Head Start Teacher - Early Head Start - Job ID# 12496

CAPITOL REGION EDUCATION COUNCIL

Position Description

Position Title: Early Head Start Teacher

Program: Early/Head Start

Summary Description

This position is responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating child development experiences for the enrolled children and supporting and advocating for families. The Teacher position operates a safe, diverse and developmentally appropriate classroom in accordance with all Early Head Start/Head Start applicable requirements.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Provides care, age-appropriate instruction/activities, supervision and management of a class of infants (8 weeks-3 years old) in accordance with the goals and curriculum plan of Early/Head Start.
• Ensures the safety and health of children under his/her supervision while providing a comprehensive child development program. Conducts focused observations of children.
• Works together with families to develop the skills necessary for school readiness of the children.
• Carry out activities on a daily basis and evaluate the effectiveness of child development activities.
• Carries out goals, policies, and activities outlined in the Performance Standards as well as in local and federal regulations. Complies and follows state licensing and child welfare regulations.
• Maintains individual files on required information for each child.
• Maintains regular communication with parents/guardians, including classroom committee, written documentation and personal contact. Serve as a family advocate.
• Works with the Family Support Specialists, the Family Services Worker and other center staff to provide referrals for children and families, as needed.
• Plans and ensures completion of developmental screening, lesson plans, documentation, and anecdotal observations within required timeframe. Plans, develops and implements individual education plan if needed.
• Responds quickly to children’s different and personal needs (verbal and non-verbal cues), temperament styles, abilities, and cultures. Ensure that childcare routines are carried out in a manner that is prompt, hygienic, and consistent with good child development principles. This includes routines related to diapering, hand washing, eating, napping, and transitioning between activities, and others.
• Participate in regularly schedule conferencing sessions, staff meetings, parent meetings, home visits, in-service training, and other meetings as directed.
• Provide daily care individually to each infant, including but not limited to diapering every 2 hours and feeding on demand.
• Observe children to detect signs of illness, injury, abuse, neglect, or other special need, and report these signs immediately to supervisor.
• Participates in program annual self-assessment, professional development and other required trainings.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field with credits in ECE. Equivalent experience may be substituted at CREC’s discretion.
• Infant & Toddler CDA (Child Development Associate Certificate).
• Experience in working with infants, toddlers, and parents minimum two years.
• COVID-19 vaccination proof required.
• First Aid, CPR/AED certificate from an approved course by Office of Early Childhood prior to start date or completed during the first 30 days of employment.
• Experience working with children and family of diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Ability to speak/understand Spanish a plus.
  
  

Working Conditions

• Ability to lift/carry young children, up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to bend, stoop, stretch, squat, kneel, push, pull, crawl and sit on low chairs as part of child care work environment.
• Ability to detect unsafe situations by sight or sound and react quickly to intervene.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to high.
  
  

These statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed rather than give an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities.

Statute19a-79-4a of the CT licensing standards states “A designated head teacher shall submit to the department written verification of being twenty (20) years of age or older…”, and “A second program staff person who works under the supervision of the head teacher shall be eighteen (18) years of age or older…”

To access the job description and salary range please click https://www.crec.org/careers/jobs.php.