classroom. Also has impact on the level of service and quality the classroom offers.
• Communication/Language
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules and operation, safety, and program manuals. Ability to write daily reports and lesson plans. Ability to speak effectively with parents and other employees of the agency. Ability to establish effective relationships with children, parents, and co-workers.
• Mathematical skills
• Ability to add, subtracts, multiply and divides in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Reasoning ability
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral and schedule form.

Environment:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee frequently works in outside weather conditions. The noise level in the center is usually noisy due to the number of children. Employee may be required to change diapers, etc. and may encounter body fluids and must practice Universal Precautions.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to: sit, stand, and walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and hear and see within normal limits and close vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Ability to run after children, reach with hands and arms, bend, stoop, kneel crouch or crawl.
• Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.
• Ability to work extensively with children.

Child Saving Institute (CSI) is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals and takes steps to ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $16.00 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Referral program
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Evening shift
• Monday to Friday
• No weekends
• On call

Application Question(s):

• Are you at least 18 years of age?

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Required)

License/Certification:

• Child Development Associate Certification (Preferred)

Work Location: In person