Early Head Start Teacher

Are you passionate about enriching the lives of our future leaders? Easterseals is the right fit for you!

For more than 100 years, we've been dedicated to promoting equity and inclusion through our life-changing services for children, adults, caregivers, and veterans. We won't rest until everyone feels valued, respected, and accepted. At Easterseals, we take pride in providing experiences that our employees describe as rewarding, positive, and friendly! Our collaborative culture fosters teamwork as we work together to support children in the best ways possible. We celebrate achievements, big and small, from earning your CDA certification to celebrating an anniversary as an Easterseals.

Join us and be a part of our journey in making a positive impact on the lives of those we serve. Together, we can create an environment where everyone can thrive and experience the joy of learning.

Pay & Benefits

Pay ranges between $22.00 and $24.04 but that’s not all! Our premier benefits package includes:

• Free CDA certifications
• Education Assistance
• Health/Dental/ Vision Insurance
• Bonuses
• Discounts on entertainment, gym memberships, travel, theme parks, and clothing
• And so much more!

As a Early Head Start Teacher at Easterseals you will:

• Work with the team to create inclusive activities for all children, including those with disabilities.
• Help plan engaging classroom activities following Easterseals and NAEYC guidelines.
• Create a motivating and nurturing classroom environment for the children.
• Prioritize child health, safety, and well-being. Assist with feeding, toileting, and cleanliness.
• Perform additional duties as needed to support the center's operation and children's well-being.

The Teacher is responsible for an Early Head Start classroom for children. S/he works collaboratively with a co-teacher, family members and other staff to achieve positive outcomes for children of all abilities.

Job responsibilities

CLASS™ teacher-child interactions:

• Provide emotional support through establishing a positive climate, being aware of and responsive to children, and encouraging child expression and autonomy.
• Use strategies for behavior management, such as clear behavior expectations, being proactive and redirecting misbehavior.
• Foster classroom productivity and maximize learning time, while engaging children with a variety of modalities and materials.
• Provide instructional support through concept development, fostering children’s analysis and reasoning, engaging in feedback loops, and modeling and supporting high-quality language.

Learning environment:

• Ensure classroom arrangement, materials and displays are organized and conducive to children’s learning.

Curriculum:

• Implement BBCF Head Start’s chosen curriculum with fidelity, being aware of the big ideas while also following all assigned guidance and resources.
• Prepare or modify weekly lesson plans and prepare to implement small-group activities, readalouds, circle time, and other curriculum components.
• Provide children with a consistent classroom routine and facilitate all parts of the routine to support child learning.
• Interact with children intentionally throughout the day to provide differentiated support.

Child assessment:

• Collect documentation of children through ongoing observation, embedded and direct assessment activities.
• Complete quarterly assessment checkpoints for each child.
• Analyze child assessment data and use it to plan and individualize.

Meeting all children’s needs:

• Complete developmental and social-emotional screenings on all children within prescribed time frames.
• Complete weekly Individualized Learning Plans to identify specific goals and strategies for each child in class.
• Integrate Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or referral action plans for children with diagnosed or suspected special needs.

Working with families:

• Establish positive and productive relationships with families through building rapport and trust.
• Schedule and complete two home visits and two parent-teacher conferences each year.
• Encourage and engage family members to serve as classroom volunteers.
• Collaborate with family services staff to support families in implementing family life practices, extending learning into the home, and meeting expectations for attendance.

Professional growth and collaboration:

• Participate in ongoing reflective coaching and self-assessment.
• Collaborate with assistant teacher and other staff in the center.
• Share pertinent information with family services, disabilities/mental health or health/nutrition staff, as needed, to meet the needs of individual children and families. Participate in case conferences as appropriate.

In addition, the teacher will:

• Know and understand BBCF Head Start’s School Readiness Goals and strive to help all children achieve them.
• Provide classroom experiences that are developmentally, linguistically, culturally and age appropriate for the children served.
• Establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment, including full supervision of children at all times, in accordance with Head Start and childcare licensing requirements.
• Conduct daily health/safety monitoring of the indoor and (as requested) outdoor environment.
• Follow all health and hygiene practices, including hand-washing, sanitizing, and universal precautions.
• Supervise mealtimes and “family style dining” with children.
• Supervise all classroom field trips and outdoor activities.
• Maintain required documentation of activities, including child and family information, assessment data, volunteer logs, etc.

Requirements:

• CDA-Infants/Toddlers OR AA/AS in Early Childhood Education OR BA/BS in Early Childhood Education –OR state awarded preschool teacher certification with experience teaching preschool aged children–OR- BA/BS in related field with at least six college courses (12-18 credits) in Early Childhood Education plus experience teaching preschool aged children.
• Bilingual Spanish- English preferred
• Pass physical examination, background check, and fingerprinting screen, and maintain required Physical/TB screen requirements.
• Intermediate computer literacy in email, word processing and internet navigation.
• Able to lift a child weighing 40 pounds, 20 times a day if needed.
• Obtain certification in CPR and First Aid.

Qualifications and Physical requirements:

• Minimum age:
• 16 with work-permit.
• Committed to prioritizing children and families' needs.
• Effective communication with participants, families, and community sources
• Willingness to actively participate and problem-solve.
• Must satisfactorily complete a physical examination by a doctor to include submission of information regarding immunizations/vaccinations.
• Frequently lift, hold, and carry children with a range of weight of 10-40 pounds. Occasionally lift and move classroom furniture. In addition, frequently bend, sit (close to the ground) and stand for periods at a time.
• Maintain mental and physical alertness and appropriate level of energy to perform essential job requirements.
• Respond immediately and appropriately to multiple and/or unexpected situations or emergencies.

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Easterseals policy is to provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants and employees regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, status as a special disabled veteran, or any other protected criteria as established by federal, state, or local laws. Employment decisions at Easterseals are based solely upon relevant criteria, including an individual’s capabilities, qualifications, training, experience and suitability.