Infant​/Toddler Teacher - Early Head Start

The Early Head Start Teacher utilizes responsive caregiving and continuity of care strategies to build relationships with children and 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.

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

• High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED)
  • Level I: CDA or one-year equivalent certification
  • Level II:
    An Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education or a related degree with a minimum of 18 credit hours of Early Learning coursework.
  • Level III: A Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or a related degree with a minimum of 18 credit hours of Early Learning coursework.
• One year of experience working in early childhood programs

• Driver qualifications are required for this position. Valid driver license, insured vehicle available for use on the job, and a satisfactory drive record for the previous three years are required.
• Successful registration with the Central Background Registry of the Child Care Division.
• CPR/First Aid Certification or the ability to obtain within 60 days of hire.
• Food Handlers Card or the ability to obtain within 30 days of hire.
• Candidate must pass pre-employment physical examination, renewable every two years.
• Candidate must pass pre-employment and random drug/alcohol screenings.

• Demonstrated proficiencies in Microsoft Office (including Outlook), videoconferencing platforms, and web tools.
• Demonstrate tact, diplomacy, and empathy when communicating with clients, staff and community partners.
• Effective interpersonal communication skills, in both oral and written form.

• Utilizes infant and toddler curriculum and lesson planning procedures to create and implement flexible learning opportunities based on children's needs, strengths, and interests.
• Develops close relationships with children through nurturing and responsive interactions, along with consistent routines to maintain a continuity of care.
• Supports the social-emotional growth of infants and toddlers by using individualized responses and approaches based on their temperaments and needs.
• Utilizes consistent responses to infants' and toddlers' actions and behaviors to support learning and provide positive redirection.
• Builds social-emotional growth and language development through engaging and connecting with children during large- and small-group time, meal times, diaper changing, and bottle-feeding.
• Integrates developmentally appropriate movement and physical activities and routines that support health and learning.
• Assesses and modifies the learning environment to support the changing ages, interests, and characteristics of infants and toddlers.
• 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.

• Effectively uses the Child Plus and Teaching Strategies Gold databases to enter or obtain information.
• 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.

• 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.

• Maintains daily communication with parents by providing information about their child's day, including information about diapering, toileting, meal times, rest times, and activities.
• Conducts home visits twice per month per family, presenting child development materials and providing resources to Early Head Start families.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close and distance vision and ability to adjust focus; hearing abilities required.
• Regularly lift and/or move 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Frequently reach with hands and arms; regularly required to climb or balance; occasionally required to stand; walk; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Ability to remain calm and quickly evacuate…