Teacher/Family Advocate Infants And Toddlers

What we offer: 

The opportunity to work in a mission-driven organization serving children and families

A competitive wage in addition to a generous benefits package, to include:

Employer paid medical/dental/vision and life insurance,

403(b) retirement plan with employer contributions and match,

Employee Assistance Program

PTO and phased in paid Winter and Spring break, and paid Holidays.

This position is August through June annually, with layoff period in July. Benefits carry year-round. 

Kidco is a qualifying employer for Student Loan Forgiveness programs

Generous tuition assistance program

Opportunity for professional growth and advancement

This position is salaried, exempt.

Wage is based upon ORO step placement:

Step 8 or below: $18.95/hour with plan to achieve Step 9 within program year,

Step 9: $4028.87 per month

Step 10 or above is $4651.10 per month.

Location: this position is located in Albany

Essential Job Responsibilities:

Working with infants and toddlers

· Provide a safe and consistent care environment by demonstrating appropriate, effective group and individual management skills.

· Establish a consistent schedule that includes flexibility to meet the changing needs of the infants and toddlers.

· Individualize child and group activities to reflect the unique needs, strengths and development stage of all children in care.

· Provide primary care for identified group of four infants and/or toddlers.

· Integrate all Early Head Start components into the care time (i.e. nutrition, health, safety and mental health).

· Encourage experimentation, exploration, problem solving, creativity, socialization and choice-making: ask open-ended questions and listen respectfully to verbal and

nonverbal communication.

· Adjust verbal communication to meet the child?s developmental level and style of

communication.

· Use positive, age appropriate guidance strategies. Monitor own emotional state, body language, tone and volume of voice to be professionally appropriate with infants and toddlers.

· Provide an atmosphere that promotes and reinforces parental involvement in the care room.

· Work with special needs consultants to develop a collaborative approach that benefits all children in care and meets specified Individual Family Service Plan needs.

· Provide leadership, training and support to teaching partners and volunteers in the classroom.

Working with Parents

· Communicate with parents on a regular basis.

· Work with families in a positive, respectful, non-judgmental way.

Recordkeeping and Curriculum Development

· Assess individual and group needs, attending to children?s interests, strengths and goals, providing particular focus on primary care children.

· Establish daily and weekly goals which reflect individual and group needs

· Write on-going anecdotal records and observations of children.

· Structure environments/curriculum within EHS guidelines responsive to developmental task acquisition and promotion of age appropriate participation and independence.

· Prepare materials to support activity plans; change and create learning areas as needed; delegate tasks as appropriate.

· Adapt curriculum to address and meet individual goals for children, including IFSP goals for children with disabilities.

· Maintain up-to-date child files to include observations, screenings, assessments, individual child plans, family contact forms and consultant recommendations.

· Provide leadership, mentoring, guidance and training to teaching/care partners.

· Assist ECE Supervisor to develop, review and update training plans for teaching/care partners.

· Assist teaching/care partners in meeting training needs by giving ongoing, appropriate, constructive feedback.

Home/EHS Partnership

· Conduct home visits required by center model for the purposes of screening, assessment, support and goal-setting and for sharing information on parenting,

· home/center activities, educational strategies and developmental progress in conjunction with families.

· Create a facilitative and supportive relationship with families.

· Conduct periodic conferences with parents to formally review child?s progress and set goals.

· Engage center families in on-going, informal information-sharing pertinent to their child?s ongoing needs and developmental changes.

· Maintain family contact record keeping system for assigned families.

· Participate in monthly parent meetings.

· Monitor teacher/care partner?s home-contact performance.

Family

· Assist families in the development of family partnership goals; provide timely and relevant referrals; monitor progress on the goals and other necessary follow up. Document and maintain family information in children?s database.

· Work collaboratively with Family Services staff and provide services for families not on FA caseload that you are the assigned as teacher.

· Facilitate and help conduct monthly parent committee activities for all families in your classroom.

· Maintain family contact recordkeeping system for assigned families

· Work with parents to establish and maintain regular attendance for their child.

· Maintain monthly contacts to promote partnership and provide for regular communication.

· Provide information relative to Head Start health and nutrition requirements; work with Health Advocate to support families in completing health screenings.

· Arrange for transportation for child/parent to appointments and meetings.

· Possess and demonstrate strong working knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards and other regulations.

· Assists with recruitment and enrollment of children into Head Start/ Early Head Start, coordinates and participates in all related functions. (AV/PO)

· Home Visits include goal setting and family assessment.

Collaboration

· Work collaboratively with Family Services Team to plan for and deliver quality services.

· Meet with consultants for goal-setting, planning and reviewing children?s progress.

· Attend IFSP meetings

· Working with ECE Supervisor and following established Kidco procedures, identify, track and refer children to appropriate consultants, specialist or agency when needed.

Additional Job Responsibilities

· Attend and participate in program meetings as requested by supervisor.

· Complete all areas of responsibility in compliance with program code of conduct and confidentiality policies.

· Be a contributory team member in a positive/productive manner.

· Demonstrate commitment to mission, values and policies in the performance of daily duties

· Other related duties as assigned by supervisor.