Preschool Teacher

General Summary

The Preschool Teacher is responsible for all aspects preschool age children while at the Cate Early Learning Center. Such responsibilities will include physical caregiving, developmental assessments, development of age appropriate/individually appropriate curriculum and facilitating supportive relationships with parents.

Essential Job Functions
The responsibilities of this position will include, but not be limited to the following:

• Early Childhood Programming
• At all times ensure the children’s safety in both indoor and outdoor environments.
• Responsible for formulating relationships with parents and children that are respectful of individual differences, family styles, and cultural/socioeconomic diversity.
• Responsible for ensuring that all meal and rest breaks for the staff and the changes in the daily schedule for the children (outside time, meals for the children, diaper changes, etc.) are done in an organized manner to support a sense of routine in the environment for the children.
• Plan, supervise and implement the preschool program in accordance with the policies and philosophy of the ELC and the identified curriculum objectives.
• Strive to create an instructional program that meets the needs of each child with concern for his/her interests, individual learning style, and pace of learning.
• Provide appropriate guidance to support staff and substitute teachers, and actively facilitate their program development skills.
• Design an organized, stimulating, and developmentally appropriate learning environment suitable for all children enrolled in the indoor/outdoor classrooms.
• Responsible for doing routine evaluations of each child’s development.
• Adaptable to changes in daily routines and program needs.
• Strive to create a state of the art childcare program.

Interactions with Children

• Strive to create a language-rich program, encouraging positive and respectful interactions.
• Treat each child with dignity and respect.
• Help each child to become aware of his/her role as an integral member of the group.
• Help each child to become comfortable with him/herself.
• Encourage active involvement in problem solving in the environment.
• Encourage children to be responsible for their actions to support the development of their roles as effective decision makers.

Working with Parents

• Communicate with parents on a regular basis regarding the progress of their children in the program or specific issues as they occur on a day-to-day basis.
• Work with new parents to create an easy transition into the program.
• Create an environment that embraces open communications between staff and parents.
• Provide Early Childhood/community resources as needed.

Supporting Positive Staff Relationships

• Attend and participate in all staff meetings.
• Attend all recommended in-service trainings.
• Direct any issues to the suitable person in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Administrative Functions
• Complete all assigned paperwork (daily information sheets/daily attendance, shopping lists, child injury reports, etc.) in a timely manner.
• Assist in the education and ongoing evaluation of fieldwork students, when applicable.

Physical Requirements

• Continually able to observe and respond to children’s needs, emergencies and/or conflicts that might occur during the day (inside or outside environment).
• Continually able to lift children/materials 1-40 pounds from the floor to a waist high table.
• Continually able to kneel to maintain eye contact at child’s level.
• Continually able to sit on the floor to work with children.
• Continually able to react to a child that is 20 to 30 feet away within 30 seconds.
• Continually able to carry a child up to 50 pounds, up to 50-100 feet.
• Continually able to respond to children’s first aid needs (inside and outside) which may include cuts, bruises, blood/bodily fluids.
• Continually able to communicate clearly and calmly to children, parents, and co-workers.
• Continually able to deal effectively with the stress involved in working closely with children, parents, and co-workers.
• Continually able to do fine and medium hand manipulation.

Minimum Job Qualifications

• High school graduate.
• Two years’ experience working with young children.
• Minimum twelve (12) core units in Early Childhood Education.
• Successful completion of the fingerprinting process and or successful transfer of fingerprints from another program.
• Successful completion of the hiring packet, including
• Working knowledge of personal computers with experience in the use of such programs as Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Excellent customer service skills in person and on the phone.
• Comfortable with team-based work structure; ability to demonstrate flexibility on the job.
• Demonstrates initiative, is conscientious and provides complete follow-through on areas of responsibility.

Preferred Job Qualifications

• 3-6 Infant-Toddler Units
• Bilingual (Spanish)
• Familiarity with RIE philosophy
• CPR and First Aid Certification, or able to acquire within 3 months hire date.

Employee Conduct
It is the responsibility of every employee to contribute to a positive work environment through cooperative and professional interactions with co-workers, customers and vendors.