Infant/Toddler Teacher - Head Start

The Head Start Teacher works with children to promote their growth in the areas of social-emotional, physical, cognitive and language development. Involves families in every aspect of their child's education, including facilitating parent involvement.

Candidates must submit applications by 1/5/24 to be considered for first-round interviews.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Associate's or Step 9 rating on ORO; or Bachelor's degree or step 10 rating in ORO in Early Childhood Education, or a related field (Education, Human Development, Family and Consumer Studies, Child and Family Studies, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work)
• Two years of experience in early childhood programs.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Intermediate computer knowledge including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Effective communication skills, in both written and oral form.
• Bilingual English-Spanish capabilities are preferred but not required. To qualify as bilingual, staff must possess demonstrated abilities to speak, write, and read fluently in Spanish and English and pass a bilingual test. *Bilingual staff may receive a pay differential based on HS Program language needs.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

• Registration with the Office of Child Care's Central Background Registry.
• Pre-employment physical examination.
• Driver qualification status is required for this position. Must have valid Oregon Driver's License and insured vehicle available for use on the job. Satisfactory drive record for the previous five years.
• First Aid/CPR certification and Food Handler's Card, or ability to obtain

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee will also perform other reasonably related business duties as assigned by immediate supervisor and other management as required.

Classroom (50%)

• Ensures safety in the classroom at all times, with appropriate supervision of children, utilizing the transition and counting form and procedure. Ensures children are released only to parent/guardians or authorized adults.
• Records children's daily attendance, working with site team to determine the cause of absences.
• Provides for the development of children's cognitive, physical, social-emotional and language skills through implementation of curriculum, lesson planning and individualization.
• Conducts developmental and social-emotional screenings for each child, with input from parents. Provides follow up to concerns, including the provision of resources, or referrals for children with identified developmental or social-emotional needs.
• Conducts and records child observations to utilize in setting goals, individualizing and creating assessments.
• Creates lesson plans utilizing a variety of curriculum to address children's individual goals, taking into account each child's characteristics, strengths, and needs.
• Works with classroom team during pre-service, to set up classroom environment, and maintain the environment by regularly changing/rotating materials, supplies and props, utilizing the Creative Curriculum, and the Monthly Environment Checklist.
• Creates a supportive climate and positive environment with opportunities for children to make connections with other children and staff. Uses positive redirection and strategies to provide children with a safe, secure and enjoyable experience at school.
• Maintains a spontaneous and flexible attitude in meeting children's individual needs, encouraging children to verbalize their own feelings and ideas.
• Prepares materials, activities, and projects for class.
• Participates in family style meals, taking USDA required meal counts, and leading conversation at the table to enhance the social and emotional growth of children.
• Conducts, in the classroom, monthly emergency drills to prepare children and staff for fires, earthquakes, and lockdown situations.
• Supports team by providing coverage for breaks, lunches, and illness, at your own site as well as other sites in the program.
• Works with parents whose children require potty-training support.
• Maintains a clean, sanitary, safe, and orderly classroom.

Office/Paperwork (35%)

• Effectively uses the ChildPlus and Teaching Strategies Gold databases to enter or obtain information.
• Completes home visits and parent-teacher conferences as required.
• Completes Progress Checkpoints for child assessment, using information obtained from child observations. Shares information with program administration and parents.
• Writes an article for parent newsletter each month.
• Uses office time efficiently to make and receive parent phone calls, order supplies, preparing children's work to go home, preparing materials for activities, and other office work as needed.
• Verifies and submits weekly Meal Counts and Attendance forms.

Staff Development/Meetings (10%)

• Attends a variety of classes, workshops, seminars, pre-service training and other Head Start Teacher trainings, and keeps current on developments in early childhood education, and developmentally appropriate practices.
• Attends a variety of meetings including individual reflection meetings, region meetings, site team meetings, debriefing after observations, and other meetings as necessary.
• Attends IFSP meetings or Triage meetings when necessary to support children with social-emotional or developmental concerns.
• Keeps current on and complies with program and agency policies and procedures, Head Start Performance Standards, and other applicable regulations.
• Attends and contributes to child/family staffing meetings.
• Contributes to training and orienting of new staff as necessary.

Parent Involvement (5%)

• Supports parents as children transition to and from the program through a variety of transition activities.
• Provides regular opportunities for parent participation by training parents who volunteer in the classroom.
• Participates in planning for and implementing monthly parent meetings.
• Participates in classroom orientations at the beginning of the school year.
• Providing tools, resources and opportunities for parents to observe and practice appropriate redirection skills with their child.
• Develops and maintains relationships with parents/guardians, to ensure consistent and frequent communication.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Required to frequently reach with hands and arms; regularly required to climb or balance; occasionally required to stand; walk; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Regularly lift and/or move 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Physical ability to quickly evacuate children from the classroom in an emergency.
• Manual dexterity for handling office equipment.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Mostly indoor classroom and bus riding environment.
• Frequent outdoor supervision of children and monitoring pick up/drop off.
• Occasional exposure to cleaning chemicals, creative substances such as paints.
• Occasional exposure to body fluids/biohazards (such as saliva, vomit and urine.)

Enrollment in the Central Background Registry is beneficial if you are even considering working with children in the State of Oregon, since it will be required before you can start a position. Enrollment is free and it is recommended that you start now as the process can take time. Start enrollment online at: oregonearlylearning.com

MWVCAA is committed to promoting and achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion with employees and with those we serve. The agency strives to be an employer of choice with a vision for all people to be respected for their infinite worth and supported to envision and reach a positive future.

MWVCAA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, veterans, and people with disabilities, or any other protected category. We welcome all people to join us in achieving our Mission. If you require any assistance in the application process, or reasonable accommodations to perform the essential duties of the position, please notify a member of our team at (503) 585-6232.

**This is a partial list of essential duties and responsibilities. To review the full job description, please apply at mwvcaa.org/careers/.