Caregiver I-III - $500.00 Signing bonus

Responsible for planning and implementing an early childhood education program for infants and toddlers in accordance with agency policies, procedures, and practices. Responsible for promoting school readiness, parent engagement and ensuring the health and safety of children in our care. Performs under the direction of the Center Coordinator or Caregiver III to ensure program operations are carried out in a manner supportive of DCP goals and intended program outcomes. Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor. Some evening and weekend work, travel and occasional overnight travel will be necessary. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Effective Teaching Practice

1. Successfully assists in the implementation of High Scope curriculum fully utilizing agency resources and feedback from content area specialists.
2. Ensures all classroom practices are developmentally appropriate and meaningful to children’s learning.
3. Tracks and plans classroom experiences utilizing data from CORAdvantage ensuring timely and complete ongoing child assessment.

Content Area Domains

4. Provides a welcoming environment for parents at the center and encourages and fosters parent engagement in children’s school readiness. Works with parents to set realistic long and short term goals fostering their growth and financial independence.
5. Participates in the identification of children with disabilities. Works with Child Development Services (CDS) to develop and implement an Individual Family Service Plan/Individual Education Plan (IFSP/IEP) for identified children. Links parents of children with disabilities to community resources.
6. Works in partnership with classroom team to ensure recommendations of content area specialists, mental health consultants and special needs providers are implemented.

Learning Environments

7. Ensures constant supervision of children at all times; conducting double verification occur during transition times.
8. Assists in ensuring all learning areas are present and engaging to children, displaying and rotating materials that encourage independence and reflect children’s interests.
9. Responsible for daily visual checks of classroom and playground environments to detect hazards. Remedies or reports unsafe conditions to responsible manager immediately.
10. Ensures environments are aesthetically pleasing to children, minimizes use of adult space in classrooms and maintains a clean and orderly environment.

 Observation, Analysis, planning and documentation

11. Consistently and accurately enters data weekly in ChildPlus and COR Advantage software.
12. Assists in completing developmental assessments including hearing, vision, social-emotional with parent input within 45 days of a children’s enrollment and according to schedule thereafter.
13. Completes documentation on time and records documentation observing good grammar, clear communication and objectivity.

Communication

14. Completes a minimum of two home visits annually and two parent conferences according to agency policy and procedure.
15. Directly communicates children’s individual progress and needs to parents through daily individual contacts, phone calls, notes home, home visits, and parent/teacher conferences. Engages them in planning and implementing their child’s school readiness plans at school and home.
16. Ensures consistent communication among classroom staff ensuring appropriate planning and follow up occurs.
17. Maintains confidentiality of families by limiting conversations and information about families with only those that need to know in order to provide services.
18. Carries out child recruitment and outreach efforts in local communities ensuring full enrollment.

Professionalism/Leadership

19. Responsible for knowledge of and compliance with all agency policies and procedures.
20. Provides active supervision of all substitutes and volunteers assigned to the classroom in accordance with DCP’s supervision standards.
21. Maintains professional boundaries in relationships with families and staff members distinguishing between other needs and one’s own.
22. Serves as a role model for families and other staff by making sound daily decisions and reflecting on and assessing one’s own practice and taking advantage of opportunities to improve skills and knowledge.
23. In absence of Caregiver III, may be the lead in the classroom.

Caregiver III only:

24. Provides overall leadership in the classroom and is primarily responsible for all aspects of the classroom.
25. Assists with orientation and training of new staff and volunteers in the goals of Head Start, appropriate child development skills and techniques and classroom operations.  Guides staff daily in classroom scheduling and operations.
26. Performs all supervisory duties with classroom staff as outlined in supervision procedure.

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS:

• Ability to be organized and meet deadlines
• Ability to read, discern and implement agency policies and procedures
• Ability to practice sound child development practices, keeping abreast of current research
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing

 PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those needed for successful completion of the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

• Requires interacting with small children at their eye level frequently.
• Requires ability to monitor classroom and staff activities auditorily and visually.
• Requires ability to move quickly to intercept/redirect child.
• Requires lifting up to 40 pounds occasionally.
• Requires sitting or standing in one place for up to two hours
• Requires ability to kneel and recover repeatedly.
• Requires moving furniture about and sweeping/mopping floors regularly.

 WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Classroom setting within a school or center
• Playground with uneven surfaces and playground equipment

 QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED FOR POSITION:

Required abilities:

• Ability to be organized and meet deadlines
• Ability to read, discern and implement agency policies and procedures
• Ability to practice sound child development practices, keeping abreast of current research
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing
• Must be able to pass background checks.

 Required Education:

Must be at least 21 years of age. A minimum of a Child Development Associates certificate or equivalent required (may obtain within first year of employment). A degree in Early Childhood Education or related field with at least 18 credits in Early Childhood preferred. Caregiver III must have CDA or equivalent.